Klarinet Archive - Posting 000538.txt from 1999/05

From: "Don Yungkurth" <clarinet@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Barbier Clarinets
Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 02:00:54 -0400

LeliaLoban@-----.com have written about Barbier
clarinets.

I have a Boehm Barbier Eb soprano which is marked "F. BARBIER", "PARIS" and
"SPONSORED BY SELMER". The serial number is 3778 at the bottom of the
body, but the body is also marked with LS45 near the serial number and
with 753 above the thumb rest. If the 3778 is indeed the serial number and
it is in the Selmer series as on Sneezy, it would date from 1929 or 1930.

As to the quality of the instrument, after playing it (my first and only
Eb) for about 4 years, my ability to play it in tune has improved
significantly, and I'm beginning to feel it is of reasonable quality. Last
year at the ClarinetFest in Columbus I tried a number of Eb clarinets of
varying manufacturers and found them all to play much like my Barbier. I
take this to mean that I'm not playing Eb well enough to tell the
difference or else I'm limited by my mouthpiece.

My former teacher had played 2nd and Eb in the Rochester Philharmonic and
said that the orchestra had owned a Barbier Eb which was not a bad
instrument. I took this as fairly high praise as he was candid about what
he did not like! He was no longer playing at that time and was not able to
test my Eb.

I had my Eb played briefly by another professional Eb player (Montreal
Symphony). He said the 12th were very good and the altissimo responded
well and in tune.

I don't know that this adds anything useful to the discussion, but I'd be
interested in any additional background about Barbier, for example, what
exactly did "sponsored by Selmer mean"?

Don Yungkurth (clarinet@-----.net)

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