Klarinet Archive - Posting 000638.txt from 2003/07

From: "James Hobby" <jhobby@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] basset horn vs. basset clarinet vs. extended clarinet
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 11:43:15 -0400

Tony,

You may not have access to this. A couple of weeks ago, I finally got
around to watching the tape of the 2001 opening concert from the Mostly
Mozart Festival in New York. One half of the program was the Mozart
Requiem. I'm curious (1) what version they play from (I was going to ask
Dan Lesson, but he's on the road) and (2) what kind of bassett horn are they
playing. The reason for the second question is that I noticed the bassetts
lacked (or seemed to lack) the projection of "regular" clarinets. Assuming
that there is a difference in projection instead of micing or accoustic
problems, what is the cause of this? Are you familiar enough with this
festival and its orchestra to take care of my curiosity?

Thanks, Jim Hobby

>From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
>Subject: ><snip>
>Now, the original instruments didn't have a wide bore, and so had a
>particular sound quality that attracted Mozart.
>
>Some later instruments, looking for power of delivery, have had widened
>bores, losing some of that character. So, some people have been tempted
>to say, they 'aren't basset horns'. But I think it's better to say,
>they are basset horns, but of a sort that is unsatisfactory for Mozart's
>music.
>
>People who have heard Mozart's music played on narrow bore instruments
>-- particularly on instruments of the period -- agree that that
>particular sound quality is lost on wider bore instruments.
>
>Other modern basset horns have retained the smaller bore, and thus the
>particular sound quality, and are therefore what I would want to call
>'more satisfactory' basset horns.
><snip>