Author: Kat
Date: 2002-07-15 16:29
Frankly, Seamus, I don't know when the Boehm got into Bulgaria. I have a FEELING that it was due to the heavily state-sponsored cultural activities. In Bulgaria, the state folk music groups didn't use clarinet, though...so I may be way off base there. Papasov is a Turkish gypsy, so that may account for his using the Full Boehm. The gypsies really go their own way and do things the way they want to. The interesting thing is that non-Gypsy Bulgarian clarinetists now follow Papasov's lead and use them and play just the way he does/did (only not QUITE as good...lol).
I have only played Turkish music on my Turkish G. I got it from a guy in Detroit, Michigan. I've heard that the ones at Lark in the Morning can be inconsistent, but I know someone who bought one there and it is the same make as mine. It seems ok. Mine has an adjustable thumb rest but I haven't quite decided where I like it best yet. 
Steve, I'm still not quite able to answer your original question, but I do know one guy in San Francisco who does play alto occasionally with a variety of groups. He plays everything from Klezmer to Balkan, so I imagine he must use it in both? In terms of tone quality, it's been so long since I HEARD an alto clarinet that I really really really can't remember what they sound like!
Also, Seamus, my background is almost entirely classical. I trained at Oberlin Conservatory and Northwestern University. While working on the Masters at NU, I realized I didn't want to play classical for a living, because of all the audition pressure. I never play well in audition situations. So I quit playing for three years and then fell in with this international folkdance band, and became completely passionate about Balkan stuff. I now play with the Ethnic Dance Theatre here in Minneapolis, and have my own international band too. Most of the stuff I know about Balkan music I've picked up through lots and lots of listening. There is a really good book on Bulgarian music out there, by Tim Rice, called "May it Fill Your Soul." Last summer I was fortunate enough to travel to Bulgaria and study with a village clarinetist outside of Plovdiv. Another good place, particularly in the U.S. (sorry Seamus) is the East European Folklife Center. Their website is at http://www.eefc.org They sponsor two week-long music and dance camps every year, and they're really great! Their email listserv is also a fabulous source of info. You can join on at their website.
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The Ethnic Clarinet
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