Klarinet Archive - Posting 001091.txt from 1997/10

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Looking for Bass Clarinet in A
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 08:03:22 -0500

> From: MX%"klarinet@-----.94
> Subj: Re: Looking for Bass Clarinet in A

> Roger Shilcock wrote:
> >
> > Given the evidence from Rimsky, maybe the A clarinet to low C *was* to be
> > found at some period in Russia. What does anyone know about Russian
> > woodwind? Waas there a "school" of woodwind manufacture in
> > pre-Revolutionary Russia?
> > Roger Shilcock
>
> I know that I introduced the datum, but I do not take this as strong
> evidence, it is ust a table and perhaps is a bit sloppy? Any experts on
> 19th century Russian clarinents out there? Has anyone seen an extended
> range A bass clarinet (would we call this a bass-bassett clarinet?)

I would like to suggest that there never was such an instrument
as an A bass clarinet that descended to low C, but I could be
wrong. I have no information on the existence or non-existence
of the instrument, but it is not logical to conclude that it
existed in Russia to the exclusion of everywhere else.

I know of no repertoire that calls for the notes that such an
instrument would be capable of playing, though there may be
some very rare Russian-only music that calls for it. But it
is hard to play the works of the major Russian composers of the
last 100 years, not see such requests being made, and still believe
that it could have existed in secret.

The whole story is not rational, at least not without an single
example of a work using b.c. in A that descends below low
written e-natural.

>
> Robert Howe
> >
> > On Fri, 24 Oct 1997, ROBERT HOWE wrote:
> >
> > > Date: Fri, 24 Oct 1997 21:53:03 -0500
> > > From: ROBERT HOWE <arehow@-----.net>
> > > To: leeson@-----.edu
> > > Cc: "klarinet@-----.us>
> > > Subject: Re: Looking for Bass Clarinet in A
> > >
> > > Before me are orchestration texts by (in order of publication)
> > > Berlioz/Strauss, Rimsky, Forsyth, Kennan, Piston, DelMar and Adler. ALL
> > > COVER THIS TOPIC of A versus Bb bass, altho Rimsky only in a table;
> > > interestingly, his table of ranges for bass calinet in A or Bb extends
> > > to written low C. Strauus even states that the A bass clarinet is
> > > obsolete (yet he wrote for it!!) Piston's discussion is the best and is
> > > essentially the same as what I have said in the past four notes.
> > >
> > > Q. E. D.
> > >
> > > Robert Howe
> > >
> > > Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > From: MX%"klarinet@-----.09
> > > > > Subj: Re: Looking for Bass Clarinet in A
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > On Wed, 22 Oct 1997, ROBERT HOWE wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > Most orchestration textbooks cover this in detail....
> > > >
> > > > I'm one post out of synch, but I have never seen any
> > > > orchestration book cover this in any detail. The most
> > > > that will be said is that "the A bass clarinet is an
> > > > obsolete instrument" but that, on the part of the author,
> > > > is a cop out.
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Ahhh.....just a little turning of the knife hmmmm? *sly look*....we shall
> > > > > see....we shall see.....
> > > > >
> > > > > RG
> > > > >
> > > > =======================================
> > > > Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
> > > > Rosanne Leeson, Los Altos, California
> > > > leeson@-----.edu
> > > > =======================================
> > >
=======================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
Rosanne Leeson, Los Altos, California
leeson@-----.edu
=======================================