 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Sam Peterson
Date: 2002-10-03 00:58
Please, oh, please don't ask me why I haven't tried to search. I got hundreds of hits, probably because I don't know what to include/exclude. A few simple answers for the ignorant...
What distinguishes a Boehm from a "normal" clarinet? What in the world are Bulgarian weddings? What are those extra keys on some clarinets, and who wants them? All things being equal, should the extra keys add or subtract value? Why, I ask as an old saxophone player, are Selmers (clarinets) not held in higher regard?
Again, please advise, not lecture me.
Regards,
Sam
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Author: Kat
Date: 2002-10-03 02:30
Well, to answer the simplest question first: A Boehm clarinet IS the "normal" clarinet everywhere (in classical music) EXCEPT for Germany and Austria. There are a couple of "expanded" Boehm systems out there that have more keys than the "standard" Boehm.
There are several types of non-Boehm clarinets floating about out there; some have fewer keys, some have more keys.
Bulgarian weddings are 3-day affairs of eating, drinking, dancing, drinking, eating, drinking, dancing, drinking...
Bulgarian wedding music is the music played at most of these. It comes from traditional Bulgarian folk music, but has been influenced by anything else the Bulgarian Rom (Gypsy) musicians have heard. Usually this has been jazz and rock, but depending on the musician, may include Middle eastern stuff (particularly Turkish pop and folk and art music).
The Bulgarian clarinet players (in the "folk" realm) now all use what are called Full Boehm system clarinets. These clarinets have a low E-flat key and an articulated C#/G# key. The low E-flat key is used (in the clarion register as B-flat) for specific ornaments that are made impossible due to the register change on the regular Boehm clarinet. Ivo Papasov was the first Bulgarian Rom to become internationally famous as a clarinetist. He uses a Selmer Full Boehm. I recently got one, since I met a Bulgarian clarinetist last year who also uses one.
I don't know who else wants "Full Boehm" clarinets now, frankly, but their origin is in orchestral playing at the beginning of the 20th century. If you couldn't afford an A clarinet, you got a Full Boehm which has the RANGE of an A clarinet. You also got real good at transposing!
All things being equal, I don't know what the extra keys does to the value. Sometimes you'll see a Boehm system clarinet with only the articulated C#/G# key too. Those aren't QUITE Full Boehms, though...you gotta have the extra right pinky low E-flat key.
I think Selmer clarinets are held in relatively high regard. They _are_ one of the current "Big 4" makers. Honestly I don't know where the Buffet bias in the U.S. came from. I play mostly on an R13, but use my Selmer Series 10 Full Boehm for Bulgarian music. Older Selmer clarinets seem to be used more for jazz and related styles (I believe) due to their larger bores.
My $.02,
Katrina
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Author: msroboto
Date: 2002-10-03 02:34
a Boehm is a normal clarinet. A full Boehm is another matter. It has I believe range to low Eb instead of E and not sure what extra keys there are.
There are some clarinets that come with an extra Ab / Eb key that is presemt on most clarinets only on the right hand lower keys but can be on the left also. This is standard on some higher end clarinets.
I'm not sure that Selmer clarinets are not thought highly of. They are among the "BIG 4" of clarinet makers that many people recognize as the clarinets they would buy. The "BIG 4" Buffet, LeBlanc, Selmer, and Yamaha - not in any ranked order here just alphabetical.
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Author: Kat
Date: 2002-10-03 02:40
Oh yeah...msroboto reminded me...my Full Boehm also has the extra Ab/Eb key for the left pinky...
And by the way, if anyone wants to hear Ivo Papasov live, he'll be in Chicago IL this Friday Oct 4...
Let me know and I can post details...
Katrina
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Author: d dow
Date: 2002-10-03 13:51
The Boehmn system fingering is what is now applied to the modern clarinet. theobold boehmn was a flute maker from Paris who designed this system and you should chick with the grove on dates and references.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-10-03 14:22
d dow said: "...theobold boehmn was a flute maker from Paris..."
Boehm was from Munich...GBK
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Author: Stéphane
Date: 2002-10-03 16:04
And it was Louis-Auguste Buffet (the uncle of the fonder of the Buffet-Crampon brand) and Hyacinthe Klosé, famous teacher at the Paris Conservatory in the 1850s who adapted the principle of the flute Boehm system to the clarinet (Boehm didn't do it himself).
Stéphane
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-10-03 17:18
Very well said, Stephane, a historical misnomer, similar to the Muller/Albert discussions we have had elsewhere on Sneezy. All of our "good books" discuss the the deveopment and contributors to our favorite horn "family", but what "corrections" are offered are not seriously accepted, IMHO. While my "bass" clarinets are truly tenors [in the SATB order] I still persist here also, as in other [confusing] namings, TP vs TS "resins"!!! What to do?? Don
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2002-10-03 21:21
Sam: This is more than 2¢ worth. Oh, well...
The Clarinet called "Deutsches Normal" ("German Standard") is known in North America as "German System." One of these has a minimum of four rings and close to 17 keys. Some models are far more complex, and the similar but more facile "Oehler" system Clarinets have as many as seven rings and 32 keys. These instruments are not played extensively outside Germany, other parts of central and eastern Europe, and some places in the middle east..
The "Boehm" Clarinet has the predominant fingering system in modern times. It has six rings and 17 keys. A "Full Boehm" has seven rings and around 21 keys. It has extra features described by Kat and msroboto plus the ability to play Eb/Bb using T, L1, L3 (with or without the register key). This is called "fork Eb/Bb."
Stéphane notes the little-appreciated fact that Louis-Auguste Buffet, who collaborated with H. E. Klosé in developing the "Boehm" Clarinet, was *not* the Buffet who founded the now famous company known as Buffet-Crampon. The Klosé-Buffet Clarinet received a French patent in 1844. Aside from the "Full Boehm" keying additions, which are less popular now than they were 75 years ago, the fingering scheme of this instrument has survived unchanged for 158 years. Many players dislike the "Full Boehm" instruments because the added facility may not be as advantageous as the added weight of the mechanism is a pain in the wrist. And "Full Boehm" costs considerably more, in part because of the now unusual nature of such Clarinets.
Re Selmer Clarinets, how much regard do you want? Most people who post to this board recognize Selmer as one of the top Clarinet builders in the world.
And as for Bulgarian weddings: I've never been to one, but I can imagine it's a real hoot.
Regards,
John
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-10-04 00:39
You'll find the German System clarinets are used in more countries than just Germany and Austria.
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Author: d dow
Date: 2002-10-04 18:43
Oops! Sorry bout that a little too much bitter the other night! I wonder how much Boehmn made off his invention...?
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Author: Dee
Date: 2002-10-04 20:02
Selmer is considered one of the four main, high quality clarinet makers. It's just that Selmer clarinets do not have the "mystique" that some of the Selmer saxes had so they don't share in that extra demand that some models of their saxes experienced.
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Author: Kat
Date: 2002-10-06 01:22
Sorry, diz, I'm aware that more than just Germans and Austrians play German system horns...It's just that MOST Americans play regular plain old Boehm...I s'pose I should have been clearer...
But am I correct in believing that those are the only two countries where use of German system is NEARLY exclusive?
Katrina
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