 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-02-01 17:00
Most orchestral writing for clarinets rarely ever has anything lower than low E, so a basset clarinet's lowest notes are pretty redundant by normal orchestral repertoire standards.
It's more of a specialist soloist instrument designed to fit the requirements of the Mozart concerto and his clarinet quintet as that uses the extended downward range.
Maybe some more recent pieces have been written specially for its extended range as there has to be something else out there for it other than the two Mozart works, just as Richard Strauss wrote for its bigger brother, the basset horn (in F) in several of his works as did Mendelssohn before him to save it from being mentioned only in scores and revive both interest and manufacture of the instrument (similarly with the oboe d'amore which gained interest in performance after over a 100 years of disuse after Bach and Telemann had written for it, thanks again to Mendelssohn's Bach revival and interest in using the correct instruments for the performance of his works).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: ThatPerfectReed
Date: 2014-02-01 22:10
But just for giggles...there would be no problem per se if a clarinet player packed a Basset A versus a regular A clarinet is his case, (in addition of course to her/his Bb) correct?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-02-01 22:33
It wouldn't cause any problems in terms of playing any music written for an A clarinet, but it could cause the player problems over time if the weight of the instrument becomes an issue in that they haven't got a floor spike fitted or wear a sling to support it and take the weight off the right thumb and forearm.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2014-02-01 20:08
Why would you want to lug around a basset clarinet for use in a repertoire that doen't call for it?
There is of course also the aspect of extra weight and having to swop constantly beteen the Bb and A - where are you going to park the bassett?
When looking for that "concert quality" clarinet where are you going to find a good selection of bassetts to compare?
Finally there is a subtly difference in tone quality between the A and the bassett A brought about by that extra tubing and this probably isn't always desirable in an orchestral setting where you want the Bb a A to be reasonably matched.
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Author: 42cheese
Date: 2014-02-02 05:31
So, let me get this straight. . . Basset clarinets aren't available on the market basically because of lack of demand??? And that lack of demand is because of the classical mentality that "there's almost no written music for it, so it's not very useful"?????? This makes me want to compose a whole bunch of music for basset clarinet just to increase demand!!!
Why on earth would anyone make or use clarinets that go to low E when clarinets that go all the way to low C and are apparently better in tune could be made and used (and written for) instead? As an improvisationalist, my feeling is that the larger the range (basset) and the greater the playability (a few extra keys, like LH Ab/Eb, etc.) without stretching it to extremes, the better the instrument.
I wear a neckstrap anyway, and so should all clarinetists! I don't know what issue anyone else has with neckstraps, but my thumb just plain hurts when I don't use one.
---Sean
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Author: larryb
Date: 2014-02-02 03:30
As a little side note anecdote, I recently attended a concert in which Wolfgang Meyer played basset clarinet to accompany Magdalena Kozena on Mozart's "Parto, Parto" and for an encore he used the same clarinet to play M's "Voi che sapete," which doesn't require the basset notes.
Oh, and it was a Bb basset clarinet.
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2014-02-02 19:44
Alan Hacker (1938-2012), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Hacker, made a fairly determined effort to rehabilitate the basset clarinet in both Bb and A. For some time he played exclusively in the modern repertoire on a pair of E.J.Albert Boehm instruments 'bassetised' by Edward Planas.
He wasn't at the time working in orchestras, though.
There are several works by Peter Maxwell Davies and Harrison Birtwistle, the directors of groups (Pierrot Players, Fires of London, Matrix) of which he was a founder member, written specifically for the basset clarinet. Alan hoped that it would catch on and become the standard instrument, thus placing the Mozart concerto 'back where it belonged' -- but that didn't really happen.
Still, most people now play the Mozart concerto on the instrument for which it was written, thanks in very great part to his efforts.
Tony
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-02-02 20:08
The problem with slings (neckstraps to those of you on the other side of the pond) is they don't take all the weight off your right arm and also don't help with posture. You still have to use your right thumb to hold the instrument up. They work best on straight bodied woodwind instruments with a curved crook (necks on single reeds, bocals on double reeds) such as a soprano sax with a curved crook, alto clarinet and cor anglais.
Slings work best on saxes and bassoons due to their compact shape and the right hand isn't having to support the weight of the instrument while playing - your right thumb is really only helping locate your right hand and provide the opposing force for your right hand fingers (on bassoons you need your right thumb to be completely free to operate the four or five touches it has - the handrest allows this on German style bassoons).
Unfortunately the Quodlibet Fhred is no longer being made as the company has gone under, but these in my opinion were far more beneficial than slings as they took the entire weight of the instrument off the right thumb and arm, allowed good posture and while they're a telescopic support they still allowed the player to move whilst playing.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Grabnerwg
Date: 2014-02-02 21:26
I would love to have a Basset A (and a Bb too). Unfortunately, they are almost twice as expensive as their normal low E counterparts.
Walter Grabner
www.clarinetxpress.com
See you at TMEA Convention!
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Author: larryb
Date: 2014-02-02 22:01
Charlie Neidich plays a modern reconstruction of Stadler's basset clarinet (form based on a drawing of Stadler's clarinet, keywork is modern boehm):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8664407@N02/10765259906/
Made by Schwenk and Seggelke
Post Edited (2014-02-02 22:02)
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2014-02-02 17:38
But Walter: if you were serious about your love, you'd do what it took to have them, no? After all, string players pay very much more for instruments.
I suggest that in your decision, you're factoring in your consideration of the limited number of occasions that you'd have TO USE THEM POTENTLY. That is, the number of occasions where it would make a difference for you to have those extra notes.
(Hi, by the way:-)
Tony
Post Edited (2014-02-03 00:05)
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Author: 42cheese
Date: 2014-02-03 02:13
@ Chris P: You're right, the neckstrap doesn't make the clarinet magically float. What it does is take the downward weight off the thumb so all the thumb needs to do is push forward. That way the thumb only has to do what it's made for, rather than get mashed downward in a direction it's not meant to bend. You see what I mean?
So, here's the plan: 25,000 hours of practice and composition, and someday I will have the funds and influence to have custom Bb and A basset clarinets made for myself, inspire young clarinetists with their sound, and convince a major clarinet maker or two to make affordable basset clarinets once the demand is high enough! Low E clarinets will be a thing of the past! Okay, better continue practicing now. . .
---Sean
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Author: cearnsh
Date: 2014-02-03 12:10
The basset clarinet is not only significantly heavier than an ordinary A but also balances very differently. All the extra weight is at the bottom, so supporting it with just a neck strap means that it's constantly trying to pivot up and out of your mouth. There's a lot of extra force on the right thumb - which also has to operate some of the extended range keys. When I performed K.622 I had an additional support to the abdomen; used in conjunction with a bassoon harness the instrument could float 'hands off' in playing position. Brilliant for performing a concerto, but there's no way I would consider using it instead of a conventional clarinet in an orchestral setting.
You can always avoid the 'bell notes' problem by using low Eb full-Boehm instruments...
Chris
Chris
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Author: ebonite
Date: 2014-02-03 17:10
I have a question for people who are familiar with basset clarinets. What type of flare (if any) do Boehm system basset clarinets have in the bore of the lower joint?
I would guess that the basset notes would sound weak if the bore is too wide in the lower part of the joint, which would suggest that a flare above that point would be a bad idea. On the other hand, the flare in the Boehm system lower joint is designed to reduce the twelfths around E/B and F/C, so if the bore of a basset clarinet is basically cylindrical at that point, how do makers keep the 12ths in tune?
Patrick
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2014-02-03 18:17
I've several times played a basset A in the orchestra. The way I do it is to cross my legs at the ankle, and rest the bell there. (I do the same with basset Bb in Parto, parto.)
Usually I do it because the Mozart concerto is also on the programme, and it seems silly to confuse myself by playing two different A clarinets. A little anecdote about one such occasion is here:
http://test.woodwind.org/Databases/lookup.php/Klarinet/1998/12/000308.txt
...after a couple of paragraphs about whether or not to use a C clarinet in the Schubert octet.
Tony
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The Clarinet Pages
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![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
![[E3]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/e3.gif)
and ![[F3]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/f3.gif)
pitched better, as the longer lower joint for notes down to ![[C3]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/c3.gif)
provides space for proper hole place for the 