Klarinet Archive - Posting 000560.txt from 2005/06

From: Joseph Wakeling <joseph.wakeling@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Buffet catalog
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2005 20:42:03 -0400

dnleeson wrote:

> The basset clarinet is a think wanted by a person who needs a soprano
> clarinet in A with basset notes, so where, logically, would such a
> person look for that instrument?

In fairness to Buffet, I think their catalogue really divides along the
lines of the price tag. The soprano clarinet catalogue covers the
clarinets for beginners (Bb, A, Eb, C) and their professional-quality
equivalents. By contrast the catalogue which I described as the "low
clarinets" could just as well be called the catalogue for "really bloody
expensive clarinets which mostly only pros will be interested in". It's
just incidental that most (not all) of these happen to be bigger. :-)

> By the way, the same argument can be made for a basset horn. It is not
> an alto clarinet pitched in F, but can be strongly argued to be a
> soprano clarinet pitched in F that happens to have some low note in it.

I'm familiar with your argument and agree to a large extent. However I
think I'd like to phrase it slightly differently and say something like:
"The basset horn's range makes it an alto member of the clarinet family,
but its character is in very different to the modern instrument that
actually bears the name of 'alto clarinet'. Whereas the latter has a
character rather like a small bass clarinet, the basset horn feels and
sounds closer to the soprano instruments of the clarinet family."

... What do you reckon?

Incidentally I think the alto clarinet/basset horn divide wasn't so
clear about 150 years ago. The first alto clarinets were simply basset
horns without the extra low notes (built by Müller as an "improvement"
on the traditional basset horn, I believe), with otherwise similar
characteristics (bore, mouthpiece etc.). So when Stravinsky calls for
an "Alto Clarinet in F", playing it on the basset horn is actually quite
all right. In fact it's a bit like using a basset clarinet in a regular
orchestral setting. :-)

-- Joe

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