 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jArius
Date: 2004-11-29 04:56
Shadow's post got me thinking:
In the clarinet Tipbook there's all these wierd looking members of the clarinet family that, frankly, I had never heard of before. The one that sticks in my mind the most is this thing that actually looks more like a tuba than a clarinet. It was a sub-contra-bass or something like that. I was just wondering, has anybody actually seen any really strange looking clarinets or, even better, does anybody own one? This could turn into a really interesting topic real quick.
PS There was this serpent thing I'd heard of that was an ancestor to the clarinet. That would defineltly qualify.
Jeremy Bruins
Proud member of the too-much-time-on-my-hands club.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-11-29 05:22
jArius wrote:
> PS There was this serpent thing I'd heard of that was an
> ancestor to the clarinet.
Not correct...
The Serpent appeared and flourished in France from approximately 1590. (Some earlier examples have since been found and thought to be of Italian origin) It was conceived as an attempt to construct a bass cornet in a more reasonable size configuration...GBK
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2004-11-29 16:02
GBK refers to the serpent as a "bass cornet".
This may confuse!
The term cornet usually refers to an instrument of similar pitch and design to a trumpet, but with a conical rather than cylindrical bore.
Previously (that is, more than two hundred years ago), it referred to an instrument with fingerholes like a woodwind instrument, but a mouthpiece like a brass instrument.
In an attempt to reduce confusion, most modern authorities use the spelling cornett (with two T's) when the archaic meaning is intended. Clearer still is to use the Italian term cornetto (unfortunately also a brand name of ice-cream).
GBK intended the archaic meaning, so might have done better to write "bass cornett".
Please don't flame me for correcting spelling mistakes; this is an honest attempt to dispel confusion.
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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: GBK
Date: 2004-11-29 16:19
David is correct. The correct spelling should have been "cornett" (the archaic meaning was definitely intended).
In my haste to read quickly and post, I inadvertently dropped the second "T"
Thanks for clearing the confusion...GBK
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Author: jArius
Date: 2004-11-30 05:05
So anyway, back to the subject...
(We really tend to go off on tangents, don't we? I'm no exception.)
Jeremy Bruins
Proud member of the too-much-time-on-my-hands club.
Post Edited (2004-11-30 05:33)
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Author: Pam H.
Date: 2004-12-01 00:10
I love Jay Easton's site with all the super-low saxes. Those are so cool.
Can I ask? What the heck is a momerath?
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Author: Daggett
Date: 2004-12-01 00:43
I think the clarinet's ancestor is the Chalemuea (sp?). Today the lower register is named after it; something along those lines :S
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Author: Wayne Thompson
Date: 2004-12-01 19:04
A few years ago there was a TV production of Dicken's Christmas Carol starring Patrick Stewart. In the Fezziweg ball scene there was a good shot of a Serpent being played. I assume this is an authentic usage, that serpents were still being played in the early 19th century. This is a good production of the story in any case.
And it seems to me I have seen another serpent being played in a recent movie, but I can't place the memory.
W
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Author: Todd W.
Date: 2004-12-01 19:42
"And it seems to me I have seen another serpent being played in a recent movie, but I can't place the memory."
That would be "Anaconda 3: Revenge of the Shawm."
The part of the serpent was played by Christopher Walken.
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Author: jArius
Date: 2004-12-01 23:44
Pam H. wrote:
> Can I ask? What the heck is a momerath?
You know, from the poem "Jabberwocky", by Lewis Carroll.
"T'was brillig, and the slithy toves
did gire and gimble in the wabe,
all mimsy were the borogroves
and the momeraths outgrabe."
And so on.
It was featured in Alice in Wonderland, which was also written by Lewis Carroll (at least the book was). Along with "The Walrus and the Carpenter", and other gems from Carroll.
Jeremy Bruins
Proud member of the too-much-time-on-my-hands club.
Post Edited (2004-12-01 23:45)
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Author: Igloo Bob
Date: 2004-12-02 00:52
Quote:
A few years ago there was a TV production of Dicken's Christmas Carol starring Patrick Stewart.
Patrick Stewart is awesome. My favorite actor, actually. What's that? You say that has nothing to do with this topic? Well y'see... oh no, look, The Momeraths are outgrabing! Run!
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Author: jArius
Date: 2004-12-02 02:10
Galumph, galumph, galumph.....
Look out! They're galumphing all over the place!!
Jeremy Bruins
Proud member of the too-much-time-on-my-hands club.
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2004-12-02 08:09
Wayne wrote:
"I assume this is an authentic usage, that serpents were still being played in the early 19th century."
Yes, it is. They were still used in church bands and the like into Victorian times. For orchestral and military band use, they were reshaped and fitted with further keywork to produce the "Russian bassoon" and the ophicleide.
The story goes - and whether this is true I'm not sure - that Sax put a bass clarinet mouthpiece on to an ophicleide, thereby inventing the baritone sax.
So though jArius was wrong to say "serpent thing I'd heard of that was an ancestor to the clarinet", it may be that the serpent is ancestor to the sax.
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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: jim S.
Date: 2004-12-03 17:10
Does anyone know for sure that the sub-octo and contra-octo's are in a "LeBlanc Museum in Paris"? I hadn't hear that before. Grant Green, the expert contra guy seemed, at the time he put up references to the octo's at his contrabass web site, to think they were in the private possession of Mr. LeBlanc or his family. If they are anywhere to be seen I would like to put them on the itinerary for my next trip to France.
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Author: Shadow
Date: 2004-12-04 03:17
I am not absolutly sure but I think the octocontrabass is in the Museum and nobody know's where the octocontralto's are.
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Author: jArius
Date: 2004-12-05 08:58
I checked out the Jay C. Easton website and there's some pretty wacky stuff there... wacky sound clips too. "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" has got to be the wierdest thing I've heard all week (aside from the rat getting stuck in the eefer).
Jeremy Bruins
Proud member of the too-much-time-on-my-hands club.
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