Klarinet Archive - Posting 000703.txt from 1998/03

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Bass clarinets in A
Date: Wed, 11 Mar 1998 19:18:46 -0500

> From: MX%"klarinet@-----.14
> Subj: Re: Bass clarinets in A

> >Hi, everyone. I'm hoping that someone will be able to tell me how common
> >bass clarinets in A are. I'm playing bass for "The Noon Witch", and the
> >part is for bass in A. I don't think there are any A basses in New Zealand,
> >but I'm just wondering if they're still around. I know one or two numbers
> >in "Nutcracker" (the whole ballet, not the suite) are for bass in A, but
> >that's about all I've found for it. Anybody know anything?
> >Thanks
> >Anna
>
> I would consider A basses rather common since every Bb bass made today has a
> range to low Eb. If I'm somewhat correct, one reason for the A was to hit a
> half step lower (the Eb on today's basses). Maybe someone else could give you
> the offical word.

While this suggestion about the origin of the A bass is logical, it is
a shot from the hip. There is no evidence that it was the extra low
semitone. One could also suggest that whatever motivated composers
to use A clarinets (which is for a purpose quite foreign to the existence
of the extra semi tone) could also have been the motivation to use
b.c. in A.

And, incidentally, the character of the A b.c. appeared to me to be
significantly different in the middle and lower range.

In fact, as I think about it, the suggestion about the low E-flat on
today's bc's describes more the reason why the note was added to
the B-flat b.c. than the other way round. And my b.c. in A also had
a low E-flat on it.

The real reason for the existence of the b.c. in A has yet to be
definitively established.

=======================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
Rosanne Leeson, Los Altos, California
leeson@-----.edu
=======================================