Klarinet Archive - Posting 000054.txt from 2002/11

From: "WILLIAM SEMPLE" <wsemple@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Why Bb?
Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 14:56:43 -0500

Most of the keys transposed in Dixie and Swing are also in a range that is
easy for the Bb clarinet to play and improvise: Eb (occasionally), Bb, F, G,
C, D, and A.

Whatever, how I improvise is often affected by the key selected and chord
progression. Occasionally, we kick up once, twice, sometimes three times.
What comes out from me depending on the key can be quite different: certain
keys set up better for chromatics and connected notes; others lend
themselves to thirds and fifths especially minors.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Daniel Leeson" <leeson0@-----.net>
Subject: Re: [kl] Re: reverse Mozart

> WILLIAM SEMPLE wrote:
> > Thank you. A learned response, and very informative.
> > Your answer suggests a corollary question: why did the Bb clarinet
emerge as
> > the dominant instrument, especially since so many instruments in an
> > orchestra are pitched to concert C.
>
>
> It is a difficult question to answer and one for which there is probably
> no 100% accurate response, but it appears that the B-flat clarinet
> emerged as the dominant instrument becauce it was effective in the most
> used of the common keys, namely concert B-flat, concert E-flat, and
> concert A-flat. I'm talking here about the period of from around 1780 to
> 1850. After that, it became a scramble and there is no clear cut rule
> about which clarinet to use for which key. Sometimes one finds a
> composer using a particular complicated key when a different instrument
> would have eliminated the complication. For example, Mahler calls for
> an A bass in the key of 5 sharps when there was lots of time for a
> change both to and from a B-flat bass which would have made the part
> less complex.
>
>
>
> --
> ***************************
> **Dan Leeson **
> **leeson0@-----.net **
> ***************************
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>

---------------------------------------------------------------------