 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Grover
Date: 2000-06-01 01:58
I recent purchased a very unique Selmer clarinet via eBay and am tickled to death with it. It is a 1946 vintage "depose" version and plays great. The keywork design has clearly been modified at the Selmer factory prior to construction so that a clarinetist who lost 1/2 of his/her forefinger as well as the thumb could easily play it.
The A and Ab keys are shifted about 75 degrees to the left, the F hole has a plateau key and the E hole also has a plateau key, also shifted about 75 degrees to the left.
It is extremely unique. I plan on taking some nice photos of it and putting it up on the web for interested folks to view.
I would really appreciate it if anyone has any knowledge of the history of this unique clarinet. I can't imagine that they would have capriciously experimented in this fashion, so it must have been built as a special custom order for a very special client, perhaps a friend of the family or something. THe cost would seem prohibitive considering that it would have been a one-time design.
Any ideas? Email me directly if you'd like to see photos.
Sincerely,
Grover
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-06-01 11:58
Sounds fascinating! As for the word "depose," it's just the French term for "patent" and appears on many French clarinets, the same way "Patent Pending" or "Patent 1234" appears on clarinets made in the USA.
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Author: J. Butler
Date: 2000-06-02 00:57
I saw this clarinet on eBay and I'm sure it was modified for someone who lost appendages in WWII since it was from that era. I'm sure there were craftsmen that were very helpful with modifications for those who needed them. It is an interesting piece.
J. Butler
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Author: Willie
Date: 2000-06-02 06:41
If it was a key for a wedding ring finger, it was probably an old Navy or Coast Guard gunnersmate as in the heat of battle, wedding rings would get crushed while loading projectiles or powder casings as rapidly as posible. You couldn't stop to fix it during battle as the gun HAD to keep firing if you wanted to survive the battle. The same goes for the gunnersmates operating depth charges on escort ships, only they would loose more if their hand was on the rack when the charges started rolling. I still see a lot of these vets today and they are really surprised when I call then "GUNS", a common nickname for gunnersmates. I repadded a clarinet for a lady who's husband was a WWII gunner. It had a custom extentions on all the RH pinkie keys.
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Author: Eoin
Date: 2000-06-02 12:16
I have heard a piano concerto by Ravel written for a pianist who had lost his right hand in World War 1. Are there any similar pieces for clarinet. Would it be possible to write a reasonable piece of music which only used some of the notes?
Dolmetsch makes a recorder which can be operated with only one hand by means of a complicated key system. Is there an equivalent for clarinet?
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