Klarinet Archive - Posting 000291.txt from 1997/02

From: Andrew Grenci <agrenci@-----.NET>
Subj: Re: Basset horn (or Alto Cl in F?)
Date: Sun, 9 Feb 1997 20:22:01 -0500

A colleague of mine is a Russian pianist and composer who studied in both
Russia and the USA. He has asked me about the basset horn and its
relationship to the Alto Clarinet. Apparently he was taught (in Russia via
a very old orchestration text) that the Alto clarinet was found in both Eb
and F, and was sometimes called a basset horn. In other words, an alto
clarinet in F was considered to be the same thing as a basset horn in F.
Perhaps Stravinsky, trained in Russia, belived this to be the case.

Just a possibility.

Andy

>>I played a Stravinsky piece a while ago (for small orchestra?) that called
>>for F alto clarinet. I used an Eb alto (ugh!) and transposed. Does this
>>mean there is actually an F alto clarinet? Or did Stravinsky mean to write
>>F basset horn? I've never seen an F alto clarinet...is this like the purple
>>cow? (I hope)
>>
>>Steve Prescott
>
>We just did the Stravinsky Symphonies of Wind Instruments that you mention
>in December, with Pierre Boulez. I played it on my Buffet basset horn, and
>Boulez always asked for the basset horn when he wanted to hear something.
>Larry Combs told me that years ago he played the piece with Erich Leinsdorf
>who asked him whether he was playing an alto clarinet in F. Larry said he
>was playing a basset horn, and Leinsdorf told him to go get an alto. Larry
>went to the locker room, returned with his basset and played the piece,
>Leinsdorf now content. What does this tell us?
>
>--
>J. Lawrie Bloom
>clarinet and bass clarinet Chicago Symphony Orchestra
>Northwestern University l-bloom@-----.edu