Klarinet Archive - Posting 000361.txt from 1999/05

From: Francis Firth <Francis.Firth@-----.uk>
Subj: [kl] High Soprano Clarinets
Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 13:10:53 -0400

There have been a number of high piccolo and sopranino clarinets.
Bb, A, Ab, G and F.
The octave Bb and A clarinets can still be bought from Orsi in Milan and I
think that they are made to order.
I know of no scores requiring them and they were probably made for military
use. I have seen a metal Bb octave clarinet made by Kalison (better known
for modern brass instruments such as Tubas) and when I wrote to them they
confirmed that they made such clarinets in the 1950s for export to South
America for band use.
The high Ab clarinet is still made by leblanc and, I think, Orsi of Milan
also make them.
They are scored for occasionally in the orchestra - one of John Tavener's
Celtic Requiem and in Bartok's early Scherzo for Piano and orchestra, are
examples.
The Norwegian clarinettist Terje Lerstad is something of a champion of this
instrument and has even written an unaccompanied series of 3 pieces for Ab -
Hommage a Stravinsky, available in facsimile from the Norwegian Music
Information Centre on the Internet. Judging from a tape of a performance he
was so kind as to send me of the piece (played by himself) the instrument
sounds pretty shrill - ideal for military band use. The Ab has also been
used in one or two clarinet choir pieces - for example in a Scherzo by Garry
Paul Nash for 13 clarinets (Ab, Eb, D, C, 2 x Bb, 2 x A, Basset Horn, Alto,
Bass, Eb Contra-alto, Bb Contrabass) includes it.
There is even a commercial CD by Lerstad (and others) with a piece for Ab
and C clarinets and tape - as it is the same player on the same recording
members should be able to make direct tonal comparisons.
The G clarinet is even rarer and was principally used in Schrammelmusic -
for G clarinet, 2 violins? and bass guitar. This music was played around
Viennese Heurige and was admired by Brahms among others and is similar in
feel to the music of the Strauss family. There is a modern recording using a
G clarinet on Naxos: Music from Old Vienna/ Thalia - Schrammeln. Naxos,
1989, 8.550228
The instrument sounds very sweet and is well handled (the Viennese nickname
for the G clarinet was picksusses Holzl).
A 3-key G clarinet has also in recent times been tried in Germany for
teaching clarinet to young children.
The F clarinet was mainly used for military music and was used by Beethoven
in 3 of his marches for military band and by Mendelssohn in his Overture Op.
24. Unfortunately none of these pieces appears to have been recorded on
'period' instruments. The F clarinet was also occasionally used in germany
and Austrian folk music such as Landler.
I hope that everyone finds this helpful.
Francis Firth
Francis.Firth@-----.uk

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