Klarinet Archive - Posting 000112.txt from 2000/05

From: Daniel Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: [Re: [kl] Early Beethoven, etc...]
Date: Wed, 3 May 2000 06:15:47 -0400

Doug, I see your point but don't agree. There are two issues that
distinguish the instruments and these two issues are not eliminated
because both happen to descend to low C. So does the bassoon (to
concert B-flat) but that is simply an historical accident, not a design.

The first is that the origins of the two instruments are so utterly
different both in terms of function and time, one being developed for
one person, probably at his request, and for the purpose of giving the
most popular key of the instrument (C major of course) a bass note for
its lowest logical descent by arpeggios. The bass clarinet with descent
to a variety of pitches during its development period was not even
present for about 75 years after the development of the basset
clarinet. Furthermore, it was developed not as a solo instrument (as
were Stadler's basset clarinets) but simply to give the clarinet choir
of the orchestra a bass voice. It really did not do any solo work until
Meyerbeer placed it in a position of prominence. And its current
standardization of descending to low written C is a relatively recent
development (though it was one of the early proposals). The range of
the bass clarinet was only to low E until the early 1900s, then the
E-flat was added to allow for transposition of A bass clarinet parts,
and finally to low C in the 1950s.

And second, the key arrangements of the two instruments (down to the low
C) is (or was until recently) utterly different, and each manufacturer
felt free to invent a good scheme to play down at that level. The
Selmer bass clarinet, for example, had three thumb keys whereas the
Selmer basset clarinet had one. So the fingering systems were not, as
you suggested, identical or even close, for that matter.

Perhaps I misunderstood Anne's questions, and if so, I apologize. It
seemed to me to be an up front case of confusion, but maybe I was wrong.

Thanks for the point.

Dan

Doug Sears wrote:
>
> Dan, I'm puzzled by what seems to me to be a contradiction between these two
> statements that preface your fine summary of the history of basset clarinets:
>
> >A basset clarinet has almost no relationship with a low C bass clarinet,
>
> and
>
> >A basset clarinet is a soprano clarinet that descends to low written C.
> >That is all it is and nothing more.
>
> Couldn't one also say that a low C bass clarinet is a bass clarinet that
> descends to low written C? I think that's the relationship Anna was getting
> at -- both basset clarinet and low C bass clarinet have "extra" keys, and pretty
> similar looking ones at that.
>
> --Doug
>
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--
***************************
** Dan Leeson **
** leeson0@-----.net **
***************************

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