 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Maruja
Date: 2012-08-25 17:00
I went to the Ashmolean in Oxford yesterday and was entranced by the beautifully decorated violins, cellos and guitars - sometimes inlaid, sometimes with carvings. Does anyone know of similarly decorated clarinets, or is this something that predates the invention of our instrument?
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-08-25 19:20
It doesn't, but it distracts from the player having his fly open.
--
Ben
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-08-26 06:27
You can come out with a beautiful rosewood clarinet . perfectly pressed suit and a hint of expensive cologne, or you can perform in a raggedy suit and horn . In my opinion the former is preferable, but if the music isn't good you might as well no show up at all.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-08-26 06:37
Maruja wrote:
> Does anyone know of
> similarly decorated clarinets, or is this something that
> predates the invention of our instrument?
Embellishments on clarinets are fairly rare, especially on wooden instruments. Selmer added decorative engraving to the bells and lower joint of the Centered Tone Omega model during the 50's. I'm not sure that any other manufacturers added decorative engraving to their wood models. Metal clarinets with decorative engraving are comparatively much more common (although still exceedingly rare). I have seen Selmer Paris metal clarinets with "Artist-level" engraving on the entire instrument, sometimes using a two-tone gold/silver design. I have also seen similar high level engraving on some of the HN White metal clarinets.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-08-26 11:23
Selmer USA Omega clarinets have engraving on the bell which fortunately isn't filled in with gold paste, otherwise it'll stick out like a sore thumb. Definitely not done in the same tasteful way as seen on the CT Omega.
The only type of inlay I've seen on modern clarinets are mother-of-pearl inlays on the top joints of Leblanc LX and L27 clarinets (maybe the L7 as well). But Leblanc got garish with their logos when the company went for a corporate look with the introduction of the Concerto and all the various models had large logos.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2012-08-26 11:30
>> Metal clarinets with decorative engraving are comparatively much more common (although still exceedingly rare). >>
Yes, that's been my observation as well. Interesting, because elaborate engravings are common on saxophones from the same period (1910s through 1940s) as most of these metal clarinets. Though I enjoy those saxophone engravings, I've never thought they made any difference one way or the other in the value of the instruments. Sax players judge by the sound, just as we do with clarinets.
Because engravings aren't normal on wooden clarinets, I think an engraving might make me *less* likely to buy a modern one. I'd be thinking, "What are they selling, a musical instrument or a decoration?" If I played in public (I don't; I'm an amateur), I think I might worry about trivializing my image if I played a fancied-up clarinet, just as a woman lawyer wouldn't argue before the Supreme Court while wearing a frilly pink low-cut mini-dress and 4-inch heels.
But, because wildly floral engravings are normal on saxophones, I wouldn't worry for a second about taking my C. G. Conn "Chu Berry" out in public. Nobody thought he looked trivial playing that model and nobody'd think any less of me -- for the saxophone. They'd think a whole lot less of my playing, but it'd have nothing to do with the engravings!
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
Post Edited (2012-08-26 11:35)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-08-26 11:51
It's just something we've come to expect - saxes generally have all manner of engraving and that's normal, whereas clarinets (oboes, flutes and bassoons) don't. Yamaha have been putting some fancy engraving along with their logos on flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons, but that's about it - you still don't have fully engraved bells to the same level as on saxes.
A flute player friend wondered why saxes have all the engraving on them but flutes don't. I've only ever seen decorative socket rings, engraved lip plates and engraved keys on flutes, but never seen engraved body tubes (apart from an Albert Cooper solid gold headjoint that was engraved with lines running along the full length of it (apart from the sliding section). I don't think the John Lunn flutes have engraved bodies even though the keywork is made to look like leaves, flowers and twigs.
http://www.johnlunn.com/lunnflutes/slideshow.html
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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