The Clarinet Family: 10 Minute Crash Course

[@ScoreCircuit]

YES! I know! We didn't cover the Eb alto clarinet! Sorry we didn't have one on hand! For a direct sound comparison check out the video on Richard's channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnjPm3yMpJ1sqtk

[@HenkVeenendaal]

I do miss the Basset Clarinet in A in the line-up. It is used quite often nowadays for the Mozart concerto (Sabine Meyer and many others). And of course the Sub-contrabass clarinet, but that will be hard to find due to its rarity. Great explanation for sure. And expertly played at that.

[@walterharley6049]

This was Excellent! Not just for composers but an introduction to many other clarinets that many middle/high school programs don't have at all. This will truly start a new generation of clarinet players and aspiring composers. Congratulations on Outstanding Content!!👏👍😀🎶

[@ateneaflorescastillo]

I didn’t know there were so many clarinets! Thank you!

[@IceOfPhoenix88]

I started playing bass clarinet this year and it is so much fun :)

[@HelloIAmNextToYou]

Ur lucky you don’t have the contra-clarinets. Setting it up contra clarinets is genuinely pain.

[@colenbacher]

This is awesome!

[@jarodvmusic]

This is great!!

[@rainbowkeykaraoke]

All the unusual basset horns and you skipped over the very common Eb Alto Clarinet?

[@foo0815]

and even missed it in the "missed" section at the very end... a new level of neglecting

[@ScoreCircuit]

🤣

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

To be fair, @Scorecircuit was at the mercy of the clarinets that I happen to own, so the alto clarinet wasn’t omitted on purpose, just by happenstance. And the "commonness" of instruments depends on where you live. Over here basset horns are more common and alto clarinet parts are played on them. So whilst every concert band in the USA may have an alto clarinet, please understand that the situation may be different elsewhere.

[@briantuma1502]

The alto doesn’t even get respect from clarinetists 😂

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@@briantuma1502 Unlike the basset horn, the alto clarinet was never really endowed with incredible music and so that doesn't motivate many clarinettists to acquire the instrument. It is however - like any instrument - able to be played well, beautifully, if given the right kind of attention, but the lack of repertoire is still a problem. In Europe, where basset horns are more common than alto clarinets, it's not rare to see the alto clarinet part being played on a basset horn, which is essentially an alto clarinet in F with an extended range.

[@wilhelmorangenbaum]

I love the Schwenk & Seggelke desing for the Clarinet d'Amore own by Richard. I'm infatuated with its sound and I plan to use the instrument in my first Opera and other works. I personally think this design should be made the de facto design for all G clarinets used in the orchestra, similar to how the Cor Anglais design differs from the oboe's (Yeah, I know that G clarinets are practically never used in the orchestra, I'm being hypothetical here).

[@Musix4me-Clarinet]

*My Man!* Noice! Me luv clarinet!

[@BetonBrutContemporary]

0:55 Oren Boneh's Municipal Shuffle!

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

Yes, it was written for me! 😃

[@BetonBrutContemporary]

@ and my one of my favorite clarinet pieces ever! XD

[@bassclarineric6173]

5:58 no Eb alto clarinet ☹️

[@charlielarkin8369]

I recently got one through my concert band and feeling like I'm playing a cool saxophone whilst still having the fingering and look of a nerdy clarinet makes me indescribably happy

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

According to the liner notes of the Academy of Ancient Music CD I have of Mozart's clarinet concerto (and Wikipedia agrees with the liner notes), he wrote it for a basset-clarinet in A (not mentioned in this video), not a basset horn in G. And Wikipedia also says that basset horns were made in A, G, E, E♭, and D; it says that the first of these is related to the basset clarinet, but not the same, and does not explain the difference, although based on other things in the articles about the respective instruments, I would suppose that the basset horn in A was an older design than the basset clarinet in A. Wikipedia also mentions bass clarinets in C and A, but says that the are very rare, with production of the A instrument being in fits and starts; apparently the weight of the bass clarinet is enough that most bass clarinet players would rather transpose on the fly by a semitone than carry around 2 bass clarinets.

[@ScoreCircuit]

Thanks for the comment. Yes, and no. The very first version was in fact conceived for basset horn in G. You can even see it clearly marked on the score on IMSLP.

[@rloomis3]

@@ScoreCircuit The version I think you're referring to has a different Köchel listing, and so seems to be considered a separate work. The image I found on IMSLP included only the first two pages, but you can see in the last measure or two that it starts to diverge from the K. 622 we know.

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@@rloomis3 The Köchelverzeichnis numberings were first published in 1862, meaning that the cataloguing of Mozart's works only started after his death (1791). When Mozart began writing the first draft of the concerto, he scored it for a basset horn in G and orchestra (in G major), as is evdient from the manuscript. The basset horn part clearly is the same as the concerto we know today, but since it’s a draft, it’s missing a lot of the detail in the orchestral parts. This draft came to be numbered KV 621b in the Köchelverzeichnis, as the predecessor to KV 622, the completed concerto. It’s the same piece of music, just an earlier version of it. Yes, at the end of the draft there is some divergence but you can also see the change to A major occurring. So whilst the concerto was completed for a basset clarinet in A, Mozart‘s original idea was a concerto for a basset horn in G. The Stamitz Basset Horn Concerto was also originally scored for this instrument and given a version only later for the more common F instrument.

[@tonyrettig1052]

No D Clarinet? The C Clarinet is uncommon in the USA, but I think it’s used commonly in Europe. Correct me if I am wrong. I wish Leblanc would remake their Model 340 and 350 Contralto/Contrabass Clarinets, with more modern Basset Keywork.

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

Leblanc (as it is today) is seemingly uninterested in any of their heritage instruments, such as the four models of contralto and contrabass clarinets. Under the banner of Conn Selmer they offer two Selmer contra-clarinets and two Leblanc contra-clarinets so starting production of the earlier models is probably not going to happen.

[@tonyrettig1052]

@ The L7181 and L7182 are officially discontinued. Now, the only Contras available are the Model 40 and 41 by Selmer Paris, assuming you purchase from a Conn-Selmer dealer. The reason I am unsure of, but who knows? Maybe something is in the work?

[@Elemental029]

Im not going to be... Too specific or anything, maybe what im saying is BS but... I heard that Alto Clarinet in F used to be a thing... And i think F alto and Basset could be 2 completely different clarinets, but i could be wrong, clarinettists, if you see this... Please, please tell how I am wrong

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

Alto clarinets were in fact first made in G and they looked just like higher clarinets. Over time makers experimented with different lengths and so instruments were also made in F. Iwan Müller and Adolphe Sax played a large role in cementing the alto clarinet‘s nominal pitch of Eb and paving the way for its modernisation, and so alto clarinets in F were - if at all - rarely produced in the form that we know today. One might say that the basset horn is an alto clarinet in F with an extended range.

[@brucealanwilson4121]

C saxophone were once common in church music because one can play right out of the hymnal. Is this true for the C clarinet?

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

Not sure, but I play flute, oboe and recorder sonatas with organ on C clarinet at church services. Works nicely.

[@tonyrettig1052]

No D Clarinet? The C Clarinet is uncommon in the USA, but I think it’s used commonly in Europe. Correct me if I am wrong.

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

Well, this video is based on my personal collection of clarinets and so I apologise for not owning a D clarinet. Orchestras here (in Europe) will frequently use C clarinets if called for in the score. This is not because the players are lazy and don't want to sight transpose, but because the C clarinet brightens the sound of the orchestra, especially if there are two or three of them. Whilst relatively rare, the D clarinet is possibly much more of a nice to have. This is where money comes in: most players will have to dig deep to acquire an Eb clarinet, in addition to the standard Bb/A pair, and whatever else they may own. I'd love to have a D clarinet but am waiting for the right time to have one built.

[@tonyrettig1052]

@ Oh man, I didnt know it was your personal collection! I thought it was just Clarinets you use as a Composer/Performer, regardless of where they came from. I wish the “C” Clarinet was more widely accepted here in the US. It does have a different timbre than the Bb Clarinet. A few manufacturers make them, including Buffet and Ridenour. Leblanc used to make them, as well as a D Clarinet.

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@@tonyrettig1052 The C clarinet shown here is a Noblet Artist, but I‘ve since acquired a Schwenk & Seggelke 1000+ model, which does the job nicely.

[@tonyrettig1052]

@ nice 🙂 It sounds lovely. Leblanc used to make the L1176DS (D Clarinet), L45C (Noblet C Clarinet), and L1189CS (Leblanc Concerto C Clarinet). Selmer Paris also used to make the C1510S, which was a Series 10S Clarinet in C. Granted, I dont think any of these models sold particularly well, but they’re out there, if folks can get their hands on them. I personally would love a C1510S, but finding one is not the easiest task 😅

[@wilhelmorangenbaum]

5:47 and RICHARD STRAUSS!

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

Yes indeed! Richard Strauss loved the basset horn and tried to cement it within the standard orchestral clarinet section.

[@wilhelmorangenbaum]

@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet He practically put it on the map again, as far as orchestral repertoire is concerned.

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@@wilhelmorangenbaum Totally, and then there was Stockhausen. Anyone in between?

[@wilhelmorangenbaum]

​@@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet I think Franz Schreker wrote for it in two of his operas. English composers like Josef Holbrooke and Havergal Brian also wrote for it.

[@rloomis3]

Doesn't Beethoven's _Creatures of Prometheus_ call for it?

[@samuelzackrisson8865]

How did you miss the eb alto clarinet?

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

The video was based on my collection of instruments, and I don’t own an alto clarinet.

[@samuelzackrisson8865]

@@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet ahh that makes sense. i guess i was just surprised since you have so many other more nieché clarinets

[@moraisgamer8902]

And you just ignore de Alto Clarinet

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

We've mentioned elsewhere in the comments section that an alto clarinet wasn't on hand. To be fair, the basset horn is a kind of alto clarinet in F. The alto clarinet is very common and that there are plenty of videos about it on KZbin.

[@slendrmusic]

4:29 8:36

[@kyyzh12]

bruh why no alto clarinet-- more neglect

[@wilhelmorangenbaum]

Richard doesn't own one basically lol

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@ Yes, this is a fact. But we‘ve covered a lot of other instruments that are just as interesting as the alto clarinet, so I think all the disdain here is slightly overdone.

[@rosiefay7283]

4:50 No, Mozart wrote his clarinet concerto not for basset horn in G but for a basset clarinet: a clarinet in A with a downward extension. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basset_clarinet

[@ScoreCircuit]

Thanks for the comment. Yes, and no. The very first version was in fact conceived for basset horn in G. You can even see it clearly marked on the score on IMSLP.

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

@@ScoreCircuit I'm not finding the particular one of the score editions that have it marked, but a whole bunch of versions are on there, and I can't even be sure that the scanned hand-written manuscript I found (which didn't have this marking) is the first one.

[@ScoreCircuit]

Sorry, I should have been clearer. It's here: imslp.org/wiki/Basset_Horn_Concerto%2C_K.584b%2F621b_(Mozart%2C_Wolfgang_Amadeus) We only have the first movement. The rest of the original has been lost.

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

@@ScoreCircuit Okay, thanks.

[@rloomis3]

The reply I just left on another thread probably would have been better placed here... (That's what I get for reading the comments in the order they were posted...)