Klarinet Archive - Posting 000069.txt from 2009/08

From: Tim Roberts <timr@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Clarinets in F
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:30:27 -0400

On Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:43:57 -0400, Nancy Buckman <eefer@-----.com>
wrote:
> I own a Leblanc Paris basset horn in F, and a Selmer Paris alto clarinet in Eb (an old but good one). The basset horn sounds much better than the alto clarinet, and is far easier to play.

Really? I am speaking from absolute ignorance, having had zero
experience with basset horns, but from this list I had developed the
impression that the opposite was generally true -- that the basset
horn's narrow bore made it much more finicky and troublesome than an
alto clarinet.

> However, that could be because there has never been any interest in fixing the flaws of the alto clarinet in Eb.

My eyes were recently opened to the possibilities of the alto clarinet.
I've played alto, and I got a reasonable although unremarkable sound
from mine. About 5 years ago, we formed a small clarinet choir one
summer to play a special event. We had an Eb, two Bb, one alto, one
bass. One of our saxophone players brought his alto clarinet for the
quintet. When he put the instrument together and began to warm up, I
was absolutely transfixed. The sound was lush, full, warm, liquid,
glorious; I ran out of adjectives to describe it. It was stunning.

Unfortunately, concert band literature is nearly bereft of good alto
clarinet parts, so we never get to hear him play. Grainger and Vaughan
Williams know what to do with them, but few others do.

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

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