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Re: Why transposing instruments?

Author: Matt74
Date: 2017-12-12 02:08

I don’t know much about historical clarinets.

Recorders were commonly made in C, F, and G (not transposing). Modern alto flutes are in G (transposing). During the 19th c they made flutes and picolos in a number of different keys for band music. Anthony Baines lists all of them. The English horn is in F (transposing), and the oboe d’amore was in A. (I had to look most of that up.)

The need for recorders in different keys cane from playing in consorts, like other renaissance instruments. They were imitating voices in choirs, so they were separated by 4ths or 5ths.

Recorders play very well chromatically, I assume classical flutes are the same. Baroque and classical flute music is in all keys.

Clarinets are more closely spaced - A, Bb, C, D, Eb. It may be that because clarinets overblow at a 12th, and have intrinsically bad intonation, that accidentals were much harder to manage than on flutes or double reeds. Maybe you could make a good chromatic flute or chalumeau, but not a clarinet. So, maybe that’s why you had clarinets spaced a whole tone or semitone apart, rather than in fourths.

This is the most convincing thing I’ve heard regarding clarinets sounding like trumpets. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4jlaiqZk5kU The pitch of the clarinet must have been important.

- Matthew Simington

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2017-12-15 00:45

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2017-12-16 15:39

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2017-12-16 08:34

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2017-12-16 19:47

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2017-12-17 00:41

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2017-12-17 03:14

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2017-12-22 02:17

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2017-12-22 07:59

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2017-12-23 08:40

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2017-12-25 01:31

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