 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2010-07-24 21:23
On the Yahoo Early Clarinet board, the question has arisen whether that rare bird, the bass in A, typically has a key for low Eb. The low Eb on every Bb bass (even the Bundy) exists to allow transposition of Bass in A parts, and perhaps to avoid the blare on third line B. The photos I've seen (of a Selmer A bass) show no low Eb key.
Ed Palanker and other BC players, have you ever seen a part for bass in A that calls for low Eb? If so, everyone would need at least a Bb bass that goes down to D.
Thanks.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-07-24 21:35
Selmer A basses from the '80s (C or D series) are keyed to low Eb. But Selmer also made Bb basses to low E, low Eb, low D and low C.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-07-25 19:09
Ken, I can't recall any specific pieces but it seems to me that I have experienced bass clarinet parts in A that have gone down to an Eb. I sort of remember when the "A" bass clarinet because available on special order a number of years ago, not a big seller, that they we're down to a low C like the long Bb basses but I can't be positive since it seemed silly to buy one and have to carry two bass clarinets with me when the music called for both. I've never seen or played a bass clarinet in A. The Bundy we had at Towson University when I taught there, we let the jazz band use it, only went to a low E, it was probably 300 years old. It's a good question though. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2010-07-25 19:23
I have never seen a A bass clarinet part written to low Eb. Lorin Maazel's Music for Flute and Orchestra was written in the 1990's has a challenging (read nasty) bass clarinet part -- totally for basscl in A! God knows why he did that!
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2010-07-25 19:47
> God knows why he did that!
Can't say for that specific example, but I have a hunch that certain composers or arrangers hate an instrument enough to write some downright nasty parts for it.
(Never let a brass player arrange a piece for woodwinds...)
--
Ben
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-07-25 21:01
In Anthony Baines's book he mentioned someone scored for a contrabass clarinet in A. What's the likelyhood of that?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2010-07-25 21:07
What was the title of the piece - "mission impossible" or what? ![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
--
Ben
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2010-07-25 21:53
I think it was "Sechs Orchesterstuecke" by Schoenberg!
Oops, inflation: 5, not 6 pieces.
Post Edited (2010-07-25 21:56)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-07-25 21:58
I thought it was probably Schoenberg but couldn't find my copy to check.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-07-27 00:18
The problem is that some composers just don't read the orchestration books and don't know the ranges. More then once we've seen Bb clarinet parts with low Eb written in. We just had onc such piece in a "pop's" arrangement a few weeks ago, that's the reason I'm sure there's probably at least one piece out there written for bass clarinet in A with a low Eb written. Nothing surprises me anymore after all the years I've been playing. Last year I had to "teach" a composer how to write for the bass clarinet. One movement was in bass cleff, one in treble cleff, one in both cleffs not knowing if it was as it sounds or should sound an octave lower than written. It was a nightmare until he straighten it out. So why not a low Eb for a bass clarinet in A? Might as well. How about a tenor sax part beginning on a low A, we had that last week too. No, I don't play sax anymore but it was a sax and bass clarinet part on one part, we used two players. ESP
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2010-07-27 11:53
>>The problem is that some composers just don't read the orchestration books and don't know the ranges.>>
Yes. I see impossible ranges and other errors on the Sibelius site (new compositions) all the time. To their credit, some composers will ask that site's forum questions if they're not sure what's really feasible on an instrument, but the errors still occur. I'd love to be one of those purists who insists, "Follow the score even if it jumps out the window," because following the score or blaming myself for having the wrong instrument is so much easier than figuring out what's the matter with the composition and what to do about it -- but the reality is that a lot of composers, including good ones, make mistakes.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: USFBassClarinet
Date: 2010-07-27 15:08
A guy just did a presentation at clarinfest on bass clarinet in A. It was quite interesting. When I get home on saturday I will go through the program and find his name. He said he welcomed emails so I will pass a long and let you ask him.
And it was Schoenberg who wrote for contrabass in A. I actually played it last year with the USF orchestra. FYI, it only playes for about 20 measures in the first movement. He rescored it some years later and did not write a contrabass part at all.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-07-27 17:15
I have a full-Boehm soprano clarinet in A, with range to low Eb (the second one like that I've had over the years) --- I still don't know why an A clarinet needs a low Eb. But it sure looks cool and impresses all my neighbors and friends (not!).
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-07-27 23:37
They made full Boehm A clarinets so you could instantly tell the difference between the A and a full Boehm Bb when they're both together on the stand. If your A was to low E and your Bb a full Boehm (to low Eb), chances are you might pick up the wrong clarinet if you didn't look close enough (or it was too dark to see well enough).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-07-29 20:35
Chris, every professional orchestra clarinetist has done that at least once in their lives with their regular set. You don't need a full Boehm set to get them confused once in a while. Sometimes we have to switch so many time in a single piece that when the conductor stops and goes back to a spot that uses the "other" clarinet it makes for some funny harmony for a measure or two, or less. We get so used to playing both clarinets that it's difficult to tell which one we're playing at times. ESP
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