 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Sally Gardens
Date: 2002-03-06 12:28
Has anyone heard of a soprano clarinet having a low Eb key, a la the bass? Check this out:
<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=850000384">http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=850000384</a>
It's an older instrument, so my thought is that once upon a time someone thought it would be a good idea to set up Bb clarinets to be capable of playing music for clarinet in A, just as the Bb bass had the Eb key added so music for bass clarinet in A could be played on the same instrument. Maybe those of you who are wise in the ways of the history of clarinet makes and models could shed some light on this?
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Author: A David Peacham
Date: 2002-03-06 12:59
If you look closely you'll see that the left-hand keywork is odd as well. I think it's a full Boehm.
As you surmise, low Eb is there so that you can play A parts. It's not that unusual. It also gives you the same lowest note as an alto sax. AFAIK, A clarinets rarely have a low Eb, which is a bit of a shame because it'd be nice and tidy to get down to concert C rather than C#.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-03-06 16:11
Sally -
The instrument is a "full Boehm" clarinet, with all the extra keys, including a left-hand fork Eb/Bb (with a ring for the left ring finger and "doughnut" key for the left middle finger), an articulated C#/G# and a G#/Eb lever for the left little finger, as well as an extension to low Eb, operated by an additional key on the lower stack of the right little finger keys.
Almost all makers provide this model, and it's used (or was used) by many players in Italy. I've read that Italian players used a full Boehm Bb for everything, transposing all A clarinet parts. I'm not sure that's common any more. Certainly, today very few U.S. players use full Boehm instruments, and every orchestral player has an A clarinet.
On the other hand, bass clarinets in A are extremely rare, and since Wagner wrote almost exclusively for bass in A, every bass has a low Eb.
Old clarinets are always a gamble. I wouldn't buy one off eBay without a written agreement that I could return it if I didn't like it.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2002-03-06 17:41
It also appears to have a one piece body making it fairly unusual. A one piece (except for bell, barrel, and mpc.) full boehm that's in decent condition would make a nice collector's item and maybe a good working horn too. Definitely an interesting horn.
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Author: David Pegel
Date: 2002-03-07 00:38
It seems to have all the bells and whistles. I wouldn't mind having it for it's own sake. A clarinet like that, if playable, needs a good home.
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Author: Sally Gardens
Date: 2002-03-07 01:19
Well, now I feel like a dork. ;-) Not because of any of you, but because I didn't know a full Boehm system had an extended range to low Eb. I thought it just had extra keys for additional chromatic fingerings. (I did notice the additional left hand keys, as well as the one-piece body.) One thing the extended range would be good for is in a chamber ensemble of Bb and bass clarinets; if they're playing in, say, written Eb or Ab, they'd be able to take advantage of the parallel range.
Anyway, thanks for all of your answers. I doubt I'll have the money to bid on this, but it does give me something to think about. ;-)
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2002-03-07 03:31
Sally Gardens wrote:
>
> Well, now I feel like a dork. ;-) Not because of any of
> you, but because I didn't know a full Boehm system had an
> extended range to low Eb.
Don't feel like a dork - plenty of people go their whole lifetime without every spying one ;^)
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2002-03-07 05:12
One advantage of a one-piece body is that the C#/G# hole can be put in the correct place without compromise. In many Clarinets with articulated C#/G# there's a hole through the center tenon for it, which surely is not the best construction mechanically.
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