Klarinet Archive - Posting 000137.txt from 2006/12

From: Joseph Wakeling <joseph.wakeling@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Basset horn vs alto clarinet
Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 18:16:47 -0500

Chalumeau wrote:
> The part in the Stravinsky was marked alto clarinet in F. I've
> never heard of such a beast. Much of the part is duets with the alto
> flute, so the warmth of the bassett horn seemed an excellent fit.

Alto clarinets used to exist in F as well as Eb.

As I recall, Iwan Müller, who invented the 13-key clarinet, developed an
"improved" basset horn that did away with the basset notes (low Eb, D,
C#, C), which became known as the "alto clarinet". I don't remember if
he presented versions in both F and Eb, or just F, but I think it was
both. According to the Cambridge Companion to the Clarinet, the F alto
was quite popular in German military bands/harmonie.

The other thing of note is that the bore of these early alto clarinets
was narrow, like the traditional basset horn (I remember seeing a bore
measurement for a late 19th century instrument of 15.4mm, which is
comparable to Dan's basset horn:-).

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