 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Shostakovich
Date: 2017-02-16 03:00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv4c7mOszZg
What adjectives would you use to describe Jose Franch-Ballester's tone in this video?
Which other players achieve a similar tone?
To what extent do you think the crystal he's using factors into the equation?
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2017-02-17 01:03
Franch-Ballester's tone is a deliberate work in progress. I've heard him in person many times, and in a master class he said he moved away from the ideal of an "ee" shaped tone toward more of an "O" or "Ah" shaped one. He said he has about 36 different mouthpieces and tries many combinations of mouthpieces and barrels to approximate the ideal sound he may be looking for in a particular composition.
I would describe his sound here in the Miluccio piece as cool, cushioned, round, smooth, even in all registers, liquid, and balanced. He, and not his equipment, is the driving force behind achievement of this sound. The Backun clarinet (grenadilla?), barrel (cocobolo?), the expensive high end Silverstein ligature and the reed, along with the Corrado crystal mouthpiece all provide elements in the overall blend. But it is his recruiting of all these material features and the way he forms his lips and voices the tone--as well as the smooth legato motion of the fingers and the exact positioning of the tongue that do the trick. No one element--certainly not the mouthpiece alone--is responsible for the overall effect.
Other, different sounds on the solo clarinet can be equally musical and engaging. Listen to German clarinetist Dirk Altmann, for instance, play the Kovacs Hommage to Debussy on his MK11 Josef clarinet made in Japan, This is a well-vented Boehm instrument that Altmann uses to get a more intense, centered, concentrated, rainbow-hued, luminous, transparent, perhaps "brighter" sound of some depth. Which sound is "better"? I don't know; I like them both, and many other kinds of clarinet sound as well.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kovacs+Hommage+Debussy+Dirk+Altmann.
Post Edited (2017-02-17 20:49)
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Author: Shostakovich
Date: 2017-02-18 02:14
Thanks for your insight into his approach, I'd say your description of his sound is quite spot-on.
I absolutely agree that Franch-Ballester would sound great on almost any decent instrument. I was particularly curious about the mouthpiece because, it seems relatively rare for professionals to use crystal mouthpieces (not to suggest that those other players don't also sound good on their ebonite). However, I do think there's something pretty special going on in these videos (which as you suggest, is largely due to his technique).
I enjoyed your link to that gorgeous excerpt - good to hear a range of different, effective conceptions of timbre
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2017-02-18 17:34
"Franch-Ballester's tone is a deliberate work in progress. I've heard him in person many times, and in a master class he said he moved away from the ideal of an "ee" shaped tone toward more of an "O" or "Ah" shaped one."
I've been an advocate of that all my playing and teaching career. Once I began playing bass clarinet I realized that helped create of bigger warmer tone and quickly applied it to my clarinet playing and philosphy as well. My website bears that out.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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