Author: Wayne Thompson
Date: 2004-03-07 21:13
This is what Dennis Smylie has written me:
Dear Wayne Thompson, Thank you for your email about that instrument. Originally, it had been built by Buffet to low Eb in the 1930's and owned by the late Rosario Mazzeo, who had played in the Boston Symphony for many years, retiring in the 1960's. For a number of years after that he lived in Carmel, CA, where he continued to teach. Mazzeo also developed into quite a creative innovator of key systems, mechanisms and clarinet designs. In the early 1940's, the BSO was scheduled to play one of the first US performances of the Shostakovich 7th Sym. , "The Lenin- grad". The bass clarinet writing, some of it soloistic, descended to low C# and C, deeper than his Buffet's Eb. He didn't want to get a new and longer bass cl. in order to play these pitches. Instead, he went to the flute maker, Powell in Boston, where he worked with one of their craftsman on developing an uptutned bell-tube extension for the added range. The
bell is originally Buffet's, the tube leading to it and its key work were all Powell-made. At the point where the ring is located atop the the lower joint a brace was attached to the bell's back surface. This positioning resulted in more tube length than was needed to "only" reach written C and the range descends to Bb (Ab concert). During the 1950's Mazzeo became associated with Selmer as a consultant and stopped playing Buffet instruments. This bass cl. was sold to John Marshall in the Boston area, who played primarily for enjoyment in summertime bands advocationally. I had corresponded with Mazzeo while he lived in California. He told me about this Buffet and to whom he had sold it. I met Mr. Marshall and saw the the instrument at his home in MA during the 1970's. He passed away some years later and his widow offered to sell me the bass cl. for a very reasonable
cost. Much restorative work was done by Tom Yaeh in Los Angeles and another neck eventually found for it. Buffet bass cls. from this time are often sought after. This is a good one from that era, which I feel very fortunate to have and to play, regardless of it's lowest notes and unusual addition. I visited Mazzeo in the '80's at his CA home and played it. He hadn't seen this for decades. The Khatchaturian piano concerto includes includes soloistic use of the bass cl. , from which I played. He had recorded it w/William Kapel, pn. & the BSO on this inst. years before-a touching moment ! Bye! Dennis S.
I responded:
Dennis,
Thank you very much for your note. This is an interesting story. Could you say that the Bb extension affects the low C either positively or negatively? My own small connection with Rosario Mazzeo is that I have studied with Frank Renk (San Diego Symphony) who has studied with Mazzeo. I have enjoyed Mazzeo's book, The Clarinet.
Would you mind if I forward your story to the Clarinet Bulletin Board that I mentioned?
Thanks much,
Wayne T.
And Dennis:
Dear Wayne, Glad to hear of your connection through another to Mazzeo, who seems to have been quite an interesting, knowledgeable man. The low B & Bb on this model when unused may serve another purpose as vent holes for the C, C# & D just above. Those 3 notes tune and sound well. The 2 lowest notes tend towards being under pitch, especially the Bb bell tone. Of course, there's no writing today for them, but sometimes I enjoy putting a note down an octave, more often the B natural. As I may've mentioned before, the lowest notes and this design are very interesting, but this instrument as a whole is what I especially appreciate. At times, I've wished I could take some of the tubing and keywork off and have less weight to carry around-not a realistic possibility. You're welcome to use any part of this or the earlier email for that cl. board. Take care!
Dennis
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