 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jen L.
Date: 2003-12-02 12:43
Hi,
My community orchestra will start working on the Mozart Requiem after the new year, and I'm wondering about the instrumentation. Playing it on the basset horn isn't going to be an option for us, unfortunately. Given the range of the basset horn, is it better to play the transposed parts on the Bb clarinet or the bass? I've seen references here to people playing the transposed parts on the Bb, and I've been wondering what that was like--was there anything lost in the lower register that would be better on bass? Does the bass have too powerful a sound to do this piece effectively?
Thanks for your input,
Jen
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Author: lycfmtkl
Date: 2003-12-02 13:01
I play the mozart concerto with a A clarinet as I cannot afford to buy a basset horn. The sound effect is better in using an A instrument than a Bb.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2003-12-02 13:22
"I play the mozart concerto with a A clarinet as I cannot afford to buy a basset horn"
That is good, since it was not written for the basset horn. You might be thinking of the basset clarinet, which has an extended range to low C.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2003-12-02 13:23
lycfmtkl wrote:
> I play the mozart concerto with a A clarinet as I cannot afford
> to buy a basset horn.
You mean basset clarinet (Clarinet in A with an extension to low C).
A basset horn is a different animal.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2003-12-02 13:45
"A basset horn is a different animal."
I thought they all had short legs, long ears, and a wet nose?
Post Edited (2003-12-02 13:46)
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Author: Douglas
Date: 2003-12-02 14:03
Consider playing the two basset horn parts (clarinet in F) on Eb alto clarinets. The transposition is the same as transposing a C clarinet part on the Bb clarinet.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2003-12-02 14:09
Contemporary (large-bore) basset horns are just alto clarinets with the holes in different spots and a couple of inches added to the tube. Mozart-era basset horns had a narrower bore and a softer, gentler tone.
Therefore, borrow two alto clarinets (if you can find them in good playing condition and with decent mouthpieces) and read up a step, as in the Bb to C transposition. They will sound almost exactly like just about any basset horn you could buy today. They will give you all the notes and be at least halfway toward a period basset horn sound.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: lycfmtkl
Date: 2003-12-02 14:13
Thanks, Marks and Ed. Yes I mean the basset clarinet. I'm not a professional musician and I would'n buy a basset horn to play too. Both basset clarinet and basset horn are expensive that beyond my budget.
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Author: graham
Date: 2003-12-02 16:29
Use clarinets. Bass clarinet is a non-starter as the parts would lie hopelessly too high. Had Mozart lived he would have thought twice about the choice of basset horns. He does not use their full range and writes too high the whole time. Everything lies more comfortably on a clarinet. It is only my desire to use the basset horn and a regard for authenticity that makes me feel that the basset horn should be used instead of clarinets. The alto clarinet would be a honking nightmare. Don't do it!
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2003-12-02 17:46
Most editions of the Requiem come with parts for both Basset horns and clarinets. The parts lie well in the range for both BH and clarinet so using clarinets would be the natural choice if there are no BHs. Don't even think of using altos or bass clarinet.
Alphie
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-12-02 18:54
I dont know the music, the range might be too high for an alto cl [only a full tone higher], but it would be my first trial, and my suggestion would be the Selmer-Paris AC, since it is the smallest bore AC I know of. Mine with a fairly open mp, 3 or more, Pomarico preferred, plays the clarion well! If the alto part ventures too much into its altissimo, I'd suggest a transposition to an A Clarinet for the more mellow tonality. Thots in passing! Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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