Klarinet Archive - Posting 000118.txt from 2004/12

From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] History of two old clarinets - old leblanc
Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2004 10:02:51 -0500

First, a few words about the Mazzeo. Ed's description is correct. All I
would add is that a smaller register vent was installed on the artist
models (not sure about the Bundy version). Because of this, if the
player chose to disengage the mechanism and go with the regular
Bb/register key, the tone quality would be even worse than it already
is.

The Stubbins mechanism represented a double or auxiliary venting for
the throat tone Bb. I believe the A key would open a larger hole below
the register key when the thumb ring was in the open position. Thus, a
Bb played in the standard and simplest way, with A key and Bb/register
keys being depressed open would allow BOTH the register key and the
auxiliary Bb tone hole to open with the A key and G# keys.

The problem with this mechanism was that the auxiliary key piece would
often stick in the closed position, much as the articulated G# key on a
saxophone will stick and the weak opening spring is not enough to
overcome the greater degree of stickiness.
On Dec 6, 2004, at 7:04 AM, Ed Wojtowicz wrote:

> My teacher in undergrad school was a former student of Mazzeo and had
> a Mazzeo Bb, and Bass clarinet. My recollection from talking about
> them and playing them was that there was a small arm that would open
> the side third trill key when depressing the rings while playing
> throat A. In this way, it would produce a true sounding Bb rather than
> its somewhat weaker counterpart, produced from using a key which acts
> as register key and Bb. There was a small sliding "clutch" mechanism
> that would enable the player to disengage the mechanism if one wished.
> I recall that my teacher indicated that for some music (possibly
> contemporary utilizing extended techniques?) he did not use it.
>
> Ed
>
>
> On Dec 5, 2004, at 11:38 PM, Bill Hausmann wrote:
>
>> The Mazzeo either allows or requires some alternate fingerings to
>> gain its advantage, I believe, in addition to the cost of mechanical
>> complexity. I believe on some Mazzeo models the mechanism could be
>> switched off if desired.
>
>
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