Klarinet Archive - Posting 000008.txt from 2005/06

From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Re: Bb versus C Clarinet?
Date: Wed, 01 Jun 2005 13:28:38 -0400

Occasionally, one reaches a point in a discussion that is so very
relevant to the history of the clarinet, that it is worth
stopping for a moment to point out that the note below from Tim
Roberts is exactly such a point.

He is about three steps away from a significant breakthrough in
his knowledge about WHY the clarinet is a transposing instrument,
how that came about, and the consequences of that activity. And
should he actually make that breakthrough (he has to do it
himself, he cannot simply be told the reasons because they won't
sink in), he will be in the catbird's seat while most of the
other people his age are scractching their heads trying to figure
all this nonsense out.

I see as I read the notes about the use of C clarinet, that the
preponderance of those asking about it have no idea how deep a
subject this is to the history of the clarinet. Most give the
impression that the C clarinet is bump on the ass of humanity,
without realizing how important it is historically as well as
sonically.

Learn Tim. Learn.

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Roberts [mailto:timr@-----.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2005 9:58 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: [kl] Re: Bb versus C Clarinet?

On Wed, 1 Jun 2005 02:17:56 +0200, willy kostucki <wk@-----.be>
wrote:

>-The C clarinet allows one to play the "real" notes and not
notes
>that are one whole tone of difference with the non-transposing
>instruments. Isn't this an "advantage"?
>
>

In my view, it's neither an advantage nor a disadvantage. It
just
"is". The typical concert band, for example, consists mostly of
transposing instruments. The flutes, double reeds, trombones,
and tubas
do not transpose. The clarinets, trumpets, and tenor saxes are
in Bb.
The alto and bari saxes are in Eb, along with Eb clarinet. The
euphoniums sometimes transpose and sometimes not, depending on
whether
they are reading bass or treble clef. Science has not yet firmly
established the key in which french horns play, although some
modern
researchers suspect it may be F.

With all of that mixture, there is no particular advantage to
being
non-transposing. Flutes get accustomed to playing in flat keys.
Alto
saxes get used to sharp keys.

There IS an advantage in some situations. In liturgical music,
for
example, where one is accompanying organ or piano, it is
certainly
easier to read the organ music with a C clarinet than to
transpose on
the fly.

>-Why do so few clarinetists play on Bb (beside the fact most of
the
>classical pieces are writen for Bb).
>-Why is most classical music writen for Bb and not for C?
>
>

Your assertion here is false. Bb parts are NOT more prevalent in
the
classical literature. A few years ago, one of our illustrious
contributors, a member of a major orchestra, did an unscientific
inventory of the pieces in his library to determine the actual
distribution. He found a nearly even split between pieces for A
and Bb
clarinet, and a surprisingly high (to me) percentage of parts in
C. The
ratio was nearly 2:2:1.

In band music, the A clarinet is practically unknown, but the
orchestral
repertoire is very different.

--
Tim Roberts, timr@-----.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.

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