Klarinet Archive - Posting 000325.txt from 2004/01

From: Georg.Kuehner@-----.de (Georg K=?ISO-8859-1?B?/A==?=hner)
Subj: Re: [kl] Stupid bass clef bass clarinet question!
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2004 11:36:57 -0500

Not to forget A-bass with bass clef - or everything mixed!

Best Georg

Am 11.01.2004 15:22 Uhr schrieb "Joseph Wakeling" unter
<joseph.wakeling@-----.net>:

> << I must be weird. All my bass clarinet parts from our senior concert band
> are in Treble clef.. >>
>
> No, you're not weird. That's standard practise. It's just that
> historically there have been two different systems of notation used for bass
> clarinet.
>
> The "German notation" used to use bass clef (as it's a bass instrument) with
> the notes written sounding a major second below what was written.
>
> The "French notation", which dates from a little later, uses the treble
> clef, with the notes sounding a major ninth below what's written (i.e. an
> octave below the normal clarinet).
>
> Personally I think the French (treble clef) notation is arguably superior as
> it means the notation corresponds to the fingering rather than the
> sound---thus making things easier for the player. This is something every
> composer should be aware of---difficulties should be *musical*, not
> notational. ;-) Bass clef notation, IMHO, defeats the point of having a
> transposing instrument.
>
> On the other hand the bass clef (German) notation can be useful for extended
> passages in the very low register, especially when you have an instrument
> going down to low C, when it can get tiring to read all the ledger-lines.
> It's also used sometimes for basset horn or basset clarinet notation, e.g.
> in the Barenreiter basset clarinet edition of the Mozart concerto.
>
> -- Joe
>
>
>

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