The Clarinet BBoard

The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Previous Message | Next Message

Re: Conn 424 Albert Clarinet ?

Author: ghoulcaster
Date: 2024-02-27 01:27
Attachment: Bechet Blue Note 1944.jpg (27k)
Attachment: horns.jpg (503k)

Always happy to see discussion about vintage instruments on this forum, wish there was more interest.

I believe Sidney Bechet used a Couesnon on the famous "Blue Horizon" for blue note in 1944. There are pics from this session, I'll attach one-- looks like a Couesnon to me.
Another angle on the pic in the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pupCrM7J4R4

My main albert is a Buffet that showed up on ebay last summer. All sorts of interesting things still show up on ebay if you are patient.
Buffet Alberts in both Bb and A are apparently the most desirable horns for Greek music (like Selmers in Jazz), so they go fast and sometimes for too much money IMO. You also have to be careful, because many HP instruments Buffets specifically are not marked as such!
Do you play Greek music Petros? ( I am just a lousy jazz player myself).

Apart from the Conn, these are the coolest horns (second picture attached) I picked up over the past two years L-R:

1. old, 8 key Nach Meyer flute, listed on ebay a week or two ago as "antique clarinet" $50 buy it now! Never played flute, but I couldn't resist. Needs some pads and should be good to go!

2. 1912 Buffet 5 ring LP Bb. was in a double case with a HP 2 ring Thibouville in A. Seller accepted offer for $600 and I had it restored by Jeremy Soule.

3. c. 1910 Penzel Mueller 6 ring LP A. Estate seller on ebay accepted offer for $400, plays well as is, but needs a longer barrel.

4. 1952 Selmer Centered Tone Full Boehm Bb was $700 buy it now.

5. 1929 Conn 14-Q "military system" LP English Horn. Was $400 buy it now, just about the only price at which I'd ever afford an English horn! Pads mostly good.
Open tone holes for glissandos like a clarinet!
Surprised that it appeared to be a Kohlert stencil upon inspection. Conn made oboes in the US, but not English horns I guess.

Aside from the extra keywork on Alberts discussed previously, the Buffet has a mechanism connected to the register key that lowers the front rings. This allows one to play altissimo C# with only the thumb (like playing C on boehm). This is a really cool feature and, along with the patent C#/F# mechanism, is one of the few technical advantages over the Boehm.
Enhanced Buffets are the only French Albert I've seen with that mechanism. A lot of German and German influenced designs have it (like my Penzel Mueller, for instance). I believe Oehler clarinets still have it as well.

Secondly, The tab soldered on the G#/C# key is great for trills, but it can actually be used to play from B/E (a situation when both pinkys are occupied) to G#/C# by rolling up the right hand index finger and hitting it in a way similar to the throat A key. Slide down off of it is even easier.

One final digression, those old large bore Selmer Boehm clarinets like that CT are often cited as being among the most difficult clarinets for smaller hands to play because of the large tone holes, them being inline, etc.
However, in this side-by-side pic, you can see how much more demanding the hand spreads for the Alberts are.
I'd venture that I am a man with slightly above average sized hands, and the CT is no problem at all, but the old system instruments can really be a stretch for me.
The same for the left hands of that flute and especially that old English horn.
The LH stretch for the index finger to move between the plates is ridiculous, I can't imagine there is worse out there on an instrument designed for human hands.
Maybe some crazy Baroque bass instrument or something.

I'd have to imagine that a large portion (if not the majority) of women and children would simply not be able to play these instruments as-is, certainly not comfortably.
I think that that playability factor is something not discussed as much as it should be when discussing the evolution from simple system instruments to Boehm and conservatory system.

Sorry for another long-winded post, I hope it was at least somewhat informative