 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ron Jr.
Date: 2005-08-26 19:57
Does anyone know what kind of clarinets are used in Belgium. Do they use the Reform-Boehm like the Dutch? Or do they use the Boehm like the French?
One would assume that because the Flems in Flanders speak Dutch that they would use the Reform-Boehm. But the version of Dutch spoken in Flanders, often called Flemish, is much softer, much more beautiful sounding and slides deliciously across the tongue like a Belgian chocolate. Very unlike Dutch which seem to get caught in the throat and issues forth with glottal explosiveness
One could assume that because the Belgians have such excellent cuisine that they play the Boehm, just like the French. But Belgian food is delicious yet afordable and without a hint of superiority that often characterizes French cuisine.
All kidding aside, which type of clarinet do the Flems and Walloons play.
Ron Jr.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-08-26 20:03
I would have thought they'd be Boehm players, but await for BelgianClarinet's reply for the truth.
I know a British player that's a Reform Boehm player (on Wurlitzers), and a fine one at that.
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Author: klarisa
Date: 2005-08-26 20:18
Most of us (practicaly everyone) play the french boehm system.
New question, the two most popular Proffesional Buffet clarinets over here are the RC and the Festival. Gathering from information on your site you play more on the R13 wich i have never seen over here. thous anyone know the differenc or similarity's between the R13 and the RC or Festival?
excuse me for flaws in my english....
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-08-26 20:23
My teacher here in the UK played a pair of RCs, and went onto a pair of RC Prestige, whereas the R13 is the most popular of the Buffets in the UK.
What is the difference between the RC and the RC UK? Is the RC 442 Hz and the RC UK 440Hz?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2005-08-26 20:25)
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Author: klarisa
Date: 2005-08-26 20:42
Both my RC and my Festival play 442 Hz, which means i have to pull the barrel and the middle of the clarinet to keep it on 442 when the clarinet gets warmed up.
When in need to play on 440 (with piano or playback records) i have to pull quite a loth....
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Author: Wayne Thompson
Date: 2005-08-26 22:17
Klarisa,
Thanks for the answer. Where in Belgium are you?
The discussion on R13, Festival, and RC is a very old one. If you haven't already, do a search and you'll find lot's of ideas.
(Off topic completely, on your Festival, do you find your middle C, and the D above, to be flat with respect to the rest of the horn? I have a pair of Festivals, and it is so with both of them. If you have a response to this, you can start a new thread.....)
WT
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-08-26 22:21
I did a search for Buffet RC UK, but just got a load of funny looking characters, mainly empty rectangles.
See, I did try.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-08-26 22:33
And almost all Belgian players play the BG Super Revelation Ligature. (that's what I saw at least by far the most when I was there)
Many, many Europeans play that - really quite popular.
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Author: klarisa
Date: 2005-08-27 13:31
First my festival plays wel in tune over the entire scale only the two lowest notes F and E are a bit to low. It plays in fact better in tune than my RC which is to high on the throat A and Bb and to low on the e just below the throat tones.
I used to play on the super revelation BG but now use the vandoren optimum.
I think one often plays on the brands (set up) which is commonly available in nearby shops.
btw. i live in flanders (dutch speaking)
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Author: OpusII
Date: 2005-08-27 14:40
The most famous clarinet players in Belgium are Walter Boeykens and Eddy Vanoosthuysen. Walter Boeykens plays the Buffet Crampon Festival and Eddy Vanoosthuysen plays the Leblanc Opus II. So mostly they use the french clarinets...
I've selected my Leblanc with our "neighbour" Eddy Vanoosthuysen.
Post Edited (2005-08-29 06:38)
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Author: OpusII
Date: 2005-08-29 06:48
For the record, most dutch players play on clarinets from the big 4! You have the professional symphonic players who play reform boehm, but the larger group plays in concertsbands on clarinets of the big 4.
Our concertbands owns about 20 E13 clarinets. The first row play their own clarinets, Buffet Elite/Buffet Crampon RC/ Buffet Crampon RC/Leblanc Concerto II and my own clarinets the Leblanc Opus II/Leblanc Eb clarinet.
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Author: diz
Date: 2005-08-29 21:51
Blumberg said:
And almost all Belgian players play the BG Super Revelation Ligature
Wow - you travelled the length and breadth of this tiny country and saw almost all of its players, impressive!!
Without music, the world would be grey, very grey.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-08-29 22:12
attended 2 ICA Clarinet festivals in Belgium
SAW THE SAME THING BOTH TIMES DIZ........ (I played in the Clarinet Choir)
:)
Post Edited (2005-08-30 00:29)
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Author: OpusII
Date: 2005-08-30 06:41
Hmmm... I'm living about 40 meter of the Belgium border... haven't seen that many BG Super Revelation in Belgium... They play, just as all the other country's, all the ligatures that give a more brilliant sound and easy staccato (And that do all the ligatures in the world according their websites…)
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Author: thatguy
Date: 2005-08-30 09:53
Buffet RCs (Boehm models) and Leblanc Concerto/Opus I and II models.
R13s were designed specifically for the American market which is why it's not common. But it does occur.
The clarinet world is dominated by very few people. In most cases you're either a student of Eddy Vanoosthuyse/Freddy Arteel or a student of Walter Boeykens. Rarely do you hear of anyone of prominence coming out of Belgium without one of those 3 teachers down the line.
Most Boeykens students that I know of play Buffets... Most Vanoosthuyse students play Leblanc - and that's primarily because Vanoosthuyse is an official endorser of their product - make sense? Eddy also has a widely international camp, many from South America/Chile etc who studied with Louis Rossi and also use Rossi clarinets. So there are a variety of horns used throughout his studio.
As for Flemish sounding smooth like chocolate, that's completely wrong... Yes the G's and CH sounds are soft, as opposed to hard in Holland Dutch... but in reality, Flemish is about as swallowed and smashed together like American English... and everything ends up just being run together, rather than understandably articulated. Flemish is not Dutch, although it has roots in Dutch... The flemish only speak Dutch to be able to communicate at a cross-provincial level. Some dialects are so hard to understand betwen provinces that speaking Dutch is the middle ground, which is one of the primary reasons it's learned as a reading/writing language in schools.
As for the BG ligatures... that's not quite right either, although I see why it could be interpreted that way. Claribel is a large clarinet choir based in Oostende and is composed of a LOT of students/amateurs throughout Belgium... a country no bigger than 3 state counties. And Claribel is officially sponsored by BG... which gives them free ligatures and neck straps etc. They also sponsor a few other clarinet choirs, most of which are full of beginners and amateurs who wouldn't think to get anything better. Why waste the money when they got their BG lig for free? But I don't think many Belgian clarinetists are prominent and visible enough in the international clarinet world for their massive giveaways (to beginners and amateurs) to make a difference. Most of the visible professionals who they need to be endorsing don't use BG... and the people they should be trying to *sell* their products to are the beginners & amateurs.
But hey... if it gets people thinking that almost all Belgians use BG clarinet ligatures, I guess their advertising worked.
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Author: klarisa
Date: 2005-08-30 11:21
What does sounding smooth like chocolate means?? there are bitter chocolats on the market which i happen to prefer.""
I agree there are a louth of variations on dutch spoken in flanders but the same is tru for netherland. Try understanding someone from friesland.
No statement about belgium clarinetists (proffessional or amateur) would count for everyone.
I did use BG ligature and had to buy it myself. I did go to a vandoren optimum which my dealer lenth me to try it out (knowing probably that i would fall for it)
I am an amateur and keep on trying other setups and material. The overwelming choice and variety in good equipment is part of what makes making music with clarinet so interesting
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-08-30 12:20
It also was before the Optimum Ligature came out, and if BG sponsored them, enough said 
Good marketing though!!
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Author: BelgianClarinet
Date: 2005-08-30 15:46
Just to complete 'thatguys' overview of Belgian teachers.
To make it 3 out of 4, Arteel used to be a Selmer guy (at least when I knew him many years ago).
So only Yamaha was/is fairly unknown.
Eddy Vanoosthuyse/Freddy Arteel and Walter Boeykens (visit his website for more info) are basically flemisch (Boeykens = Antwerp based, with lots of international students, the other two mainly in Gent).
I think apart from some masterclasses Arteel and Boeykens have retired. I have no idea what the french speaking part (and Brussels) are doing on clarinet.
The many amateurs I know indeed go for Optimum or BG, but to be honest quite some just keep the Buffet Lignature that they get with the instrument (whatever impression that creates).
I use Optimum on Bb/A and BG on bass, why ? Tried it, and it works :-)
In Belgium as in many countries in Europe, standard pitch for symphonic ochestras is indeed often 442Hz and not 440Hz. Which is why we have these 442 Hz clarinets. I'm not sure if all instruments are made according these rules, because I regularly hear the flutist (and our bassoonist also) complaining.
Post Edited (2005-08-30 15:55)
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Author: BelgianClarinet
Date: 2005-08-31 16:00
The only, but old and not updated site for Freddy Arteel I can find is :
http://home.scarlet.be/~arteel/
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Author: buedsma
Date: 2005-09-03 18:53
boehm and only boehm
and it's hard to find a jazz or folk player on a decent level - i don't find many of them - same for bass clarinet .
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