Klarinet Archive - Posting 000110.txt from 1996/07

From: "Jeroen T. Salm" <jtsalm@-----.NL>
Subj: Re: a simple question
Date: Mon, 8 Jul 1996 14:36:01 -0400

At 17:46 8-07-96 +1000, you wrote:
>Jeroen,
> I work with an instrument repairer in Australia. He studied his
>trade in Germany, and told me about Wurlitzer clarinets, with which he
>came into contact while he was there.

Hello Drew,
You're so far away! Nice to hear something out of Australia!

> He thinks they make the best clarinets in the world -- I think
>for the dark German sound they make. Could you tell me about them --
>where I can find one? How much are they?
>Is it a general thing for everyone in the Netherlands to play german
>clarinets? If not, why did you come to play one of these?

Well,I think it's due to the fact that before the War (1939) there were
German (Jewish) clarinet-players in the ConcertgebouwOrchestra
(Amsterdam-The Netherlands) that after the war it became sort of a tradition
to play german clarinets. After the war, Dutch players asked the well known
clarinet-builder (living in East Germany--thank you Nick for this info :-)
) to built clarinets for them, but with Boehm application (system).
Probably, 'cause you can play louder on the german "things". Maybe also they
liked te sound of them.
Mr Wurlitzer (i.e. Fritz Wurlitzer) made the so called Reform-Boehm
instruments. They had almost the same bore as his German Oehler clarinets. A
little bit different system of keys than the french applicatura.
Nowadays, after a few modifications, you can order reform Boehm Wurlitzers,
formarly made by the son of Frits W., Mr. Herbert W. untill 1989. After that
a new guy took the "shop" (since Herbert in West Germany) and they sell them
still on.
If you study clarinet here (In The Netherlands), and you want to play in a
Dutch Orchestra, you need Wurlizer (or, as they call it in adds:
german-clarinet, either reform-Boehm or Oehler). Well, therefor, almost all
students buy them.
They are quite expensive: I don't now anything about the Australian Dollar,
but in American Dollars: a set costs $11.000 (!!!). (The festival Buffet
cost you $5500).
We can order a set of Wurlitzers by our teachers. I mean: it was impossible
to go to germany and get one. And: after oredering one set, you had to wait
4 (!!) years. You fetched te thing, and you couldn't choose. No warranty
also. Quite amazing we accepted these conditions!
They come along with typical mouthpieces (other than german Oehler, and
different from the Fremnch ones. But: we play german-cut reeds on them, for
instance Vandoren White Master 2,5. They are a little bit smaller than the
French Vandoren reeds.
The sound is not especially darker: I know a lot of german Oehler, or reform
Boehm players who play not so dark. But, the sound is a little bit
different. It depends on what you want to get out of the clarinet. Maybe the
sound is more focused as opposed to frenche bore (witch is wider). For
instance, the world-famous Karl Leister (with whom I studied also),
principal of Berlin Philharmonic, plays very dark, but you can here him in a
orchestra. Mr Walter Boeykens (The Belgium Meister, with whom I studied
also) plays dark to (on Buffet) but I think you cannot hear him, when he
shopuld play on his clarinets in the Berlin Philharmonic. And he cannot
mingle with the German Bassoon, I think...

I think it's quite difficult to order a set of Wurlitzers. I know (and
played) the Yamaha sort-of-Wurlitzers. It's a copy, and a rather good one.
They only misses one key, I use a lot, and therefor I don't play them. They
cost almost the same as Wurlitzer, >I think $ (US) 9000.

I think you have the possibility to order 442Hz or the higher Stimmung
(445Hz). In germany they have a very high pitch (445Hz) in Holland it's
between 441 and 443Hz.

Not everyone is playing german here. Nowadays students know that it's
impossible to work in orchestras outside the Netherlands with german
clarinets. In France they tell you: you play german. In England also or the
Scandinavian countries. In germany, they say you play French (!!). It's
impossible to work in the Berlin Philharmonic on Wurlitzer Reform Boehm.
"It's French", they will say. But, Mr Leister always told me, that I played
more like him (sound and mannerisms) than the german students on original
german Wurlitzers (Oehler), so it had much to do with the player, more than
the sort of instrument!

Sometimes I'm thinking of changing to French clarinets. That's because I
want to work in Belgium, or Scandinavia. I even am thinking of selling my
set of 1989 Herbert Wurlitzers and change them to festival or something.

There is - BTW - a tendency in US to play on eform Boehm. Due to CD's and
conducters travelling the world, the Chicago Symphony (under the baton of
Daniel Barenboim, who works in Berlin often) is playing on Yamaha reform
Boehm. I was quite astonished to hear that! I think, for them it's even
impossible to obtain real Wurlitzers directly from germany...

So, ask your store for Yamaha. They are made in germany, but I think in
Japan they have them too!!

>
>etc, etc, bla bla bla, questions, questions!
>
>I just want to know more about these clarinets. At the moment I play
>Buffet Festival clarinets. I have only just found out that they're
>made along the lines of German model clarinets. They sound darker, but
>I think they're still more french in style.

Yes, they all want to have darker clarinets. It's a new trend. Due to
Leister, Anthony Pay, Walter Boeykens etc. I think you play german, when
you've the narrow bore, and you play german mouthpieces along with german
cut reeds.

So listen to Karl Leister (Sony: Ensemble Wien-Berlin, DG, Philips, Orfeo),
Dieter Klocker (Orfeo, Consortium Classicum), Sabine Meier (EMI), or the
Concertgebouw Orchestra (Piet Honingh, Georg Pieterson: reform Boehm;
Philips, Decca)) for "german sound" and all it's differences.
french sound by Walter Boeykens( Harmonia Mundi), Paul Meyer (Erato),

>
>Also , what's the tuning like?

The Oehler Wurlitzers are perfect. The reform Boehm have the tendency to get
high in higher regions. So c''' is to high. The tunig always was an
difficulty, but through the years it became better and better. they even
make low pitch clarinets nowadays for the Dutch market (442Hz)

And: the keys are made of very strong and heavy material. The applicatura is
much better than Buffet. Buffet makes I think 500 clarinets a day. Wurlitzer
only one! And only once a month a reform Boehm: real art and made by hand!

Hope to have you given some information. But: just ask me more if you like!>
I put my answer on the list, because maybe other clarinet-players have more
information or better or other ideas...I like to hear more of it too!

Jeroen T. Salm
The Netherlands

The original e-mail to Jeroen by Drew Niemeyer-Australia:
Date: Mon, 8 Jul 1996 17:46:19 +1000 (GMT+1000)
From: Drew Niemeyer <s182855@-----.au>
To: "Jeroen T. Salm" <jtsalm@-----.NL>
Subject: Re: Simple question

Jeroen,

I work with an instrument repairer in Australia. He studied his
trade in Germany, and told me about Wurlitzer clarinets, with which he
came into contact while he was there.

He thinks they make the best clarinets in the world -- I think
for the dark German sound they make. Could you tell me about them --
where I can find one? How much are they?
Is it a general thing for everyone in the Netherlands to play german
clarinets? If not, why did you come to play one of these?

etc, etc, bla bla bla, questions, questions!

I just want to know more about these clarinets. At the moment I play
Buffet Festival clarinets. I have only just found out that they're
made along the lines of German model clarinets. They sound darker, but
I think they're still more french in style.

Also , what's the tuning like?

DREW
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