Klarinet Archive - Posting 000373.txt from 2000/03

From: Bilwright@-----.net (William Wright)
Subj: Re: [kl] re A Clarinet Question
Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 15:29:53 -0500

<><> Such books, particularly during the period of time when both
Dvorak and Sibelius were students, were very clear about which clarinet
should be used under which circumstance [....] The reasons why this
advice were given can be dated back to the late 1700s and were given
long after the origins for these constraints were established in the
first place. [...] The theory that the selection of a particular
clarinet type was based on the instrument's characteristic sound does
not have much evidence to support it, though once selected, a particular
clarinet pitch's distinctive sound did add its color to the overall
orchestral palette of sound.

It was a surprise to me to learn that, from the point of view of
acoustical physics, the location and depth and amount of undercutting
and so forth of every hole is a compromise. It's not just a simple
matter of dividing Parameter-A by Parameter-B and then drillng a clean
hole in the 'correct' place. And hence there are differences between
the same (nominal) note played on an A clarinet vs. a Bb clarinet, etc.
Furthermore, I was surprised to learn that the early clarinets
weren't even able to play every note on the chromatic scale, and hence
you really *did* need different instruments for different situations.
There's a recent post (yesterday) on rec.music.clarinet that
encapsulates how today's instruments evolved and what differences (may)
still remain. I'd post it here except that it's not my post.

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