 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2012-01-01 19:55
Just wondering about the materials that clarinets were made of way back in W.A. Mozarts' day , which was mostly Turkish Boxwood. Apparently this type of wood was depleted and clarinets had to be made out of some other wood. Was there a 'smooth' transition over to various types of African Blackwoods, or was there a period of time between the utilisation of these entirely different types of wood when clarinets had to be made of other materials ? That is , when approximately did M,pingo , Granadilla ect come into use ? Or was there a period of time when both types of wood (Boxwood and Blackwood) were being used ?
Skyfacer
Post Edited (2012-01-01 20:06)
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2012-01-01 20:11
I think you will find that the prime reason boxwood ceased to be the main material used was due to its lack of dimensional stability under varying climatic and humidity changes.
This was not a problem when only a few simple keys were fitted but as the growth and complexity of keywork developed it caused major problems in keeping keywork in alignment and regulation.
Cocus wood and Rosewood were all used in varying periods but the superior stability and water resistance of African blackwood eventually made it the prime choice.
Looking at old catalogs it seems that there were long periods when a choice of materials continued to be offered.
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