 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Keil
Date: 2000-02-20 01:13
What is the difference between the French tone, German tone, Italian tone, Austrian tone, and whatever other tone there is out there? Which one is most perferred and how do i choose one that's right for me? My private teacher teaches with a French tone in mind. I love the way Karl Leister sounds but i can tell that at times his tone goes flat, is this a characteristic of the "German" tone?
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-02-20 01:31
The different "schools" have pretty much blended nowadays; they were probably much more distinct at the turn of the century.
An interesting experiment was performed a few years back by Dan Leeson, a noted Mozart scholar and basset horn player. He dared the clarinet community to identify recordings by various clarinet artists by nationality. A pro took him up, and a third party adminisitered the test The results are in the Klarinet archives.
Needless to say, the results were inconclusive ...
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Author: andrea
Date: 2000-02-20 03:00
i have wondered about this myself, so i went to the library and tried to find some information. i guess the main original schools were german and french. they both have pros and cons. the french school allows for a lighter reed and therefore more flexibility in intonation and lighter, more bouncy articulation. the german school has a thicker reed (and of course mouthpiece and ligature to accomodate it) so they tend to have more trouble in the area of intonation, but the sound is beautiful! i like to keep in mind what the composer had in mind when they heard a clarinet in their mind. stacatos in mozart are nowhere near as short as they are in debussy. the american school is mostly based on the french style, we use french clarinets, reeds, ligatures, and mouthpieces, but we appreciate the dark german sound and try to get that on the french equipment. the advent of recordings and accessibility to the recordings has enabled individuals to hear other sounds that they may or may not like, much like people in a certain geographic location have a similar dialect. it's intresting to hear players from diffrent teachers, which is in it's own an individual school of playing depending upon the linneage of teachers. i myself am mostly a second generation marcellus student and danmed proud!
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Author: Willie
Date: 2000-02-20 19:11
I agree with Andrea. How ever I would like to add that I've noticed on my Bb that if I have the slightest leak in the upper section and the keys are not adjusted properly, mine just won't do it. I've owned the same clarinet now for over 30 years and played it in a variety of conditions from prestine to "turn it into a lamp". Although it plays OK now I'm doing a complete repad and cork job on it as the "smear" is the first thing that seems to disappear on mine when the pads get old. I like Dixieland, Ragtime and I like to use short smears on these.
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Author: Willie
Date: 2000-02-20 20:16
Sorry Y'all, this was supposed to go to the smears topic below. I play better than run a computer,,,,,,,,Honest!
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2000-02-21 00:11
Keil! Go to your record-store and buy some recordings made by some representatives (in a traditional sence) of the different schools:
German school: Karl Leister, Sabine Mayer,
Austrian school: Leopold Wlach, Alfred Prinz,
French school: Louis Cahuzac, Jaques Lancelot,
English school: Reginald Kell, Jack Brymer,
and judge yourself.
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Author: James Marioneaux
Date: 2000-02-21 15:23
If I had to pick one sound, I would go for the Russian sound. When I hear some of the Russian orchestras, the clarinetists sound great. I do not know of any CD's that are available ot the names of any of the top Russian clarietists. Maybe some of you can help out.
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Author: Hans
Date: 2000-02-21 17:23
You are absolutely right!
Of course there is nowadays a trend that clarinet players from different countries come more closer in sound.
Maybe also because of the many world wide master classes and change over of clarinet brands. For instance a few young Italian professionals such as Luigi Magistrelli and Nicola Bulfone are playing on typical German instruments from Herbert Wulitzer.
Still there are differences and the differences are bigger by elder players playing on older instruments (e.g. Dieter Klöcker on his pre-war II instruments).
Ther is still also an Italian and Czech school (a lot of vibrato and typical staccato!)
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Author: steve
Date: 2000-02-21 20:40
andrea mentioned lineage in american clarinet playing...how many living american clarinettists have bonade and bellison in their family trees?? I'll bet you alot!!!
s.
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Author: Keil
Date: 2000-02-21 21:02
Who are some representitives for the Italian clarinet tone, do they typically play on Patricola clarinets? What would Harold Wright be classified as? What is the traditional American Clarinet Sound? or are we just a mesh of the other countries tone?
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Author: steve
Date: 2000-02-22 14:20
I believe Wright used a double lip embro (like some Itallian players?), and he was a McLane student...what was McLane's lineage???
s.
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Author: Beejay
Date: 2000-02-24 21:48
My teacher is a student and former collaborator of Jacques Lancelot, so I get a heady dose of the French sound. The emphasis is on lightness of articulation, precision of attack, a kind of "pinging"staccato and delicacy of sound. I use a Vandoren B45 mouthpiece, or woe betide, and a Buffet-Crampon RC. I work very hard at getting the good French tone, but I do envy that wonderful smooth sound of the best German and Russian clarinetists, which I have never been able to achieve myself. I read an article some time ago called, I think, "That nice dark sound," which may be what Mark was referring to.
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