Klarinet Archive - Posting 000226.txt from 1998/03

From: "Kevin Fay" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Clarinet as a Tuning Instrument
Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1998 12:46:46 -0500

As an irishman, I ca attest to the reason for this: Guiness.

kjf

----Original Message Follows----
Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1998 09:02:32 +0000 (GMT)
From: Roger Shilcock
<roger.shilcock@-----.uk>
Subject: Re: Clarinet as a Tuning Instrument

To add a 3rd kipper --- traditional Northern Irish flute band
terminology
is to denote various flute sizes by the sound of the written D. I think
this also used to be the case in some military circles.
Roger Shilcock

On Mon, 2 Mar 1998, Nick Shackleton wrote:

> Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 18:12:57 -0500
> From: Nick Shackleton <njs5@-----.uk>
> Reply-To: klarinet@-----.us
> To: klarinet@-----.us
> Subject: Re: Clarinet as a Tuning Instrument
>
> to chuck another couple of red herring into the pot...
> the (baroque-early classical) 1-keyed flute had as its bottom note D
and was
> often known as a D flute (reasonable...if you took your fingers off
one by
> one you got a D major scale, more or less) but it was not treated as a
> transposing instrument. When added keywork (6-keyed flute) gave it a
lowest
> note of C, people became very confused as to whether it ought to be
called C
> flute or D flute.
> One could describe our normal clarinet as a D clarinet in Bb. One
could say
> the Vila Lobos wrote parts for the Csharp clarinet in C but most of us
find
> it easier to read if instead it is written out for the Csharp clarinet
in A
> (same instrument, different notation). Schonberg declined (eg in his
septet)
> to tell you what instrument to take: he wrote the three parts in C and
left
> you to find out how big an instrument you need for each part bo
looking at
> the bottom note (these days, now he is dead, I think you can buy
transposed
> parts).
> It is frankly less trouble to designate the instrument by the
tranposition. Nick
> >Indeed, why? Why not choose some other note as the index?
> >
> >It seems to me (dangerous words) that the obvious answer has to do
with the
> >transposition - that the wind instruments you name have music written
with
> >this transposition. I also suspect that this obvious answer is
wrong, since
> >any other convention could have been adopted. However, there may be
another
> >reason better related to the instrument itself. If I remember
clarinet
> >history (any many of you out there can correct me if needed) the
earliest
> >clarinets were 1) played primarily in the "clarinet" register, and 2)
had
> >keys to produce the middle B as a throat tone (top of the , but no
B-key at
> >the bottom of the clarinet register. Thus the lowest note of the
most-used
> >register was a written C, which sounded Bb, C, A, etc., giving the
name to
> >these different instruments. If the clarinet has been thought of as
a lower
> >register instrument, this same logic would have given us a scale
based on
> >low F, a different set of names, a different way of writing clarinet
music,
> >and possibly a different name for the instrument itself.
> >
> >We see visages of this concentration on the clarion register in the
names we
> >give to keys on modern instruments; e.g., the C#/G# key has often
been
> >referred to as the G# key (from its clarion pitch) but almost never
as the
> >C# key.
> >
> >As for the saxs, these names are probably just taken from the
corresponding
> >clarinet usage, without the problem of having different note-names
for the
> >same fingering in the different registers.
> >
> >As I say, this is pure speculation on my part. Comments, Roger or
others?
> >
> >Roger Garret wrote:
> >
> >>Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 20:53:44 -0600 (CST)
> >>From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
> >>Subject: Re: Clarinet as a Tuning Instrument
> >>
> >>Ok Folks, My first big question to the listserv, and it is an
interesting
> >>one:
> >>
> >>A Brass instrument is called a C, Eb, F, etc tuning instrument
because of
> >>the lowest fundamental pitch it sounds. For example, an F horn is
called
> >>an F horn because the lowest fundamental pitch it sounds is an
F.....of
> >>which all the overtones are based. An Eb Horn.....same thing. An
Eb or
> >>BBb tuba...same thing. A Db trumpet...same thing.
> >>
> >>A Bb clarinet, on the other hand, is based on the fingered C which
sounds
> >>a Bb concert. Now....why is it not called a D clarinet because it's
> >>lowest sounding pitch is a Concert D? The overtone series does not
impact
> >>in any way....it could vibrate at 12ths, 13ths. 5ths, whatever......
> >>
> >>What about saxophones? An eb alto has a lowest fundamental pitch of
a Bb
> >>(Db concert)...why is it not a Db instrument?
> >>
> >>My reason for asking? A friend called me up after 10 years and
asked, and
> >>I couldn't answer his question....but I told him I would ask on this
> >>listserv.....please...help me help him find an answer!!!
> >>
> >>Roger Garrett
> >>IWU
> >George W. Kidder III
> >Professor of Biology
> >Illinois State University
> >Normal, IL 61761-4120
> >(309)438-3085 gkidder@-----.edu
> >
> >
> >
>
>

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