Klarinet Archive - Posting 000552.txt from 2000/06

From: Roger Shilcock <roger.shilcock@-----.uk>
Subj: Re: SV: [kl] eBay Bassethorn
Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2000 07:45:08 -0400

I think the "corno di caccia" actually *was* a horn. The 18th-century bent
tenor oboe was the "*oboe* di caccia", or presumed to be. There was a
straight one as well, found in France & England, though it must have
been difficult to finger.
Roger S.

On Fri, 16 Jun 2000, Alf H=F6rberg wrote:

> Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2000 13:01:49 +0200
> From: Alf H@-----.se>
> Reply-To: klarinet@-----.org
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> Subject: SV: [kl] eBay Bassethorn
>=20
> When I get a chance, I take the opportunity to emphasize that, by
> definition, there is no similarity between the Basset horn and an E-flat
> alto clarinet. Their history and functions are entirely different.
>=20
> The Basset-horn is supposed to be the invention of Mayrhofer of
> Passau, Germany c.1770. The pitch was in G or F with a range down to writ=
ten
> low C. The original type was "sickle-shaped", like a half-moon similar to
> the Corno da Caccia that became the English Horn. The shape gave it it's
> name "horn". Basset comes from Italian "Basetto", a small bass. A slightl=
y
> later model had a knee-joint in the middle that made it angular. It is no=
t
> clear who first made this model. Rendall suggests that it could have been
> Theodor Lotz, Anton Stadlers instrument-maker.The original horns had a
> narrow bore, similar to the clarinet. The wrong relation between the leng=
th
> and the size of the bore gave it it's special character.
> The Basset-horn was a favorite instrument of Mozart's. You can tell from =
the
> way he used it. His music for the instrument is in my own and many othe=
rs
> opinion some of the most beautiful music that he wrote. Take the 25 piece=
s
> for Bassethorn-trio, also called Five Divertimenti. The Requiem, The Magi=
c
> Flute, "Maureriche Trauer Musik", the aria "Non pi=F9 di fiore" from Titu=
s,
> the "Gran Partita" among others. Keep in mind that all we have left of th=
e
> original score of the Mozart-concerto is the first 199 bars scored for a
> basset-horn in G. For some unclear reason he changed it to basset-clarine=
t
> in A. After Mozart the basset-horn was almost forgotten. Only a few
> composers wrote for it. To name a few: Rolla wrote a concerto, Beethoven
> used it in "Prometeus", Mendelsohn wrote two concert-pieces for clarinet =
and
> BH. R Strauss used it in the operas "Rosenkavalier" and "Die frau ohne
> schatten" and in the Serenades. K-H Stockhausen is the most recent
> (wellknown)modern composer to have used it.
>=20
> In my humble opinion the actual concept of the BH is lost on modern
> instruments. At least the French instruments since the bore is usually wa=
y
> too wide to be called a BH. Only the makes that you can play with a norma=
l
> clarinet-mouthpiece, like the Selmer, come close. The rest are just in my
> opinion alto-clarinets in F with extension to low C.
>=20
> The Alto-clarinet in Eb doesn't have a history of it's own like the
> Basset-horn. It's just another instrument of the clarinet-family to fill =
up
> the gap between the soprano-clarinets and the Bass. Just like the
> Contra-alto just fills up the gap between the Bass and the BBb-contra. Th=
e
> Eb alto clarinet is mainly used in windbands and clarinet-choirs.
>=20
> Alf
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Dee D. Hays <deehays@-----.net>
> To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> Sent: Friday, June 16, 2000 5:09 AM
> Subject: Re: [kl] eBay Bassethorn
>=20
>=20
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Luby D. Jackson III" <mus_ldj@-----.edu>
> > To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> > Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2000 11:09 PM
> > Subject: Re: [kl] eBay Bassethorn
> >
> >
> > > What are the orchestral uses of the basset horn? Is this member of t=
he
> > clarinet family a little lower than the bass clarinet?
> > >
> >
> > This is a member of the clarinet family that is one whole step higher t=
han
> > the Eb alto clarinet.
> >
> > Dee Hays
> >
> >
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> >
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
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>=20
>=20

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