 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-09-10 16:31
From The New Langwill Index:
Pourcelle, Henri (Henry) Trade name.
Employed mid 19c-20c by BRUNO for US-imported WIs; clarinet, cane clarinet, trombone reported.
Mark:
HENRY POURCELLE / PARIS / FRANCE
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-09-11 01:39
Wow -- dept. of major coincidences. Am I glad to see this information! Just today, I passed up a Henry Pourcelle clarinet offered for $525. The logo is exactly as you describe. However, this instrument is made of boxwood, with 10 brass keys. It is similar to an Albert system clarinet.
The dealer represented it as an 18th century clarinet. I thought not. The keys are shaped more or less like modern keys (not oblong "paddles") and there are too many of them for an 18th c. clarinet. I wasn't willing to pay that much for it without knowing more about it, because it's in poor condition.
The mouthpiece is a dark, streaky hardwood, like cocobolo. There's a brass reverse ligature, probably made for it, as both are thinner than a modern mouthpiece and ligature.
Unfortunately, the instrument has cracked severely, in several places. I counted five cracks, one of which had been poorly repaired by filling it with what looks like one of the plastic wood products. The repair itself has cracked open. I think probably it would be impossible to restore this clarinet to playing condition because the wood has changed shape. It seems to have swelled significantly, because one of the brass tenon rings is cracked open and is not large enough to close the gap. Another tenon ring is missing. The pads are gray felt (no fishskin), contoured in such a way that they bulge into the tone holes. It's a most interesting instrument, though Mark's information confirms it is not what the dealer thinks it is. I'm not sure whether I did right to pass it up.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-09-11 01:51
Lelia - not worth $500, that's for sure. Boxwood doesn't crack as often as it warps; a friend of mine just sold his collection of about 200 clarinets from the lat 1700s thru the early 20th century. All the boxwodd clarinets from that period are essentially unplayable because of warpage.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-09-11 02:07
Mark Charette wrote:
-------------------------------
Lelia - not worth $500, that's for sure. Boxwood doesn't crack as often as it warps; a friend of mine just sold his collection of about 200 clarinets from the lat 1700s thru the early 20th century. All the boxwodd clarinets from that period are essentially unplayable because of warpage.
------------------
That squares with the appearance of this instrument. Something about adding the keys to it must put quite a strain on the wood, because boxwood recorders do last pretty well if they're dried after playing. This clarinet looked like it had squeaked its last.
If I ever found a real 18th C. clarinet, I wouldn't expect to be able to play it. From what I've read, it seems as though most of the museum-quality antique clarinets couldn't be made playable without significant changes in the original equipment that would compromise their value as antiques. I don't think I'd want to take the responsibility, though I'd be awfully tempted to hear what an antique sounded like.
Thanks very much for posting this information.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
