 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Barrie Marshall
Date: 2002-08-19 23:28
I have just purchased a Metal Clarinet, and I am wondering if anyone knows anything about it, the information on the bell is as follows.
French Sterling Make
British Agent Selmer, London
Made In France
Serial Number 4300
I have had it for almost four weeks and I am using it on Gigs(jazz) it is easy to blow. is very much in tune and the high notes are extremely easy to achieve, I can do double octave jumps and the tuning is spot on, considering what some people say against metal clarinets, perhaps I am just lucky enough to have found a good one, and of course it is a great conversation piece as some people in the audience ask me what it is.
Any information on it would be much appreciated.
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Author: JackOrion
Date: 2002-08-20 01:05
Right on!! Sorry I don't know much about your horn as I'm new to the metal clarinets myself. I have been doing some research though and have found a couple sites that claim metal is easier to work with then wood and therefor can be made to be a superior horn. I also found info about the material, German silver was considered the ideal metal with the best tone qualities. For a short time, the metal clarinet was all the rage and most makers were producing them.
I was just now checking out pics of an Italian Rosi metal clarinet!
Who knows why the metal clarinet fell to the way side, the market is very trendy so when BG and AS were playing black wood clarinets companies went that way? Or a shortage of metal?
I was shocked when I found a picture of the great Ed Hall playing an Albert system Pedler metal horn as well as Lester Young playing a Silver King. It was reported that Ed Hall put down his Pedler because of the weight.
BTW, did I read right that Boosey Hawkes even had a silver clarinet or was I just dreaming that one.
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Author: Barrie Marshall
Date: 2002-08-20 02:17
I am pleasently surprised to find that one of my favourite clarinet players, Ed Hall played a metal clarinet, I knew that Lester young did, also George Lewis of New Orleans played a Pedlar Albert System for many years, as far as weight is concerned, I feel that mine is either the same weight or lighter, the Ed Hall information is good as a fellow clarinet player is trying to be a Ed Hall clone and he rubbishes metal clarinets, I just cant wait to tell him!
Thanks
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Author: Willie
Date: 2002-08-20 03:19
Glad to hear you found a good one. Mot familiar with that brand though. Some of the lesser grades can surprise you too! My old Elkhart plays very much in tune and has a nice tone. Wish I could say the same for my Holton and Olds.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2002-08-20 04:46
Well, Barrie, Selmer used to consistently make very good instruments - period
I know Ed and George played Albert system instruments, don't know about Lester Young. What kind is yours? Not that it matters, just curious.
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Author: JackOrion
Date: 2002-08-20 06:14
Ooops, sorry Barrie it was George Lewis I was thinking of. But hey he was great too!! I have a post up titled Clarinet pics, there is a link to a site where you can view a few metal clarinets as well as the Orsi.
Sorry about that, you'll just have to let your friend play your Selmer.
BTW there was a Hawkes metal clarinet called the "XX Century" production continued when they meged with Boosey.
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Author: Barrie Marshall
Date: 2002-08-20 07:18
Mine is a 2 piece Metal Boehm clarinet, this is good because I have a gig bag I can put it in, I would like to find an Albert System metal clarinet as I also play the old system, I own a 'C' and an 'Eb' Albert, I play the Eb in a New Oleans Marching Band and the the 'C' in blues and folk bands, I played an E.J. Albert for many years, gorgeous tone but sadly sharp the at the top end, my wooden instrument is a Bb Selmer Centred Tone, but I do like this metal one.
Just for the sake of interest Joe Darensburg who played clarinet for Kid Ory played both systems,. I have seen photographs of him playing both (not at the same time!!).
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Author: Chris
Date: 2002-08-20 15:05
I recently visited the Shrine to the Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota, and learned a few things about metal clarinets to supplement a few other things I "had heard" while working in instrument repair. . .
The Museum had a large display cabinet on C.G. Conn. The information was mostly from the early part of the last century. There were several metal clarinets on display. (The Museum only shows a small portion of their entire collection, which is in storage and inaccessible to anyone not pursuing a research project.) Conn, among other manufacturers, produced a double metal wall clarinet, which was part of his "Wonder" model line of musical instruments. In this cabinet I'm referring to, there are two such instruments, metal Albert-system B-flat and E-flat clarinets, c. 1896, both with silver bodies and gold plated keys; the mouthpieces were hardrubber, with standard metal ligatures.
The display showed a solo piece written to honor the release of this instrument. Arthur A. Clappe composed "The Wonder" Caprice for Solo Clarinet, which was 'Dedicated to C. G. Conn, Esq. in recognition of his achievements in the manufacture of Metal Clarinets.' The work is for B-flat clarinet and piano.
One hundred years ago was at an interesting time for this to have been developed. By this point, the clarinet was over 100 years old, and much of the major experimenting with instrument design had taken place (where do we drill the holes, how large should the bore be). And with the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing processes were really booming, so taking all that was known, yet for Conn and others to produce an instrument in the last dozen years of the century, made out of metal (silver plated) which played well in-tune, was still a challange.
It was really "the band" which made the metal clarinet popular. To quote the display card at the Museum, "Metal clarinets were successfully used in military bands due to its immense volume." Also, back in this time, the popularity of "park bands" (like the summer gigs we all play these days) was really coming to the fore. Sousa's band was touring, and people were loving it.
Following all the interest in these bands, people were into musical instruments in general. The instrument manufacturers were able to make improvements to their general instrument lines and even provide special services to professional instruments. Brass instruments and saxophone were hand engraved. This continued until the Great Depression, when the cost to produce was no longer cost effective to support.
For years I believed that metal clarinet were made just for the war, used to combat the extreme weather, where a metal instrument was more durable than plastic or wood. But metal clarinets were around well before the war.
Chris
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Author: Barrie Marshall
Date: 2002-08-20 17:13
Chris
I have two magazines put out by the Conn Organization called ‘The Musical Truth’ one is Spring 1930 and the other is Fall 1931, they are full of photographs of individuals and bands playing Conn instruments, the 1930 issue has 161 photographs!
Of course it has adverts for many of the instruments they made including two-piece and one-piece metal clarinets, also if you are interested it advertises a Mezzo-Soprano saxophone in the key of ‘F’, most unusual. But in the 1931 magazine there is an advert with a photo of a small boy playing it for an instrument called The CLAR-O-SAX, here is a small bit of then advert for this small instrument.
A BRAND NEW INSTUMENT
Plays and sounds like a saxophone. You can learn to play in a few hours.. A real Conn instrument. The Clar-O-Sax is the ideal instrument for elementary training on the saxophone or clarinet. It also says ‘A novelty instrument for the jazz musician’.
Adrian Rollini who played Bass Sax in Chicago in the 20s and 30s also played an instrument that he called the Hot Fountain Pen, I have often wondered if it was one of then above.
I have a small clarinet made in Germany that was put out as A School Clarinet, it is in my opinion and others actually a Chalumeau, a sweet little thing that takes Eb clarinet reeds but is pitched in C, I have to tie the reed on with a string ligature, I do not think that the Clar-o-Sax is the same thing on reflection because mine is made of wood and is cylindrical and the Conn is metal and conical, so it probably over blows an octave.
Barrie
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-08-21 06:32
Barrie - sounds like a cute little clarinet - do you have a pic you can share with us?
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-08-21 16:42
I'm sure many of us appreciate the info re: Comm's metal cls, they with Bettoney, Selmer, Noblet and a few others made the best ones. I just lost out [by bid price] on a Pan Am metal, 2 piece body/bell, C [??] on EBAY, if interested search in "completed items" for a pic ,in case. Don
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Author: Dee
Date: 2002-08-22 01:38
Don, if the metal Pan Ams were the same quality as their wooden ones, be glad you lost out. Keep in mind that Pan Am was always a student grade. Conn established this subdivision for the sole purpose of producing student grade instruments.
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Author: Willie
Date: 2002-08-22 02:07
Dee's right. I've only seen one Pan Am play half way in tune and I think that was a fluke. It probably got loose in the machine during drilling.
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2002-08-22 02:44
Chris: Thanks for the informative post on the Shrine to Music Museum. One item I question is the alleged "immense volume" of the metal Clarinet. I've never noticed a great deal of difference between the fortissimo of a metal Clarinet and that of a wood or plastic instrument. If anyone could supply a truly *louder* Clarinet, I'm sure plenty of people would stand in line to buy one. Perhaps the experience of others is different from mine, and I'd like to read about it.
Thanks again and regards,
John
who no longer owns any metal Clarinets
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Author: Mark P. Jasuta
Date: 2002-08-28 02:15
I recently aquired a metal clarinet. It is a Silva-Bet made by H. Bettoney, Boston. The serial number is S736, the number 36 is stamped into all of the keywork. Up by where the adjustable barrel connects it says Pat. Pending. I am looking for as much information as possible on this clarinet. Any info will be gratefully accepted.
Thanks
Mark
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