 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: justwannaplay
Date: 2004-04-23 14:20
What exactly is a 'clarinette d'amour'? While in Berlin I did manage to get to the musical instrument museum (thanks Marcus for the suggestion), which was fantastic, and they had, among other amazing pieces, the clarinette d'amour. There were other instruments with this designation, I believe, besides the oboe, i.e. stringed instruments. My booklet from the museum says that the clarinette d'amour has a 'love-foot' (a pear-shaped bell), which was modeled after the earlier oboe d'amour, but that this doesn't make much difference to tone, and so was phased out. Also that there's no surviving music for it.
Can anyone supply any more information? I'm very much taken with this clarinet and it's little 'love-foot'.
Elizabeth
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2004-04-23 15:32
Attachment: Clarinetto d'amore c. 1850.jpg (7k)
Attachment: stcl01.gif (45k)
According to Rendall c. 9 in the 3rd edition p.124 f. the cl d'amore was possibly a devellopment from the grand claritette in G. It was very popular in Germany, Flandres, Switzerland, Italy and France.
The pich was generally in G but also in Ab and F. The range went down to written e as on most clarinets. The caracteristics were a narrow bore with small finger holes together with an incurved bell same as an oboe d'amore or cor anglais, giving a soft sweet rich in harmonics sound.
Rendall suggests that Mayrhofer was inspired by the cl d'amore when inventing the basset horn.
In the attachments you'll see a Cl d'amore from c. 1850
The other attachment is a replica of Stadler's basset clarinet (Fox) wich was clearly inspired by the cl d'amore in design rather than the basset horn.
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2004-04-24 07:54
Is that picture *really* of an instrument from 1850? It looks more like 1750 to me, or very early 19th century at the latest. 1850 is after the invention of the Boehm.
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Flutes, oboes and clarinets were all made in d'amore variants, pitched around a minor third lower than the standard instrument. The oboes and clarinets had a pear-shaped bell or "Liebesfuss". (I don't think the English translation "love-foot" would be recognised by organologists.)
The only stringed instrument I know of with the d'amore designation is the viola d'amore, which (roughly speaking) is a violin/viola type of instrument with sympathetic strings running beneath the fingerboard. It can be heard, to quite stunningly beautiful effect, in Bach's St John Passion; the story has reached the point where Pilate has Jesus whipped, then, in sudden contrast to the anguished narrative, the bass soloist sings "Betrachte, meine Seele..." ("O my soul, consider...") accompanied by two viole d'amore and a lute.
Telemann wrote a strikingly beautiful concerto for flute, oboe d'amore and viola d'amore, available on CD.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2004-04-24 08:42
David, I can only take the publishers word for the dating since I don't know very much about cl d'amores myself. I took this post as a reason to learn more about it. The page where I got it from is wellknown for not being very accurate with datings.
However, the shape of the bell is clearly 19th century and there were builders up to the 1850th who still made square shaped keys. Especially very provincial makers who never bothered to devellop their design. If somebody asks such a maker to build an "odd" instrument like the cl d'amore was in the 1850th I can imagine that he used his usual design with a boulbous bell of a more "modern" shape.
Alphie
Post Edited (2004-04-24 08:44)
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2004-04-26 13:29
Rough translation of the French in the preceding post:
The clarinette d'amour is another type of clarinet which appeared around 1750. Its distinguishing characteristic is the bell, whose bore diminishes at its lower end, having a pear-shaped appearance like that of the modern cor anglais.
The air column follows a curve parallel to the exterior shape of the bell, leading to a slight modification of the tone quality, but only of the bell notes and the notes produced by the tone holes nearest to the bell.
Different sizes were constructed, principally F, G, Ab, A.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-04-26 19:12
An interesting discussion of another antique cl family member. Colin Lawson has a few words about it, pg 33, late 18th century, in G or Ab, likely Groves Dict. will have something by Shackelton. I believe the oboe d'amoure in A lasted some what longer, and also had a softer tonality to deserve the Love term. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-04-26 19:19
Sorry, Al Rice, I just posted before I thot. Your fine book, "Clarinet in the Classical Period" has a complete "rundown", many refs, on it !!! Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2004-04-26 19:20
Don: the oboe d'amore has certainly lasted a lot longer. Howarth, Marigaux, Rigoutat and Loree make them to this day, with modern keywork just like an ordinary oboe or cor anglais. It is used by several 20th century composers, including Richard Strauss.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: justwannaplay
Date: 2004-04-26 20:38
Thank you David for the translation and thanks to Don for the book references, which I will track down.
Under "clarinetto d'amore":
A photo from the Museo nazionale degli strumenti musicali di Roma:
http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/mnsm/photo.htm
And here's the other specialist who makes them (go to special sizes)
http://www.guntramwolf.de/instruments/historical/clarinet/clarinet_hist_e.htm
No known recordings? (of the Haydn or otherwise?)
OT, but could someone point me to a sound bite of a hurdy-gurdy? I know that in the back of my mind I can hear it, but it's one of those instruments you just don't see around anymore, is it?
Also, please tell me what sort of sound a 'Racket' is supposed to make!
Elizabeth
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-04-26 22:49
Hi Elizabeth - With your interest in some more "golden oldies", while at a good library, look for Curt Sachs "History of Musical Insts", it has something to say re: cl d'amore, and the rac[n]ket, sort of a bassoon??, and the hurdy-gurdy, a mechanical fiddle??. All quite obsolete, but TKS, David P, you are so rite re: the oboe D'amore, I've even seen a modern one, but didn't have a chance to play it, dern it, just the cor anglais, more enjoyable than oboe for me! Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2004-04-30 20:13
Elizabeth - I'm not sure what sort of sound a racket is supposed to make, but it can certainly be enticed into making a sound like a very large bumblebee stuck under the strings of a muted banjo.
http://www.contrabass.com/pages/rackett.html gives an example.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: Phat Cat
Date: 2004-04-30 21:11
David:
What a hoot! In American, I'd say that bass racket sounds like a pitched whoopee cushion.
Somewhat surprsied you didn't jump on the hurdy gurdy question, as it was your fellow Brit Donovan who released the "classic" album The Hurdy Gurdy Man in 1968. In case he was before your time, he was kind of a transatlantic Bob Bylan, but he didn't sing quite as badly.
Here's a link with sound samples of a solo hurdy gurdy. To me it sounds like the result of miscegenation involving a bagpipe and a fiddle.
http://www.midcoast.com/~beechhil/vielle/
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Author: Wayne Thompson
Date: 2004-04-30 21:28
More hurdy-gurdy info. This is obviously off subject, but I can't bring myself to open a hurdy-gurdy thread. lol.
I like the sound. A fellow named Ethan James was interviewed on National Public Radio a few years ago, and I immediately bought his CD. I love it; it's one of my favorite holiday recordings. The Ancient Music of Christmas, Ethan James, FAX #213-874.3393, Los Angeles, USA, RYKODISC HNCD 1398, WWW.RYKODISC.COM
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Author: justwannaplay
Date: 2004-04-30 22:19
Glad to see this thread jumping again. My word, that has to be the ugliest sound I've ever heard (the rackett)! For some reason I thought it had pebbles in it and made a sort of rattle sound (but the 'bumblebee in a muted banjo' is pretty close). Love the 'sausage bassoon' description (another site gives the German 'Wurstfaggot'), tee hee.
The hurdy-gurdy I quite like. Anyone know where I might find one in England? (David?). Then I can stand at the bottom of the Piccadilly line escalator 'til someone hits me over the head with it. I'll try to track down that CD Wayne, it sounds fun.
Back to the cl. d'amour - this Italian clarinettist equates the Stadler basset clarinet (the one on the other thread) to the clarinet d'amour because of it's bell:
http://www.sistemamusica.it/2003/novembre/15bis.htm
I can translate this if anyone would like, but not at the moment as it's late!
Elizabeth
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2004-05-09 19:29
Elizabeth - hurdy-gurdies, racketts and many other instruments of torture are available from the Early Music Shop in Bradford and London. http://www.e-m-s.com/front/front.html.
Please feel free to invest your hard-earned cash, but not to play them anywhere near me.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: justwannaplay
Date: 2004-05-10 10:30
Oh my god, I'm in Heaven, thanks for that David (even if those prices do make me break out in a cold sweat ![[whoa]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie10.gif) ). Are you sure you don't want a merry band of revelers to pitch tent outside your study?
Shame there's no such thing as a 'clarinet kit' ![[frown]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie2.gif) . Anyone ever try to put together a harpsichord?
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Author: jo.clarinet
Date: 2004-05-10 12:54
I made a clavichord from one of the EMS kits - it took me ages as I'd never done any woodwork before. As I remember, carving the back bits of the keys in the shape they told you to took forever; it was really difficult (for me anyway!). I really enjoyed painting flowers on the soundboard though - and though I say it myself, they do look nice! 
It's a good instrument and keeps in tune fairly well, though I haven't tuned it for a while now. I'm always worried about breaking the strings!
Regarding racketts - I've often heard them playing simple bass lines, but at the Easter Early Music Week recently I heard someone play one really expertly - it was quite extraordinary to hear all these chromatic runs etc coming out of such an unlikely-looking instrument - and it did sound good, actually!
Joanna Brown
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