 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: GoDukes
Date: 2020-10-03 01:14
Hello all!
I'm dusting off my clarinet after 25 years in preparation to rejoin a local community band, and becoming reacquainted with it. The mouthpiece I have is a Russianoff, which I would have bought around 1979 or 1980 as a music major. I don't remember anything about why I chose it, and Google is silent about Russianoff mouthpieces. Does anyone here have any information on these mouthpieces?
Post Edited (2020-10-03 01:49)
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Author: Ed
Date: 2020-10-03 01:58
I recall that like many mouthpieces, they were made from Babbitt blanks. Leon was not an "equipment guy", so I don't know if he had any real input into design or details. I don't recall them having any hand work or anything special done to them. See how it works for you now and if you like it, play it. If not, there are a ridiculous number of mouthpieces out there to choose from these days.
Post Edited (2020-10-03 02:09)
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2020-10-03 03:59
I remember that Russianoff did know David Hite and often recommended Hite's mouthpieces, which also were usually made from Babbitt blanks. Russianoff's mouthpieces never seemed very popular, even among his own students. I dimly recall that they had a fairly open facing for the time, rather like a Vandoren B45. Every now and then one appears on the famous internet auction site, but with even less frequency than Kal Opperman's.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2020-10-03 16:30
I was studying with Russianoff, who was famous to giving his students his "bag of mouthpieces" to try. He owned the Banner Music Store at the time so he sold and stocked lots clarinet equipment for sale. In the three years I studied with him I probably changed mouthpieces 4-5 times and he asked me to try the one he had his name on. After about two minutes he said, no it's not for you. To my knowledge he had some company make it for him and none of his students that I knew played it, not even himself. As a matter of fact he sold me the MP he was using at the time in my senior year, A Wells 2, because the one I was using for several months that I bought from a Blayman student dropped and broke the day of an orchestra concert. Knowing he was playing one I called him and asked if could borrow it for the concert. He liked the way I sounded so he sold it to me.
I agree with Ed above, if you like it play it.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: ruben
Date: 2020-10-03 17:23
Ed Palanker, totally off the subject, but here goes anyway: what was Russianoff like as a player?
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-10-03 18:09
I recall him telling a self effacing story of himself starting out ready to take on the world with his stunning interpretations of cadenzas only to realize that he couldn't play the steady Beethoven Eighth second mvt to save his life. Even if his playing was not world class (and that would be for others to comment on) his teaching made up for it in spades.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2020-10-04 16:45
Ruben, I Never really heard Russianoff play other than a few notes here and there when he showed me something but never played much at our lessons. I never even heard anyone speak about how he played when he was a performer in his earlier days. Sorry, just don't know.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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