 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: beckiew
Date: 2012-01-23 20:05
Hello!!
I have my Grandad's old clarinet.
I have a bill here from 1991 from a clarinet repairer stating the work that had been done on a very old clarinet so it must have some age to it. Mt Grandad played musical instruments from the 40's onwards.
The clarinet has Lewin Bros B Low pitch on it. I can not find any info about Lewin clarinets on the internet. It also has the original case. Any help or advice on identifying this clarinet would be greatly appreciated!!
Many thnaks in advance :-)
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-01-23 20:49
beckiew wrote:
> The clarinet has Lewin Bros B Low pitch on it. I can not find
> any info about Lewin clarinets on the internet. It also has the
> original case. Any help or advice on identifying this clarinet
> would be greatly appreciated!!
It is most likely a stencil instrument. The fact that it has "low pitch" written on it suggests that it was likely made before 1950 as there were still some "high pitch" instruments in circulation before that time. Is there a country of origin listed anywhere on the instrument?
Potentially the name could be a reference to Gordon Lewin who was a well known British clarinetist.
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Author: beckiew
Date: 2012-01-23 21:21
Hi
Many thanks for your reply. It says they are sole agents in London but says Made In France. Hope this helps!!
Post Edited (2012-01-23 21:25)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-01-23 21:45
I've seen a Lewin bari sax which was a Conn stencil (exactly like an X-bar in every other detail but without the X-bar bell brace) and some Conn bass clarinets were made by Malerne (a bit of a tenuous link there), so it could possibly be a Malerne as they made clarinets for countless companies bearing countless names.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2012-01-24 00:53
If you can post some photos, that would help. Lay the clarinet on its side on a table and take shots from the front, back and each side, plus the name stamped on the upper joint near the top. Focus in as close as possible.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-01-24 10:33
That's a one piece body clarinet with low Eb and articulated C#/G#!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-01-24 11:27
The main body joint is made in one single piece - most clarinet body joints are made in two pieces with a joint at the middle.
The C#/G# key is linked to the right hand rings instead of being completely independent so B-C# and F#-G# trills can be played easier (like a sax or oboe).
This clarinet descends to low Eb which is a semitone lower than standard clarinets which normally descend to low E.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: beckiew
Date: 2012-01-24 11:33
Chris P wrote:
> The main body joint is made in one single piece - most clarinet
> body joints are made in two pieces with a joint at the middle.
>
> The C#/G# key is linked to the right hand rings instead of
> being completely independent so B-C# and F#-G# trills can be
> played easier (like a sax or oboe).
>
> This clarinet descends to low Eb which is a semitone lower than
> standard clarinets which normally descend to low E.
>
Is that unusual? Do people want this sort of clarinet?
I am trying to internet search this clarinet but having no musical knowledge I am completly lost.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-01-24 12:30
It is unusual for clarinets to be built like this nowadays, but there are still some makers that make one piece body clarinets - Luis Rossi clarinets have a one piece body. But most clarinets that are built to low Eb usually have far more keywork:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/download.html?1,2697/selmer%20ct%20r4430%20001.JPG
There are several things on your clarinet that look similar to a Selmer Sterling clarinet I've got, so yours could very likely be made by the same company that made this Selmer Sterling - which is most likely Malerne.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: beckiew
Date: 2012-01-24 18:47
I have spoken to somebody today who knew of the Lewin make. He pointed out that this one has a unique feature of an extendable barrel. He said though that as this one is a low pitch clarinet that really only a collector would want to rehouse this clarinet.
Has anybody any suggestions on which websites to advertise the clarinet or should I just ebay it?
Thankyou all for all your help so far, you have been so informative :-)
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-01-24 19:13
beckiew wrote:
> I have spoken to somebody today who knew of the Lewin make. He
> pointed out that this one has a unique feature of an extendable
> barrel. He said though that as this one is a low pitch clarinet
> that really only a collector would want to rehouse this
> clarinet.
>
> Has anybody any suggestions on which websites to advertise the
> clarinet or should I just ebay it?
>
> Thankyou all for all your help so far, you have been so
> informative :-)
You didn't include a photo of the barrel but I assume you mean that it has a tuneable barral that can have it's length adjusted by turning a collar on it. These were actually a fairly common accessory at one time so I wouldn't call it a unique feature.
I do agree that this instrument would primarily interest collectors. Most players aren't interested in trying out older instruments unless they were made by one of the major brands. You can try posting it in the classifieds on this site and see if anyone is interested. Other than that a site like ebay is your best bet.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-01-24 20:42
If it's low pitch, then it'll be playable with modern instruments so will at least be useable.
High pitch on the other hand is a different matter as they can't be used alongside modern (low pitch) instruments as there's a significant difference in pitch (tuning) between them - modern (low pitch) instruments are tuned to 440Hz whereas high pitch instruments are tuned to 452Hz which is a lot higher.
If you can, assemble and measure the entire length from the top of the barrel to the bottom of the bell - I'll measure some of my clarinets built to low Eb and see if it's within the zone.
Only recently I had a look at an old Selmer metal clarinet which would've been nice had it been low pitch, but as it was high pitch it's only of real interest or value to a collector or museum and high pitch instruments don't hold as much value compared to low pitch instruments no matter how prestigious the name is as they can't be used with modern instruments.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2012-01-24 21:14)
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-01-24 20:50
Chris P wrote:
> If it's low pitch, then it'll be playable with modern
> instruments so will at least be useable.
>
I wonder if this one is old enough that low pitch would be 435Hz (aka "French Pitch"). I have a similar 1-pc full boehm clarinet that is pitched to 435Hz and I believe it dates to the 1920's.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-01-24 21:18
I've got a Selmer Sterling A clarinet which should be the same length, so I'll measure that as well. This one also has the old style thumbrest like the one pictured on here, but the trill guide is machined rather than the pointy flat metal one. The bell ring is wider at the top and also has the same upside-down appearance (it's the right way round as the bell diameter is narrower just below the socket ring compared to the diameter of the lower joint tenon shoulder).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2012-01-24 21:34
Langwill lists a "Lewin Freres" in Paris and says simply "20C. Dealer?" It also lists "Lewin" as a dealer and importer of wind instruments in the 1920s - 1930s. Address "Cambridge Circus, London". I'm guessing the two were related.
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