 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Cindy Mahoney
Date: 2002-06-19 05:06
I picked up an old clarinet made in Paris by R. Malerna? I would like to find out more about this instrument and its age and value. I have been told that it was probably made around the 1920's - 30's and that this only made clarinets. Any information would be helpful.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: graham
Date: 2002-06-19 07:34
Sounds like Malerne rather than Malerna. If so I know that the company also made Cor Anglais. Once played a Malerne on approval. It wasn't "for me" but it was a good instrument nonetheless.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-06-19 13:32
Search the Sneezy (oops, I mean Woodwind) archives under "Malerne" --- we've talked about these quite a bit on this BB.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2002-06-19 14:28
Also search the Klarinet archives:
http://www.woodwind.org/Databases/LogsIndex/index.html
on "Malerne" without the quotes.
I think the company might date back as far as the 20's or 30's. Perhaps Mark C. will post info from the Langwell Index. I know it was still making clarinets in 1972 and think it may have operated until around 1974. The factory was eventually sold to S.M.L.
Best regards,
jnk
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Cindy Mahoney
Date: 2002-06-20 04:21
Thank you for the information. I could not read the last letter on the horn. Most of the info in the archieves was on the bass, do you know anything about their Bb's?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Cindy Mahoney
Date: 2002-06-20 04:23
Thank you for the information. I could not read the last letter on the horn. Most of the info in the archieves was on the bass, do you know anything about their Bb's?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-06-20 13:52
Most of the Malerne soprano clarinets you're likely to see are their student/intermediate model (the "Standard") which were wood up until (I'm guessing) maybe the early 60's and then were hard rubber or plastic (I'm not sure here), or their "Professional" model (which seems to me nearly identical to the "Standard" except possibly for having metal tenon caps and maybe a bit more tonehole undercutting). They're not great clarinets, but are rather consistent and generally good to very good in feel and playing qualities, IMHO.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: tim k
Date: 2002-06-20 15:23
I know it's dangerous to generalize on a sample of two clarinets, but as a former Malerne Standard and current Malerne Professional owner, it seems to me the wood is more fine-grained and dense on the Professional. Everything else except the tenon caps seems more or less the same. Of these two specific clarinets, the tone of the Professional is appreciably more to my liking. Or maybe it's a matter of expectations.
By the way, Mr. Spiegelthal, what mouthpieces have you found best suited to the Marlerne sopranos?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2002-06-20 16:50
Here is some information from two messages I posted to the Klarinet list a couple of years ago (and e-mail responses to questions the messages solicited). I don't think I've put this on the bulletin board, however, and it may fill in a few gaps. In addition to clarinets and english horns, it should come as no surprise that Malerne also made oboes. I have seen a couple on eBay over the years, one (if memory serves) was a Boehm model.
My first wooden clarinet was a new Malerne Bb ("Professional"). My parents surprised me with it for Christmas in 1955. I think they got it from the Sears catalog. In those days, Sears sold just about everything. I also own a Malerne/Linton eefer. (Jack Linton, the current president of Linton Woodwinds, identified and dated it for me. According to him, all of Linton's wood clarinets were stencils.) I bought it used a couple of years ago as a back up instrument. I take it with me on trips where I might want a clarinet to noodle around on. Absent definitive information from Langwell's, my guess would be that Malerne dates back at least to the 30's or 40's, maybe earlier.
The company's factory was located in the "woodwind district" outside Paris close to the Buffet and Selmer factories. Again, according to Jack Linton, moonlighting was common in that era and district so Malerne likely had more than a little work done by the same craftsmen who were turning out Buffet and Selmer instruments and design innovations had a way of migrating. After Buffet, Selmer and Leblanc, Malerne was one of the largest and longst-lived French
manufacturers. Renault built a factory in this area which siphoned off much of the area's skilled labor. This probably helped account for the demise of many of the smaller manufacturers. While Malerne survived the Renault factory, he was unable to interest any of his children (or anyone else) in becoming an apprentice so the factory closed and was sold to SML
(Strasser, Marigaux and Lemaire) in (as I recall from an old article on SML) 1975. My Malerne/Linton eefer was made in 1972, BTW.
For some time before and after my Bb was made, Malerne had three lines of Bb soprano clarinet, the "Professional" (4 stars), the "Intermediate" (3 stars) and the "Standard" (no-stars, student model). While Malernes arguably never achieved the quality (and certainly did not achieve the reputation) of Buffets, Selmers or Leblancs in France, my "Professional" Malerne Bb and my Malerne/Linton eefer are both well-built instruments with good wood and sound keywork. They play fine for me and have stood up well over time. IMO, my Bb compares favorably with the older Buffet E11 and Noblet Model 45 that I own. Also IMO, in terms of "fit and finish," it is far superior to the Selmer CL200 I recently repaired for a friend. Malernes also generally represent good value because they sell at off-brand prices. Bb's tend to go for $50 - $80 on eBay. I played mine for 10 years before I finally succumbed to the lure of the R13. Then I used it as my backup for many years. When my daughter was ready to start clarinet lessons, she used it, studying with a clarinetist in the St. Louis Symphony. This teacher
remarked on more than one occasion how amazed she was at its good quality. Malerne was well-respected in his day. In addition to manufacturing instruments under his own label, he also manufactured "stencil" instruments for Olds, Conn and Linton (and possibly others).
Tim,
I'm afraid I can't help you much with the mouthpiece (which is such an individual decision anyway). I bought a Hite Premier for my daughter to use and it worked fine for her. I played it with the Hite and also thought it played well. If you search the Klarinet archives on "Drucker and Malerne" without the quotes, you will find a couple of interesting posts both of which mention that Stanley Drucker has an old Malerne stock mouthpiece that he thinks very highly of. When I originally read these, I went looking for my old Malerne mouthpieces. (I had two for my Bb. The first one they sent was slightly chipped so they sent another.) Alas, they were
apparently lost many years ago when my parents moved from the house I grew up
in. An old Malerne mouthpiece turned up on eBay awhile back with markings that suggested that its blank might have been made by Chedeville. Maybe that's why Drucker liked it.
Best regards,
jnk
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-06-20 17:48
tim k,
First of all, "Mr. Spiegelthal" was my Dad, you can call me Dave (ba dum bum!)
More importantly, a Malerne clarinet is just like any standard-bore clarinet, any good mouthpiece should work with it. Most pro players would consider having a great mouthpiece to be more important than having a great clarinet, so you might consider getting such a mouthpiece first, possibly from some of our fine contributors/sponsors such as Clark Fobes, Greg Smith, Walter Grabner, etc. With a really good mouthpiece you should be able to play circles around any poor misguided soul playing that fancy R-13 Prestige with that nasty stock Vandoren mouthpiece.......
[standing by for flames from Buffet and Vandoren fans.........]
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Vytas
Date: 2002-06-20 18:16
Ease David! I play Vandoren B45 and relay like it a lot. I own Walter Grabner’s cocus mp, several Chedeville mouthpieces. E&S/Chedeville, European custom made (chedeville blank) mouthpiece. All these are fine mouthpieces but my B45 is the mouthpiece I choose as #1. It’s weird!....V
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Vytas
Date: 2002-06-20 20:14
I meant *%#@!*&^%@^# EASY DAVID!!!!!!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-06-21 17:07
Ah, the joy I get from raising the hackles of the aficionados of this or that product! Peace, Vytas, I was just kidding ---- one can find fine-playing examples of any stock mouthpiece, if one tries enough samples ----- the main difference is that with, say, a Greg Smith mouthpiece nearly every one will play well, whereas with (for example) mass-produced machine-faced mouthpieces such as Vandorens or Selmers one may have to try 20 or more mouthpieces (even with allegedly identical facings) to find that one good mouthpiece.
Okay, back to everyone's favorite subject: What ligature should I use???????????
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Vytas
Date: 2002-06-21 20:48
David,
No doubt - a shoestring. But I’m too lazy and use Rovner’s dark...V
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-06-22 21:08
What Rov's I use, I "reverse" and use like a "dark?" Bonade, is this heresy?? Don
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
