Klarinet Archive - Posting 000032.txt from 2000/03

From: "Dee D. Hays" <deehays@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Key of Db
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 13:26:33 -0500

----- Original Message -----
From: "Topper" <leo_g@-----.com>
Subject: Re: [kl] Key of Db

> At 10:38 AM -0600 3/1/00, Dee D. Hays wrote:
> >Actually I have an American old band score (over 100 years old) that
calls
> >for a Db flute (NOT piccolo). So I would deduce that apparently this
> >beastie did exist and wasn't too rare. Of course yours may still have
been
> >a custom design for a particular pitch. I can't really help you on that
> >aspect.
> >
> >Dee Hays
> >Canton, SD
>
>
> I suppose it was A@-----. Can you tell me the name of the piece
and
> composer?
>
> btw- Have have been to Pierre, SD and recall the famous country delicasy
> named for your particluar area there. I tried the "Lobster Cantonese" :-)
>

"Tramp, Tramp, Tramp Grand Fantasia for Cornet, Clarinet, or Baritone"
T. H. Rollinson
Copyright 1888

The original "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp" was an American Civil War song composed
by George Root.

Now in looking at old scores, one must be careful of the naming conventions.
At some point and places in history, flutes, fifes, and piccolos were named
not for the concert pitch of fingered C but for the concert pitch of the
lowest note that could be fingered on the instrument. Now a lot of these in
use for bands over 100 years ago did not have keys for notes below fingered
D. So what you or I would call a Db flute (fingered C gives concert Db) was
sometimes called an Eb flute as the lowest fingered note was a D and yielded
concert Eb. However this becomes immediately obvious by comparing the key
signature of the part with the concert pitch of the piece. This is the
situation for this composition. It is listed as an Eb flute part but the
key signature makes it obvious that it uses this other naming convention and
it really is what you or I would call a Db flute.

Dee Hays
Canton, SD

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org