 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: klarisa
Date: 2016-10-30 16:22
Hello,
I have been asked to play clarinet in a baroque orchestra. This would mean i have to buy a historical clarinet or at least a copy of such an instrument. They play with a pitch of A=415. I can't find a lot of information on historical clarinets. My questions are:
What reeds do i use on such an instrument?
What mouthpiece?
Do i need more than one clarinet? For example one in C one in Bb one in A ore other pitch.
Where, preferably in Europe, can i buy such an instrument for a reasonable price?
I am also interested in experiences from other players. What are the difficulty’s i can expect? Fingering? Intonation? Maybe other things that are important...
Best regards, Johan
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2016-10-30 19:57
What you have posted is a very big ask.
I recommend you contact Tony Pay, once a very regular contributor to this board and who still pops up from time to time. he has huge experience in playing both modern and period clarinets.
I suspect you will probably need some one to one tuition in this subject area.
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Author: Bennett ★2017
Date: 2016-10-30 21:24
If the part is written for Bb clarinet, you might be able to play it on a A Clarinet.
For parts calling for C or D clarinets, good luck.
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Author: cigleris
Date: 2016-10-30 22:26
Firstly what is the repertoire. That would give a better indication of what Baroque instrument you might need. They are only in C and D and you can copied if either Denner or Zencker with either two or three keys.
Peter Cigleris
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Author: MichaelW
Date: 2016-10-30 22:28
Or contact Jochen Seggelke:
http://www.schwenk-und-seggelke.de/werkstatt_team.php
info@schwenk-und-seggelke.de
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2016-10-31 02:53
Not far from you is a very good maker of historical clarinets:
www.sorengreen.com
The choice of instruments (key, pitch, construction, etc.) depends entirely on what repertoire you will be playing.
(Small note: I know that in German "Barockorchester" doesn't imply that they only play Baroque music, but is rather what we would call "Period Instrument Orchestra" in English. I'm not sure how it is in Dutch?)
So first find out what the repertoire is and then find out what the appropriate instruments would be. A period instrument specialist will easily have upwards of 12 instruments in their collection.
Difficulties? You'll have to get used to blowing differently, using different fingerings, different mouthpieces and reeds, intonation etc. And there's no point playing on these instruments without learning something about playing styles from different periods. Perhaps Colin Lawson's book on early clarinet would be a good place to start.
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Author: Peter B
Date: 2016-10-31 03:28
If you want some local resources, I'd suggest contacting Vlad Weverbergh or Benjamin Dieltjens, resp. from the Antwerp and Brussels conservatory. They perform (also) on period instruments.
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2016-10-31 04:56
Evidently Soren Green provides a lot of help to the player by crafting mouthpieces for the instruments and accomodating modern preferences for reed size and type. But does anyone know why he makes the mouthpieces from wood rather than a material less vunerable to temperature and humidity changes, such as rubber? Is wood essential to capture the true timbre of the historical instrument?
Post Edited (2016-10-31 04:56)
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Author: Simon Aldrich
Date: 2016-10-31 06:43
Hello Johan - regarding your question about mouthpieces, makers of replica classical period instruments usually make a hardwood mouthpiece to match the instrument they make. The mpc is adjusted to play in tune on the matched instrument.
And that is where the fun starts.
If you don't like the sound or playing characteristics of your instrument's accompanying mpc, it can be difficult finding an "aftermarket" replacement mpc that plays in tune on your replica period instrument.
In addition, at best, wood mouthpieces swell when you play them and their playing characteristics can change. At worst, the wood mouthpiece might crack. Every period wood mpc I have played on has eventually cracked.
This issue might seem less serious for those period players who make their own instruments and mpcs, but even then, there are cases where one of those players' mpc has cracked at the worst possible moment and they didn't have a good backup.
Baroque replica instruments often come with mpcs made of boxwood (like their original model's). I have a baroque C clarinet with a boxwood mpc and most of my chalumeau mpcs are boxwood. Boxwood swells more (and cracks more) than African blackwood.
I do not mention this to dissuade you, but rather point out that with period instruments, mpcs are not standardized to the degree they are with modern clarinets. (You asked about fingering. Fingering is not standardized on period replicas either and can change from instrument to instrument.)
With many period players, what keeps them going is their passion for early repertoire and its aesthetics. But even if early music doesn't excite you at present, playing early clarinets can actually kindle an interest, if not love, of
early music.
Simon
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Author: Simon Aldrich
Date: 2016-10-31 06:50
Johan - There is an early clarinet discussion group on yahoo:(EarlyClarinet@yahoogroups.com)
There is not a lot of traffic but there are contributing experts, the atmosphere is respectful and positive, and you can find used period replicas for sale from time to time.
Simon
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2016-10-31 08:35
If the period clarinet makers know from players' repeated experiences that the wooden mouthpieces are prone to swell, warp, and crack, why do they continue to make them? With CNC machines and other devices available today, why not use rubber, acrylic, or some other more durable and reliable material?
Is it adherence to a tradition of the cosmetic appearance of the mouthpiece on the instrument that keeps them using wood or some deeper acoustical need that requires wood to acheive an historically authentic sound?
Post Edited (2016-10-31 17:21)
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Author: donald
Date: 2016-10-31 08:57
Soren Green or Vittorelli ( http://www.woodwind-instruments.be/clarinettes.html ) are both good people to contact.
A note for the OP- Baroque pitch is A=415 and Classical is A=430. This is not for any historical reason (as far as I know- correct me if I'm wrong), those pitches were decided upon at some point in the 20th Century. What instrument you buy will be entirely dependant on what the repertoire is, but I don't think you'll want (or find?) a Mozart/Stamitz era clarinet to play at 415 (which may be the pitch the orchestra you are interested in plays at?).
re wooden mouthpieces- I know period players who have had no problems with mouthpieces cracking, but they "rest" and oil the mouthpiece ever couple of weeks. I am in fact, this very moment, looking at a case with 6 wooden/period mouthpieces in it, all heavily used on a daily basis at some point and none have cracked.
That said- one of them is a wooden mouthpiece by Tutz that DOES NOT play in tune... so most likely the bore HAS swelled.
dn
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Author: beejay
Date: 2016-10-31 20:22
Hello,
For the past couple of months I have been playing on a reproduction Denner two-key clarinet by François Masson of Port Louis, France (you can check him out on the Internet). At his advice, I use ordinary Van Doren No.2 Bflat reeds. The pitch is A=415, and I am pleasantly surprised at how well in tune it plays. These are still early days, but I have not noticed any propensity to swelling or warping. It does need constant oiling, for which I use sweet almond oil.
I've been playing some Praetorius and Lully with a baroque band, and the clarinet fits in well with other period instruments.
Two keys allow for a full chromatic range, with the notable exception of B natural You can only approximate this note by bending the embouchure -- hence the need for a soft reed. To get B, you need a three-key clarinet, but they did not arrive until the 1730s.
The clarinet is in beautifully worked boxwood, as is the mouthpiece, which is quite open.
I haven't been able to find a good fingering chart, but I have been able to work out the notes on my own. It's not too difficult if you are familiar with a recorder.
The chalumeau sound is very sweet. The upper registers can be quite shrill if you let them.
Someone said that you have to look for the notes, but that the notes also have to look for you. Ther's some truth in that.
All in all, it's been a positive experience.
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