 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: earl thomas
Date: 2002-07-26 03:11
I would appreciate knowing more about the Hans Fritz Wurlitzer "Reformed Boehm System"
clarinet. I think they are (were) originally manufactured in what was then "East Germany".
I've heard that they are truly magnificent instruments played in the Netherlands and in the LA Philharmonic and probably many other places. If anyone has any information on them or knows of a web-site where information may be found, I'd appreciate your contacting me either here on the bulletin board or at my email address.
Many Thanks!
E.T.
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Author: David
Date: 2002-07-26 03:57
Earl--
These instruments are not the standard in the LA Philharmonic. Michelle Zukovsky (co-principal)uses Oehler (German)system Wurlitzer instruments.
David S. Naden
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Author: Brandon
Date: 2002-07-26 05:16
The reformed Boehm Wurlitzer clarinet is played I believe by Lorin Levee in the LA Phil. I know that George Pieterson of the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam plays on one of these. Stephen Bates in Washington DC plays on this clarinet also. A guy I know of outside Baltimore, Charles Stier, is familiar with these clarinets. His website is:
http://www.cherryvalleymusic.com/charles/wurlitzer.htm
Hope this helps some. I have played on these reformed Boehm clarinets and I truly believe they are quite impressive. If I had about 8 or 9 grand I would buy a set!
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-07-26 14:53
In "Clarinet" by Jack Brymer, pg 154, he makes brief mention of the Reform Boehm and on pgs 50+, also the "Double Boehm". I recall others having discussed these German variants further and will post what add'l. info I find. Lawson on pg 29, lists bore dimensions, incl. Ref. Boehm [of 1950] as 14.65/14.7 mm [small ?? compared to my 15.0 Selmers!]. Luck Don
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Author: larry
Date: 2002-07-26 15:45
I believe Joseph Rabbai, NY Metropolitan Opera, plays Wurlitzer Reform Boehm instruments.
Wurlitzer has a web site somewhere (check the retail section here)
Jimmy Yan in New York City (also listed in the retail section) sells and repairs Wurlitzers.
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Author: Jim Lytthans
Date: 2002-07-26 15:48
I recently returned from attending the ICA ClarinetFest in Stockholm. Bernt Wurlitzer was there as an exhibitor with several of the Herbert Wurlitzer clarinets, including a set of Reform Boehms. They are absolutely spectacular instruments to play! Just the right amount of resistance, for me at least, with good balance and intonation throughout. The workmanship is, of course, first-rate. Each instrument is totally hand made, hence the nearly $5000 each price for the Artiste model, plus $650 for the double case.
Howart was there also, with gobs of the new S1 and S2 clarinets. Very impressive instruments IMHO!
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-07-26 17:01
Are there others? Also, shouldn't we delete the "past-tense" reformED?? As an oldster, I prefer to advocate further development of our great instrument. Don
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-07-26 21:18
I play in a mixed clarinet choir with the aforementioned Stephen Bates (who does indeed play Wurlitzer Reform Boehm bass clarinet and I believe basset horn as well, as does our leader, Michael Kelly) ---- I haven't had a chance to play the horns yet but they do sound good in the hands of their owners, and they are beautifully-constructed instruments for sure.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-07-28 23:18
I have been hoping that we might be favored by a "critical" discussion of the Reform Boehm, pros and cons, by owners thereof. Their very high cost [2 X +] prob. makes this into a "museum-research" project, for such we should inquire/request. What I have been able to discover [so far, from Brymer] is a combination of French [Klose +] facility-keying design with German [Oehler +] acoustic-tone hole location-design to perhaps produce the very best clarinet [at this time]. The future is wide open!! Others, please help!! Don
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Author: hans de nijs
Date: 2002-07-29 07:32
There is so much to say about the history of the Wurlitzer family and the reform-boehm system, which starts about 1905 by the work of Ernst Schmidt and the instrumentmaker Louis Kolbe at Altenburg, Germany/Sachsen. These instruments were further developed by Fritz Wurlitzer before World War II at Erlbach/Eastern Germany. The reform-boehm system was mainly asked by the professional Dutch clarinettists and a few hundreds are made (total output during his very long active period (1935-1976) only 2725 (!) instruments, mainly in Oehler and Schmidt-Kolbe system from E-flat till bass clarinet. These instruments indeed are very expensive, but are nearly perfect in technical design, hand forged mechanism, tuning and tone quality. I'm playing on Fritz Wurlitzer reform-Boehm cl from 1964, which are still in a very very good state.
His son Herbert Wurlitzer moved in 1959 from Erlbach to West Germany (Bubenreuth and later Neustadt/Aisch) and was even more famous. He continued the making of Oehler and Reform-Boehm instruments. After his death in 1989 the firm is continued by Bernt Wurlitzer. Aspecially the instruments of father Fritz and son Herbert made till 1989 are still widely asked as second hand instruments. At this moment the "Wurlitzer" reform boehm instruments are also made by other small makers at Germany (eg Leitner&Kraus at Neustadt /Aisch).
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-07-29 13:53
Thank you very much, Hans, your commentary is what I was hoping for. Can you and/or others discuss some of the improvements beyond the "usual" Oehler clarinets, please? Is there a parallel with the additional keying from our usual French-designed 17/6 clarinet to our Full Boehm models, with which I [and others] may be more familiar? Again, many thanks! Don
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