Klarinet Archive - Posting 000077.txt from 2011/07

From: "Dan Leeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] The Mazzeo system
Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:09:47 -0400

I owned Mazzeo's basset horn which he sold to me after his retirement from the BSO.

Not knowing how to play an instrument with the Mazzeo mechanism, he pointed out to me that there was a clutch, which, when in put in place with a simple movement, changed the Mazzeo system to a traditional clarinet system. And when the clutch was not in place, the instrument was a Mazzeo system clarinet.

I rarely used the Mazzeo system because I was unused to it, but on occasion, I did and the idea was brilliant, to say nothing of the fact that the throat tone B-flat was magnificent. In the non Mazzeo system, the throat tone B-flat was not very good, but that may have been due to the basset horn manufacture.

Rosario was very protective of the advantage of the Mazzeo mechanism. I once foolishly made a very minor negative comment about it, and Rosario became very angry at me. It almost broke up our 30 year friendship.

Dan Leeson
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