Klarinet Archive - Posting 000464.txt from 2006/03

From: "Lelia Loban" <lelialoban@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Alto Clarinet in the Orchestra
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006 08:39:04 -0500


Jay Niepoetter wrote,
>Sousa enjoyed using a "multiplicity of quartets" in
>his band to create multiple groups playing in four-part
>harmony. He liked the colors this created throughout
>the band.

I love that rich harmony. With four distinct ranges, a composer can let
each instrument follow its own line through a complex counterpoint, too,
instead of swapping in and out with lower or higher instruments. That's
less important with professional musicians, who can follow each other and
blend seamlessly, but with students and amateurs, I think it usually sounds
better to avoid breaking the line of a melody or a counter-theme between
two different musicians: avoid the little "bump" of transition.

One reason the alto clarinet has declined seems to be that the other
clarinets between them can cover the alto's whole range, but (as an amateur
composer, fwiw...) using an alto clarinet seems to me to be a much better
option than making the bass clarinet go howling up to the top of its range.
For the best overall tone quality in an ensemble, I'd rather use a greater
variety of instruments and hear all of them playing in their best-sounding
ranges most of the time.

>The alto clarinet has prominent solos in standard wind
>ensemble / band compositions by Grainger, Dahl, Dello
>Joio and others. Its unlikely that alto clarinet will
>disappear completely.

I hope you're right. When I kept a Sibelius web page, and occasionally got
comments in the Sibelius web forum that my alto clarinets were
"unnecessary," or that "nobody plays alto clarinet," I knew I was hearing
from someone who didn't know much about the clarinet family. However, when
I score for alto clarinet or for basset horn, I do include optional parts
for an extra soprano clarinet and an extra bass clarinet, in case no alto
or basset is available.

Kurt Heisig wrote,
>>I believe the reason it has fallen into dis-use is
>>the pitiful mouthpieces that come with them and
>>that school instruments are in dis-repair.

Bad instruments in bad condition and lack of instruction lead to
discouragement, discouragement leads to negligent practice and the result,
too often, is dismal playing that drops the reputation of the instrument
even farther. Kids who hear the alto clarinet sounding like a bad joke are
less likely to want to switch to it. Band teachers could do a lot to break
this vicious circle, first by finding a good alto clarinet player to
demonstrate the instrument during the "petting zoo" for children reaching
the age to switch to the harmony clarinets. The band teacher also needs to
persuade the school administration that buying the school a good-quality
alto clarinet with a decent mouthpiece is as important as providing a good
bass clarinet. The teacher can also encourage a student with real musical
ability and a nonconformist streak to switch to the alto clarinet because
it's a *special* instrument (like the bass clarinet). The teacher also
needs to provide instruction about the differences between playing an alto
and playing a soprano clarinet. Kids who respect and enjoy an instrument,
and think of it as special, will take better care of it and spend more time
practicing on it.

Also, I'd like to see more instruction that's now labelled for bass
clarinet re-labelled for alto and bass clarinet. At ClarinetFest 2004, in
Washington, D. C., Edward Palanker gave an excellent presentation, "Bass
Clarinet for Dummies." (I think the popular "for Dummies" label is an
unfortunate one for *anything,* btw--I think people learn better without
that label, because as humor, it's too lame--and nowadays, too trite--to be
worthwhile, and it plants the discouraging suggestion that we're too stupid
to learn *real* information.) Nearly everything Mr. Palanker said applied
to alto clarinet, too. As an amateur, I learned a lot from that session.

My nerd credential these days is a Selmer C* mouthpiece (usually with Rico
Royal alto sax reeds) on a 1979 Selmer Paris alto clarinet. That's a good
setup, imho.

Lelia Loban

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