Klarinet Archive - Posting 000022.txt from 2001/03

From: Les DeBusk <sflane@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Strange clarinet, finding key/pitch?
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 21:49:31 -0500

Hello,
High pitch/ Sharp Pitch. To answer your question: Approximately A' at 452 Hz,
is officially described at Old Philharmonic Pitch. It is said to be a half
semi-tone higher than modern pitch. This type of pitch is standard in today's
brass bands and was common used until around the 1920's. Most of these
instruments are in production in Europe, foreign manufactures. I hope this helps
the conversation a little. My information came from Woodwind Instruments and
their History by Anthony Baines.

Les DeBusk

Eric Mumpower wrote:

> > My guess is that is it a HIGH pitch Bb.
>
> An interesting guess, and one that had't occurred to me. (I don't think I
> had realized that high pitch might be so far above modern pitch.) Can anyone
> tell me what frequency A was used in high-pitch instruments? A little web
> searching suggests 462.5Hz, but there's not a lot of consensus out there.
>
> I've got the instrument(s) (*) home now, and find with a little adjustment
> that the pads are workable enough to play a chromatic scale (except for the
> low Eb, whose pad is missing).
>
> Comparing it with a tuner, I find that I can comfortably play the lowest
> three fingered As on the instrument around 462.5-465 Hz. Relaxing my
> embouchure, I can lip them down to about 460 Hz, but that's as far as they
> want to go. (Doing a little math, I calculate that an even-tempered concert
> B pitch (at A@-----.)
>
> Any further thoughts? Thanks again.
>
> (* This clarinet was sold in an odd old 3-clarinet case with two other
> longer clarinets of identical keywork, S/N J1xx and K4xx, which after a bit
> of testing I find are definitely modern-pitch A and Bb instruments,
> respectively.)
>
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