 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2005-06-11 15:31
Years ago, I saw an unusual instrument that I would like to identify.
I have no picture of it, but here's a description:
I looks like the mouthpiece, barrel and upper joint of a clarinet with a U-turn at the bottom that leads back up through a "lower" joint that ends in a metal bell that points forward alongside the "barrel position."
The one I saw was of black wood, except for the chrome/silver bell.
Somehow, I associate this instrument with gypsy folk music.
Any ideas?
Thanks
Bob Phillips
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Author: Contra
Date: 2005-06-11 20:02
On my old computer, I had a picture of clarinet that was similar to Ron's, but it was only about half as big and black. I originally found the picture on this bboard in a thread asking what the instrument was.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-06-11 22:51
I believe that some ancient bass cls were built in that "folded" manner, prob. more examples [of other size cls] are in museums. I'm reminded of the ?Eisenmenger? basset horn, an example of a square/rectangular? configuration, for purposes of key-reach?? Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2005-06-13 03:54
I saw some (perhaps just one, I forget) of the folded bass clarinets in the Czech Museum of Music in Prague. I believe one was in the key of A. Fun stuff!
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: contragirl
Date: 2005-06-13 05:21
http://www.clarinet.bonnie-sue.net/
Or this one in particular:
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~bswhite/clarinets/octavin.jpg
As Ron B has linked.
My site also has a little explanation of it. hehe
--CG
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2005-06-13 15:20
There is one of these in the university museum for Norwich University, up in Vermont. It is a folded simple system bass, apparently purchase for use on horse back back when the school was Vermont Military Academy in the 1800's.
There were three state run schools that were part of the US military's officer training system (in addition to the USMA at West Point). VMI, The Citadel and the Vermont Military Academy were all given "official recognition" and government support, and their students could all become commissioned officers upon graduation if desired.
Each school specialized in one of the three "traditional branches" of the Army (with the Engineer branch plum jobs apparently all being reserved for the boys at the Point). VMI and The Citadel apparently had the infantry and artillery portfolio, while Vermont Military got the horse cavalry.
There are many things that the terrain in Vermont is suitable for, but training people on horseback is not one of them. Nevertheless, the school continued to turn out yellowlegs up through the changeover to Norwich University, and the current school still has an Armored ROTC training unit. (The old M48 tanks used to look equally forlorn sitting outside of the ROTC unit's classroom.)
The instrument in the museum can be (poorly) seen in a photograph of the mounted "band of music" also displayed in the same museum, with a date of somewhere in the early 1900's. The player is in one of the back rows, and can chiefly be identified by the lack of any visibly recognizable instrument in his hands.
The net effect must have sounded lovely. Probably better than the Italian Berglesari band, which plays _while_running_ in true light infantry style (and can be seen and heard at the beginning of the old film Roman Holiday), but not much better
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-06-13 15:39
Don't mean to be contradictory, Synon, but they, all the Octavins I've touched and/or seen pix of, use a fairly standard "Albert" fingering system (older ones might well be a simple system arrangement) and register to the octave (like a sax) rather than a twelfth. They may appear a bit scary at first glance but I think Rube would be rather proud of his accomplishment on this one
- ron b -
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2005-06-13 16:04
WOW
thank you all for your help
I believe that the Octavin on contragirl's web page IS the instrument that I've been trying to identify. It looks like the size of the instrument I "saw" back in the darker ages.
Now I've gotta get some photos of my newly found rosewood clarinet and get your help in identifying it.
Bob Phillips
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