Klarinet Archive - Posting 000966.txt from 2000/12

From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] The Mazzeo System
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2000 13:46:11 -0500

Dan,

A Mazzeo Basset--wow! You're right, don't think anyone knew Selmer ever
did it.

I've always been interested in mechanical things. Woodwind instrument
have particularly interested me because I am a woodwind player.

I recall when Selmer introduced Mazzeo's mechanism. I tried several of
the instruments, including some of Selmer's best. A friend of mine
bought a matched set. He had several problems or issues related to
clarinet, and in this instance, I think he was looking for a panacea.
That's a whole different story.

I called Rosie a few times. He was a most gracious man. He sent me
documentation on his instruments. I was most interested in a mechanism
that articulated the E/B to F#/C# at the bottom of the clarinet. (This
is, or was, a feature of the Albert system clarinet that got lost with
the Boehm system.)

I sent Rosie's literature, along with an irreplaceable copy of an old
1950's publication called "The Clarinet" to a repairman, proposing
having the articulated F#/C# put onto one of my clarinets. The US of A
mail system shredded it in one of their machines. All I ever got back
was half of an envelope.

I know of three mechanisms that have appeared on clarinets to
uncompromise the compromise of the Bb/register key. They are the S-K
mechanism of Stubbins which was an added or auxiliary vent that came
open with the register key to improve the sound of the Bb. No changes
from normal playing were required with this mechanism. I have heard that
people had problems with it not always opening with reliability. I've
never seen one first hand and never played one. With modern synthetic
materials and pads, it is too bad that it failed. It could probably be
made to work now.

The second system I saw was on a limited edition Selmer that came out in
the early 50's, called the Omega. This mechanism was nothing more than a
scaled down version of what Selmer has been putting on their Bundy and
now Selmer USA bass clarinet for the last 50 years. This might have been
the best of them all. Yes, they were subject to the same adjustment
problems of the bass clarinet, but they gave a true Bb, and like the S-K
mechanism, required no changes by the player or his playing habits.

The Mazzeo mechanism gave a great sounding Bb, BUT the player couldn't
use any resonance fingerings for any of the throat tones. Putting
anything down in the right hand, or closing the bottom ring key on the
upper joint opened the Bb key. NOT GOOD. The biggest problem I had when
playing this clarinet was that when descending to A from the upper
register, every finger had to clear the rings or a Bb blip would be
right in the middle of it all. I guess one could get use to it.

I have a Bundy Mazzeo that I bought as a collectors piece. The scale on
it is only average and not unlike other Bundy's of the day. On occasion,
I will pull it out and show one of my clarinet students.

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