 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: snowjacks
Date: 1999-04-18 01:38
Has anyone ever heard of a baritone clarinet, pitched midway between a bass and an alto clarinet? It uses the Boehm fingering system.
It looks like an alto, but appears to be a little longer. Anyone know what key it might be (obviously not B-flat or E-flat)? I've only seen pictures, haven't had an opportunity to play it yet.
Alternately, could this be an alto or bass version of an "A" clarinet?!
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Author: SeAn
Date: 1999-04-18 01:41
could it be a basset horn or a basset clarinet you r talking about?
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Author: Fred McKenzie
Date: 1999-04-18 02:13
snowjacks wrote:
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It looks like an alto, but appears to be a little longer. Anyone know what key it might be (obviously not B-flat or E-flat)? I've only seen pictures, haven't had an opportunity to play it yet.
SJ-
What you describe might be an Alto Clarinet in C, pitched an octave below the (rare) C Soprano. I don't know if any were ever made. I'd be interested in knowing where you saw it.
There is a Basset Horn pitched in F, nearly identical to the Alto Clarinet, but slightly shorter.
Yes, I understand there were a few Bass Clarinets made in A, but that would be slightly longer than the Bass Clarinet.
Going a little further, there is another Eb instrument below the Bass, called EEb Contra Alto (Contralto) or Contra Bass, that lies between the Bass and BBb Contra Bass.
Fred
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Author: snowjacks
Date: 1999-04-18 02:24
Your suggestion about a basset horn could be right on target. Evidence pointing in this direction includes a quite elaborate double register key mechanism. However, the low E-flat key is not present.
I bought the instrument today on E-bay. It was advertised as a Pedler Baritone clarinet, and I was intrigued enough to pay $265 because I own a nice '30s vintage Pedler B-flat Bass plus a Pedler B-flat soprano, both in grenadilla and both in nice shape. (Don't worry - my real clarinets are Buffets)
You can see a picture of the instrument on www.ebay.com by searching under "baritone clarinet" and hitting "search completed auctions".
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Author: jim lande (lande @ erols.com)
Date: 1999-04-18 04:56
I assumed that the seller simply didn't know what it was.
If it turns out to be something other than in Eb, please
post details.
I also have two Pedlars, one a metal Alto. That thing
has the most complicated key arrangements. I could get
the pads to seat but I couldn't get the adjustment right,
so I took it to a pro. I wonder how long it will stay in
adjustment once I get it back.
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Author: snowjacks
Date: 1999-04-18 11:29
I believe it is quite likely something other than a plain alto. There are TWO barrel extensions above the normal main section with their own tone holes and register holes, and there are extra tone holes on the main section, extra keys, and a complex register key mechanism. The overall length appears to my eye to be too long to be an alto or to be pitched in E-flat. Last night I found several archived references to basset horns being altos with "extensions" above the main sections, and that seems consistent with this instrument.
But hey, if it's just an alto, I won't shed any tears. One can never have too many altos. I'll know the key in short order once UPS gets here.
That metal alto of yours sound neat - it must have a very unique voice. Like your altos, my Pedler Bass clarinet is quite difficult to keep adjusted, but when it is in perfect adjustment the sound is truly wonderful. My Pedler Bass is also one of the few I've played that will maintain tone in the altissimo register. The best hint I can offer in keeping a Pedler Bass in adjustment is to have a one-piece case custom made (the Pedlers are about 1" too long for any commercial case) and have the center joint cork made on the heavy side. Then put it together as a one piece and keep it that way; perhaps the same would work for your altos.
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Author: TANKERD
Date: 1999-04-19 01:53
Post by KNVLB104-02.splitrock.net deleted by Webmaster and the ISP notified.
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Author: Arnold the basset hornist
Date: 1999-04-19 06:42
The idiom "baritone clarinet" (German "Baritonklarinette") was a rare used naming for the basset horn (according to a book of Mr. Saam talking about basset horns). I remember there was an ebay auction of a so called 'baritone clarinet' which simply was a bass clarinet.
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Author: Arnold the basset hornist
Date: 1999-04-20 06:48
I viewed the picture, here what I've seen:
- simple bendt neck without speaker hole: typical for alto clarinets and basset horns
- keyed hole at the bell: low Eb operated by thumb key
- additional rings at upper section: cannot be seperate joints (or how would an axis run between two posts mounted on different joints?)
- automatic Bb/speaker key, switched by A key (but the Bb hole is quite far up): typical for basset horns, sometimes up to soprano clarinets
- socket for lyre (german "Marschgabel"): typical for altos, untypical for basset horns
- not reaching low C: typical for alto clarinets, but a few basset horns do not reach low C, too.
-----------------------------------------------
most hits: alto clarinet
Do not forget to mearuse the bore diameter and the outside diameter of the wooden joints (later to define the wall thickness).
Arnold, the basset hornist
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Author: snowjacks
Date: 1999-04-22 22:38
Arnold wins the prize for correct ID. The Pedler arrived today and one quick scale with the tuner showed that it is definitely the plain old E-flat alto.
A good surprise came in checking the serial number - only 50 numbers different than my Pedler bass clarinet, and probably built in the same year back in the 1930's.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 1999-04-23 15:34
Hi Snowjacks - Lets compare serial no's. My old Ped bass cl is W 13947, is large [for my none-too-large hands], but has a double register key activated from 3rd finger right hand. It is hard for me to play it,is my antique [also guess it to be from the 1930's]. Don
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Author: snowjacks
Date: 1999-04-23 21:22
Mine is considerably older - serial number W2951. However, it's definitely large, too large to fit a standard case, and my double register key also activates off the lower G/middle D key just like yours.
I would guess that yours is from the late 30's.
Mine only goes to low e-flat. Is your the same?
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Author: jim lande (lande @ erols.com)
Date: 1999-04-24 03:46
My alto is Serial #44798 and has only the single regiser key. Two eBay sellers provided the following. Pedlar Clarinet #19xxx was used in high school in 1932. Pedlar E35xx was new in 1930 or 1931. Based on this rather sketchy info, I would guess that the 13xxx instruments are from the early 1930s, while mine is from the mid or late 1930s or perhaps 1940s.
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Author: snowjacks
Date: 1999-04-24 08:25
I was pleasantly surprised to receive an e-mail the other day from Karen Pedler, whose father and grandfather owned and operated the Pedler Company. She collects Pedler Woodwinds and memorabilia. I'll write her asking if she has any method to decode and date the serial numbers, and I'll post if I get a response.
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