The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarinetplayer21
Date: 2015-07-20 03:25
i have read that some composers require a full boehm clarinet. is that really true? i have never seen any myself.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2015-07-20 03:52
Never heard of that before.
Of course if some composer writes a low Eb for an A clarinet then only a full Boehm could reach it but apart from that the only differences between full and standard Boehm instruments concern duplicate keywork for Ab/Eb and forked Eb/Bb notes and F#/G# trill facility but any serious professional player can do everything needed on a standard clarinet.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-07-20 03:58
I don't think any composers have written specifically for full Boehm, but a lot of trills, tremolos, passages and other intervals found in a lot of clarinet music can be made easier with the extra gadgets found on them.
Music has to be written to allow anyone to be able to play it on any clarinet of any keywork system, so writing music specifically for full Boehms will seriously narrow the chances of making it popular with players of standard Boehm system or non-Boehm clarinets if it regularly uses low Eb and would most likely be in an awkward key if played on an A clarinet to get that lowest note at the correct pitch.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: James S
Date: 2015-07-20 08:25
Miluccio's Rhapsodie for solo clarinet decends down to low eb. The second movement of Kimmo Hakola's clarinet concerto also has a very prominent low eb (emphasis on "a").
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2015-07-20 09:49
The original version of Berio's Sequenza is for full Boehm.
There are several orchestral parts (mainly Italian) where the composer expected his clarinettist to have a low Eb (eg. Puccini's La Boheme)
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Author: donald
Date: 2015-07-20 12:44
Yep, Berio's Sequenza... and the clarinet parts for the opera Electra (Strauss so at least one non Italian)
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2015-07-20 23:31
In the cl/vln/pno adaptation by Stravinsky of L'Histoire de Soldat (the 1920 version is public domain in the US and is at: <file:///C:/Users/Katrina/Downloads/Stravinsky_-_HistoireDuSoldatSuite_Parts%20(2).pdf> ) there are low E-flats written in brackets for A clarinet. I guess they're there just in case you have a FB A!
Edit:
(Why aren't the <> around the url creating a link??)
Post Edited (2015-07-20 23:32)
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Author: Wes
Date: 2015-07-20 23:35
As I recall, the Gabucci clarinet duets go to low Eb.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-07-21 00:57
I forgot Italians were the biggest market for full Boehms, so with that I suppose it's not surprising there that they write with full Boehms in mind.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: John Peacock
Date: 2015-07-21 01:32
Quite a few low Eflats in various Mahler symphonies. Hmm, but that wouldn't have been written for *Boehm*. I've never heard of German system clarinets with the extended range - anyone come across one?
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2015-07-21 01:53
Alan Hacker had a modern basset clarinet in A, and probably one in Bb. He had lots of music written for him using the low notes.
Dennis Smiley has a Bb bass clarinet with a metal extension (made by Verne Q. Powell) going down to at least Bb, and perhaps lower http://www.westchesterphil.org/aboutsmylie.asp. There has undoubtedly been music written for him calling for these notes.
There are ways around the "you can't get there from here" note sequences (e.g., the Ab major broken arpeggio), and experienced players know how to slide and jump fingers to get them out. Watch a bassoonist's left thumb for a while for a lesson. Pianists switch hand position all the time, and string players have only 4 fingers to get all the notes out.
I'm sure there are modern effects such as multiphonics that don't work, or don't work well, without additional keywork, but composers who want their works to sell and be performed provide workarounds.
Ken Shaw
Post Edited (2015-07-21 23:20)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-07-21 02:34
I've seen a low Eb barrel made specifically for Oehler system clarinets (the low Eb is made by using the RH thumb key), only I can't find the maker who offers it.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-07-21 16:50
Although the question has now become:
"Apart from Mahler and Italian composers, who else's music requires a full Boehm clarinet?"
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2015-07-21 18:40
How about a well known jazz or pop performance that has a prominent low Eb and wouldn't be the same without it, or features some kind of performance gymnastic that pretty much requires a full Boehm?
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: Jeff Chan
Date: 2015-07-21 21:21
There are two compositions that come to mind where the composers, although not requiring a low E-flat, write that note into the clarinet parts.
Stravinsky, in the second movement of his trio arrangement (for violin, clarinet and piano) of his L'histoire du soldat, writes a low E-flat for the A clarinet. It is notated (at least in the International edition) with square brackets and that note is doubled in the piano, so it is not absolutely necessary.
In a piece written for the original New York WW Quintet entitled "March," their horn player John Barrows writes a low E-flat for the B-flat clarinet. He includes an alternate (parenthetical) 8va line, but it is clear that his preference was for the lower note.
Jeff Chan
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2015-07-23 11:39
During the last 18 months or so I've been playing Eb Alto Sax parts in our local theatre orchestra when they're short of Sax players and / or when they already have the full contingent in the Clarinet section. It's quite enjoyable and even though it's surprising how seldom the low Bb is seen in the Alto Sax part it's real handy to have that low Eb on the Clarinet. I'm glad I've got a full Boehm Bb Clarinet. (also have an full boehm A, both are Amati's)
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Author: Mirko996
Date: 2015-08-13 18:51
Full boehm was played by great clarinettist, especially in europa, nowdays very few company produce full boehm (Patricola for example) and some in different form like wurlitzer.
In Italy, a lot of musican, in the past play and nowdays but are jazzist:
Henghel Gualdi, Vincenzo Serra, Moreno Conficconi [...]
in the classical orchestra is not longer used because think isn't intonate but i don't think... he's hard system but helpful, however, excluding e flat lower (if you want to do the low octave of the e flat) in the band has a different position like articulate G# or C# and other position that i don't know because i haven't full boehm but i tried. You can reach quietly the altissimo register.
Post Edited (2015-08-13 18:53)
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Author: davyd
Date: 2015-08-14 02:09
Reinecke's Ballade for flute and orchestra has a low Eb in the 2nd Bb clarinet part.
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