Klarinet Archive - Posting 000373.txt from 2003/12

From: mginesi@-----.net
Subj: Re: [kl] RE: Original Instruments
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2003 22:56:16 -0500

hi

just to add a addendum to what tony said, ...Anthony Baines 'Woodwind
Instruments and Their History' - Dover Publications - has fingering charts
for early clarinet systems, [as well as oboe, flute, etc] this can be a help
in deciding what tyape of early clarinet to acquire. there are pictures and
drawings as well to illustrate models.

Care should be taken that one finds what one is looking for..an L will
signify low pitch, and H will signify high pitch - high pitch playable only
with other high pitch instruments [unless you bribe the string players to
retune up^ [unlikely!] the degree of disuse will also needs be addressed...if
it has sat in a nicely humidified closet with constant temperature...you may
find something that will be able to be utilized fairly soon in the future.
if on the other hand it has been in a basement, damp and varying 40 degrees
each year...has a buildup of green gunk at the commencement of each keypost,
rust climbing out of the rods sleeves...[you get the picture...] it will take
an inordinate amount of work to restore. [it is possible] and one will really
need to desire that instrument to be playable.

i finished restoration of a boxwood 11 brass key C clarinet last year.
i believe the date was 1880ish. when complete it played very nicely with a
grenadilla mouthpiece. i played incorrect fingerings for the first 5 minutes
of each session and then my mind clicked in as to the proper placements...
it was a great deal of fun [ for a time] and quite a bit less to think about
with fewer total keys!
And then, i was quite pleased when i found a purchaser for it...
i for one will stick with more modern instruments - but every clarinetist
should try older [much older] versions of their instrument if possible...

michael ginesi
> On Tue, 16 Dec 2003 13:15:34 -0500, nebuckman@-----.edu said:
>
> > Tony,
> >
> > If I were to come upon some old clarinet and could put it in playing
> > condition, would I be able to teach myself to play it or do I need a
> > fingering chart for it?
>
> Well, perhaps it helps to have an idea of what the 'standard' fingerings are;
> but they're basically just recorder fingerings, and frankly, instruments
> differ so much that you very quickly start to modify those standard
> fingerings in order to find ones that are better in tune.
>
> In fact, one of the advantages that the simpler instruments have over modern
> ones is that for example, you can put an extra finger down to flatten a
> sharpish note. Things are so linked up on a Boehm instrument that that's
> rarely possible.
>
> > Also, how do I decide what music is appropriate for it other than figuring
> > out when it was made and playing music from that period? I know I could
> > always use trial and error, but will I be wasting my time that way?
>
> Roughly speaking, 5-key instruments count as 'classical', and are appropriate
> for Mozart. Through Beethoven up to and including Weber, up to 11 keys are
> suitable. But of course, at any one time, players were using a variety of
> solutions; and so Cavallini, for all the complexity of his studies,
> apparently only needed a 5-key clarinet. (And Verdi wrote specially for him
> on a couple of occasions -- 'Alzira', for example.)
>
> My own recommendation is just to get hold of an early instrument of any sort
> and fool about with it, playing music that you like best to play. Consider
> -- the people that played them played *only* them, as their day-to-day
> musical tool. We can't approach that degree of dedication, so it's best to
> be quite light about it, at least to start with.
>
> You might find in the process that what you *really* want to do is play
> classical music exclusively on a 5-key clarinet. On the whole, I'd say
> that's unlikely; but you never know!
>
> Something to consider is that oldish instruments sometimes have deformed
> bores. These can be reamed out so that they approximate what they were when
> they were constructed, but naturally you need to know what you're doing. I'd
> recommend the Early Clarinet List as a point of departure for information
> about that, but modern technicians understand what's needed too.
>
> Tony
> --
> _________ Tony Pay
> |ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.demon.co.uk
> | |ay Oxford OX2 6RE http://classicalplus.gmn.com/artists
> tel/fax 01865 553339
>
> ... If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?
>
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