Klarinet Archive - Posting 000213.txt from 2009/10

From: Michael Nichols <mrn.clarinet@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Coolest
Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:36:38 -0400

On Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 2:29 PM, Dan Leeson <dnleeson@-----.net> wrote:

> In order to play in keys with sharps, the clarinet had to have additional
> keys and holes put in it. =A0It was not a big deal to put the hole in the
> proper place so that it worked fine for the upper or the lower register, =
but
> it was very difficult to put the hole in a place with the note worked OK =
for
> BOTH registers. =A0And that was the inhibiting factor which drove the pro=
cess
> whereby multiply pitched clarinets came to be.

Thanks. That makes a lot of sense, and I hadn't heard that explanation bef=
ore.

I thought I ought to clarify what happens in the Barber of Seville
clarinet parts, though, because I don't think I gave the whole story.
The introduction starts out in concert E Major on the C clarinets (so
4 sharps are in the key signature). Then, the main theme of the piece
is in e minor, and the clarinetists stay on C clarinet (so 1 sharp is
in the key signature). This modulates to G Major (for the second
theme) and the clarinets stay on C clarinet for this, too (same key
signature). Then the piece modulates down a minor 3rd to E Major (the
original key), but instead of staying on C clarinet as in the
beginning, there is a switch to A clarinet--so no change in key
signature, only a change in clarinet. This final E Major section is
actually the same theme as the previous G Major section, so even most
of the notes are the same. So if you're looking at the part, you have
4 sharps for the first few staffs or so (the introduction) and then 1
sharp for the rest of the piece.

The weird part is the 4 sharps in the beginning, since if the
introduction was written for A clarinet and the clarinetists could
switch to C clarinet where it goes into e minor, you could have the
entire part written with only 1 sharp throughout.

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