Klarinet Archive - Posting 000741.txt from 1998/05

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: [kl] Anti-alto clarinet forces
Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 21:55:09 -0400

On Wed, 13 May 1998, Kevin Fay (LCA) wrote:
> There are 2 basic problems with the Alto clarinet.
>
> First, as posted by others, it is usually (but by all means not always) the
> less strong player that plays it--and consequently it does not sound so
> good. Second (which is the reason for the first) is that the instrument
> should not exist at all.

Gosh, if we based a decision on if an instrument sounded good on if it did
not always sound so good, we could eliminate virtually every instrument!
I suspect that Kevin simply has not heard a great alto clarinet player.

> In the saxophone family, there is little or no overlap between the soprano
> and the tenor. In order to fill the tonal gap, the Eb Alto is a necessity.
> In the Clarinet family, on the other hand, this gap does not exist. Except
> perhaps for the extreme altissimo register in the hands of virtuosos,
> clarinets have a much wider range than saxophones. Indeed, the standard
> range of the bass clarinet and the soprano clarinet overlap.

I guess we don't need violas then....the gap between violins and cellos
are easily filled without using a viola.

> The Alto clarinet is not even built correctly. The proper size construction
> for the instrument is that of the basset horn in F, which has a bore and
> mouthpiece little larger than the soprano. I suspect that the alto clarinet
> was constructed to parallel the Eb alto saxophone; it uses the same reeds.

Um, I thought that the alto clarinet was an offshoot of the Basset Horn in
F - was switched to the key of Eb for use in military bands. In fact...I
am sure of it!

> Since we have it, though, a number of serious wind ensemble pieces use it to
> good effect. The third movement of Grainger's Lincolnshire Posy has 2
> versions--I think the second, with the lead voicing in the alto clarinet and
> soprano saxophone, is superior. (When my wind ensemble played it, however,
> the part was played on a basset horn, transposing). To my knowledge, there
> is no piece of orchestral literature that calls for it.

Well, there is always the Strauss Serenade for winds.

I wasn't aware that an instrument had to be used in the orchestra in order
for it to be a necessary instrument! I don't see the Contra alto, or
Contra bass clarinet, bass saxophone, even the tenor saxophone written for
by most orchestral composers.

Some very good wind works make use of the alto clarinet......I wouldn't be
so quick to write it off simply because you have a) never heard a good
player play a good alto clarinet; b) heard an orchestral work that uses
the alto clarinet; or c) heard many wind pieces for which we couldn't have
the basset horn play the part.

Roger Garrett
IWU

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