 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bennett ★2017
Date: 2015-05-14 21:36
Most classical music is written for Bb clarinet, less for A, even less for C and other keys. Why is that? .
I understand that early clarinets, without all the 'metal' we have now were manufactured in different keys in order to accommodate different key signatures.
But how is it that Bb became the standard? Why didn't the earliest C and D clarinets predominate? Was it the harsher more strident sound of of C clarinets as compared to Bb's and A's that made the lower-pitch instruments more popular? Did the key signatures most suitable for strings drive the choice of clarinets?
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2015-05-14 23:45
The standardisation on Bb and A was definitely brought about by tonal considerations.
Since military bands lived mostly in flatter keys the Bb became the obvious one to use here and historically many other players e.g. jazzers acquired old ex-military clarinets to use. And of course most saxes are in Bb and Eb so Bb clarinet works better with them.
Yes string instruments favour the keys of their open strings e.g. A,E,D etc in older music though of course a vast amount of their music does use many other keys.
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Author: derf5585
Date: 2015-05-15 00:28
"Since military bands lived mostly in flatter keys"
Inquiring MIMES want to know why. And why does march music add 1 flat halfway thru the march?
fsbsde@yahoo.com
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Author: ilian96
Date: 2015-05-15 00:45
Because Clarinet in Bb cost lower than the A flat , and , the Clarinet A flat is only available in Professional version .
Just to give information why symphony using A or Bb flat ( rarely C flat)
When you play a symphony , the choice Between the Bb and the A is for the linearity of the sound ! For exemple , the symphony pathetique of Tchaikovsky is written in B Minor . The clarinet in A have 1 bemol in the First Movment but if you transpose in Bb , you got 4 # . So , you can be the best clarinet player , the linearity of the sound can not be the same like a A flat . The A flat have a better sound of the Bb flat in this case .
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-05-15 04:15
Trio sections in marches normally add an extra flat to the key signature, so if you start out in Concert Bb Major, the music modulates to Concert Eb Major for the trio section. Or if it's in Concert Db Major, it very often modulates to Concert Gb Major - just to really annoy the oboes and bassoons.
However, there is the Malcolm Arnold march - 'The Padstow Lifeboat' that starts out in Ab Major and modulates to Eb Major - reason being is the D natural that's the sound of the lifeboat horn which is initially discordant in the Ab Major sections, but makes nicely for the leading note when the music modulates to Eb Major for both the trio and finale sections.
WARNING! Brass band alert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qzYhRQbjPE
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Bennett ★2017
Date: 2015-05-15 04:24
Perhaps I should have made my original post clearer - I'm wondering about the preponderance of Bb/A clarinets in classical music - I should have said 18th and early 19th century music.
Once they became popular, saxophones in Bb/Eb were then invented, further
solidifying the Bb clarinet as standard or most popular (and thus less expensive than A's or good C's).
I don't know about the history of trumpets and what difference that made on the keys clarinet were built in. I do know that often music of this period was written for C or A trumpet. And of course flutes, oboes, bassoons were (and are) in C.
As for keys in A, E, D that the strings like, those are a mixed bag for C, Bb, and A clarinets. Each are easiest on one or other of the instruments (providing you don't have to transpose at sight.)
Maybe it's the tonal color or tessitura after all; it's interesting that a lot of C parts are in operas.
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Author: wkleung
Date: 2015-05-15 04:48
I think composers preferred the tone of the Bb clarinet? The C instrument sounded a bit too bright for what they wanted?
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Author: KenJarczyk
Date: 2015-05-15 06:34
Why is it?
Because we let it get that way.
Now - Go practice.
Ken Jarczyk
Woodwinds Specialist
Eb, C, Bb, A & Bass Clarinets
Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Baritone Saxophones
Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo
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Author: Wisco99
Date: 2015-05-15 09:29
That is a great question that I never really thought about. Trumpets are normally made in B flat, but some are made in other keys for orchestra playing. Don Ellis had the Holton company make a 4 valve trumpet in quarter tones. Saxophones are normally in B flat or E flat, but there was a time when there were many C melody saxophones made. My best guess is it is like nature...evolution. Flutes have been around since the stone age, but they are in the key of C. There are alto flutes in G, bass flutes in C, and piccolos in C, although D flat piccolos were made a long time ago and seem to have died out. Just be glad our music is not written in quarter tones.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2015-05-15 22:44
The earliest saxes were built in F and C for orchestral use but never really caught on there and so the military use came to dominate the sax market and Bb / Eb decame the preferred pitches.
Don't forget that virtually all woodwind except clarinet are octave instruments, the clarinetist has to get approx 50% more notes with just the same number of fingers as a flute/oboe/sax etc player which is why the clarinet fingering becomes more obtuse in extreme keys.
Trumpet and other brass players like to use an instrument pitched to help keep them near a home key to minimise the use of the 3rd valve.
When the orchestra is in E major a Bb trumpet is not the best choice.
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