Klarinet Archive - Posting 000251.txt from 2004/01

From: Nick Shackleton <njs5@-----.ac.uk>
Subj: [kl] American move to the Boehm system
Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 04:58:31 -0500

Ormondtoby Montoya wrote (quoting Gibson):
>It is unfortunate that Oskar Oehler's adaptation of the oboe's F
>resonance mechanism to the Mueller-system clarinet at the beginning of
>the new century did not find its way around the world until most
>professional clarinetists had given up the Mueller for the Boehm system.
>Not even E.J. Albert's Mueller (Albert System) clarinets could compete
>with the Boehms, since they lacked the one device which could have
>brought them to full equality.
That is a very pertinent point but it is worth remarking that even today
the Viennese clarinets (Hammerschmidt) do not have Oehler's venting on the
right hand. It is possible to make the instrument extremely tonally even
without Oehler's mechanism. However I have not done a really careful job of
evaluating Buffet Albert system versus Buffet Boehm system in the 1920's
and it may be that there is indeed a difference in tonal evenness.
Regarding David Glen's question - The Albert clarinet that Alan Hacker
extended was an E.J.Albert Boehm system instrument and these do indeed have
a relatively modest flare.
Nick

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org

   
     Copyright © Woodwind.Org, Inc. All Rights Reserved    Privacy Policy    Contact charette@woodwind.org