Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-12-11 16:08
Bob -
The clarinet came late to the orchestra, only becoming established during Mozart's life. At the beginning, it was a doubler's instrument. A flutist, oboist or bassoonist would switch off for a movement or a composition. Thus the fingering had to be as close as possible to the doubler's main instrument. (The flute and oboe notes and basic fingerings match the clarinet's upper register. The bassoon's notes, in treble clef, and fingerings match the clarinet's lower register.)
The first orchestral clarinets were mostly in C. However, as you know if you've played a C clarinet, its tone is brighter than that of the other woodwinds. The longer instrument in Bb is a much better match, and it became the standard.
Since the clarinet overblows at the 12th, it needs keys to bridge the gap, making the early clarinet very clumsy to play in keys with more than two sharps or flats. Thus the A clarinet came into use for works in sharp keys. As you know, it has a slightly different sound from the Bb. (The difference between a C and a Bb clarinet is much more pronounced.)
I play a lot of recorder. Almost all modern instruments are in C, where the fingerings correspond to the clarinet's upper register, or in F, where the fingerings correspond to its lower register. It took me only about two weeks to learn F fingerings. They clicked into place nicely. I also have an alto in G, for which I suppose I could learn the fingerings, but I play it so infrequently that I just read down a step.
It's certainly possible to learn different fingerings, but transposing is about the same level of difficulty. In fact, when I play a recorder in F, the feel of the instrument "keys in" F fingerings. Transposing C parts on a Bb clarinet can become pretty much automatic, as long as you keep your attention on it.
Music publishers transpose Bb clarinet parts to play with "standard" C fingerings. If beginners were taught that the open note is an F, then they'd have to transpose everything from the written parts.
There a good thread currently on the Klarinet board about transposing. Horn players do it as a matter of course. Their parts, even in high school, are in F, Eb and Bb, and conservatory students learn every possibility. Trumpet players, too. And every conservatory student learns to read the various clefs (soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, French violin, etc.).
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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