Klarinet Archive - Posting 000646.txt from 2004/08

From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?ferengiz=E2de_dani=EAl_shawqy?= <rab@-----.de>
Subj: Re: [kl] FW: 1896 Selmer Basset Horn
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2004 05:12:07 -0400

I thought that was pretty much the definition of a basset horn. The first
basset horns, made by the Mayrhofer brothers around 1750 (in wich respect
the Selmer in question is of cause an early "retro"-horn) had a low C
instead of a low E (jumping from C to F which makes me believe that the
early basset horns were actually meant to play french horn parts) and the
rest was filled in in the course of time, first diatonical, the last
chromatic steps (Db) very late, shortly before the instrument died out. For
what purpose the French late 19th c. instruments were made, whether to play
Mozart, Mendelssohn or Strauss or whatever is unclear, but the German
retro-basset horns of that time, made for R. Strauss (who used it a great
deal) were more like large bore modern alto clarinets with extension. I
would assume the "H. Wood" Selmer to be like this, namely as no French maker
even until now seems to have bothered to recreate anything like a proper
bassett horn, apt to play historic parts (or modern ones that expect the
subtle and discrete sound of the original instruments).
Best wishes,
danyel

----- Original Message -----
From: dnleeson
To: klarinet@-----.org
Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2004 9:38 PM
Subject: RE: [kl] FW: 1896 Selmer Basset Horn

Basset horns from 1900 and even earlier have the low C. There is
nothing special about it.

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Larisa Duffy and David Dow [mailto:duffyl@-----.ca]
Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2004 12:28 PM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: Re: [kl] FW: 1896 Selmer Basset Horn

---It may be better if one simply gets the serial no. or even the
Brevette.
design that is used for an insignia... There are a good deal of
older
instruments....some are not the age that the seller advertises as
well.

As to instrument it looks pretty new to be of that age...maybe e
mail the
seller and ask specific questions...I notice it has a low C
mechanism...this
may not be normal for a F Basset of such early make. I now
wonder what this
really is...?

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