Klarinet Archive - Posting 000526.txt from 2003/02

From: "Joseph Wakeling" <joseph.wakeling@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Contrabass, contra-alto and alto, and "New Directions for Clarinet"
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 11:48:16 -0500

A question I asked a while back, but no one answered, so I thought I'd try
again... ;-) This mention of the contrabass clarinet has reminded me of
something that has been bugging me for a long time.

Philip Rehfeldt's excellent "New Directions for Clarinets" refers to the
"contra-alto" clarinet. But it is immediately clear that he means just
*regular* alto clarinet, as he immediately follows it with reference to "Eb
and Bb contrabass". Well, the first question is WHY?-)

But then... some of the discussion of the range of the "contra-alto
clarinet" (in Rehfeldt's words), referring to works where it has an even
bigger upper range than the Bass (something I find rather surprising), makes
me wonder whether he's actually referring to works using the *genuine*
contra-alto (aka "Contrabass in Eb"). If he is, he's certainly not aware of
it.

Anyone have any ideas about this confusing state of affairs?

Cheers,

-- Joe

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