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Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 21:57:38 -0700
From: Frank Diaz <frankd@lmi.net>
Subject: Re: [Contra digest]
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comIn regards to Stuart's question about if Selmer ever made its contra
alto out of any other wood besides rosewood: I would say yes, they did.I have a Selmer catalog from 1938 and it advertises the "Eb contra-bass"
for $500.00 with the case extra for $26.00. The instrument is said to be
of Grenadilla wood, not rosewood.Stuart, I bet this is what your friends' contra is. This instrument goes
down to low E, not Eb. I think Selmer made it of Grenadilla wood into
the 1950's. Anyone know otherwise?Frank Diaz
List Server wrote:
> From: CoolStu67@aol.com
> Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 16:11:27 EDT
> Subject: Selmer Paris Contralto question
> Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com
> I've been corresponding with a person who swears her Selmer PARIS Eb contra
> is made out of RESONITE. Was the Selmer Paris ever made in anything other
> than Rosewood? Possibly African Blackwood? Dark wood might resemble resonite.
> Thanks for any help.
>
> Stuart
> -Sax/Clarinet
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Tue, 01 Jun 1999 09:33:49 -0500
From: "Steve Rea" <srea@uaex.edu>
Subject: Bass Clarinet or what?
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comI saw this on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3D111698046Is this a bass clarinet or some other clarinet? I've never seen one without a curved neck.
(Looks like an alto clarinet neck?)Stephen Rea <srea@uaex.edu>
Oracle Certified Professional in Database Administration
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
Oracle Tips, Tricks, and Scripts: http://www.uaex.edu/srea
---------------------------------------------------------From: CoolStu67@aol.com
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 13:08:14 EDT
Subject: Re: [Contra digest]
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comThanks! I didn't realize the contras even existed in the 30s, as I read in a
1950s orchestration book that the contra clarinets were extremely rare. Any
other neat stuff in the catalog? Howabout the Bb contrabass? Did it have a
low C or D? or even Eb?Once again, thanks,
Stuart<<
In regards to Stuart's question about if Selmer ever made its contra
alto out of any other wood besides rosewood: I would say yes, they did.
I have a Selmer catalog from 1938 and it advertises the "Eb contra-bass"
for $500.00 with the case extra for $26.00. The instrument is said to be
of Grenadilla wood, not rosewood.
Stuart, I bet this is what your friends' contra is. This instrument goes
down to low E, not Eb. I think Selmer made it of Grenadilla wood into
the 1950's. Anyone know otherwise?
>>
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 11:47:50 -0600 (MDT)
From: Shouryu Nohe <jnohe@nmsu.edu>
Subject: Re: Bass Clarinet or what?
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comOn Tue, 1 Jun 1999, Steve Rea wrote:
> http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=111698046
>
> Is this a bass clarinet or some other clarinet? I've never seen one without a curved neck.
> (Looks like an alto clarinet neck?)It's an alto clarinet being sold by an idiot...well, maybe not an idiot,
but someone who doesn't know their clarinets.J. Shouryu Nohe
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jnohe
Professor of SCSM102, New Mexico State Univ.
"If I wanted a 'job,' I'd have gone music ED, thank you very much!"---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 11:21:55 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: Unusual double reeds
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com> Did a Mr. Heckel invent it? Why didn't it catch on? Did it come about
>before or after the oboe?Yes, it was invented by the same Heckel who established the Heckel bassoon.
Unfortunately, I don't remember his first name... I suspect that it didn't
catch on because (a) not much was written for it, and (b) they're quite
expensive. One can now get professional-level bass oboes and English horns
for US$4-10K, while the heckelphone runs more like US$28K. Also, the reed
is more bassoon-like than oboe-like, which may dissuade some potential
players.>>The heckelphone can have either French (Conservatoire)
>>keywork, or German keywork, depending on how the owner ordered it.
>
> Is either of those like oboe keywork?Yes, they're both styles of oboe keywork. Conservatoire is what most
(French system) oboes use, and is used in most of the West (aside from, I
think, Germany and Austria). The British use a "thumbplate" system, which
I think is a variation of the French. Robert Howe could explain this
better, I'm sure...> Were any of these like professional instruments (keywork as opposed to
>holes, stable & decent tone, etc.)? What's the point of a curved crumhorn
>when there's the straight cornamuse? Are Krummhorn, Crumhorn, and Cromorne
>all the same thing?
> Please tell about the sordune, kortholt, and dudeck.All of these were played by "professional musicians" of their time. I
doubt that "professional" horns had more keys: they tended to have only as
many keys as were required, with most accidentals produced by forked or
cross-fingerings. The idea of having multiple keys came about during the
Baroque or later.The crumhorn is louder than the cornamuse, which has a gentler, slightly
muffled tone compared to the crumhorn.The kortholt can be thought of as like a cross between the bassoon and the
crumhorn. Double reed, under a windcap, and a doubled bore, like a bassoon
(but cylindrical). "Kortholt" means "short wood", referring to the fact
that its range is much lower than other instruments its size. The kortholt
has holes drilled in the ascending bore (the extension part), so that you
cover multiple holes with each finger, like a racket. Actually, you can
think of the kortholt as half-way between the crumhorn and the rackett, in
terms of bore extensions of that time.The sordune is much like the kortholt, except that it is played without a
windcap: the reed is taken into the mouth. You could think of it as a
dulcian with a cylindrical bore.> I imagine it to have more resonance and oomph, so-to-speak, because it's
>wooden. If there were a contrabass tarogato, I imagine it would shake some things!
> What all sizes of tarogato are available?If anything, I would expect the wooden instruments to be mellower. AFAIK,
tarogatos come in C and Bb soprano.>>P. Grainger wanted to score for
>>bands that had a full complement of saxophones and sarrusophones (amongst
>>others), for the variety of timbres.
>
> What are the *others* you speak of?He wanted full choirs of each instrument. I don't have details, but I
suspect that he'd have wanted bass trumpets, alto and bass flutes, english
horn and bass oboe, etc.> Is a sarrusophone essentially a brass bassoon??? The list discusses
>sarrusophones often, but I don't really know about them. What is the
>compass of one, and what instrument is its fingering most like?Its more of a double-reed saxophone. They were made in sizes ranging from
Bb soprano (possibly Eb sopranino) to Eb contrabass, corresponding to all
the Eb/Bb saxophones, plus a CC contrabass (corresponding to contrabassoon)
and a BBb contrabass (an octave below the bass sax). Their range is from
(written) Bb below middle C to the 2nd G or A above the staff (just above
the saxophone's high F). The fingering is almost identical to the original
saxophone fingering. For more, info, see
http://www.contrabass.com/pages/sarrus.htmlEnjoy!
Grant
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green gdgreen@contrabass.com
http://www.contrabass.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 11:39:08 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: [EarlyClarinet] Heckel's address and phone
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com>Hello, in my note yesterday I misquoted the serial number of this
>Heckelphone. The correct number is 3985, not 3465. In an instrument
>that is made in such quantity as a Heckelphone, this may represent a 50
>year difference!According to the info I have from Heckel, the horn must have been made in
the period 1913-1928. I have a table of heckelphone serial numbers
correlated with dates at http://www.contrabass.com/pages/hecktab.html
Actually, both those serial numbers fall into the same date range. I
unfortunately do not have more detailed information (or higher resolution),
but Heckel can tell you exactly when it was made, and with which options if
you contact them.The contact info is:
Wilhelm Heckel GmbH
Telephone: +49 611 66182
=46ax: +49 611 600841
Stettiner Straße 7
D-65203 Wiesbaden
Germany
Email: WHeckel@mainz-online.de>The Heckelphone I am looking at has a range to low A, automatic octaves,
>and fingers like a German oboe, ie, like a Saxophone on top and like an
>oboe on the bottom. The keywork is very "Bahaus" in design, and the
>case looks like it is from the 1930s. Many of the keys, curiously,
>instead of being plateaus are instead open semicircles with tiny buttons
>in the center.I think the low A range is standard. Another common feature is to have two
bells, one of which is a bit more muted than the other. The studs in the
keywork is an original Heckel feature: I think the studs independently
close keys that are remote from the fingerholes. I'm not aware of any
being sold in the US recently. The last one I know of that was available
(apart from the instrument in Canada) was traded for a Fox bassoon.Best of luck!
Grant
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green gdgreen@contrabass.com
http://www.contrabass.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Tue, 01 Jun 1999 15:06:18 -0400
From: RJ Carpenter <emerald1@megsinet.net>
Subject: RE: Selmer Paris Contralto question
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comCONTRABASS@contrabass.com
=========================
It had been made in African Blackwood; though I've only seen two examples of
such.
TristanI've been corresponding with a person who swears her Selmer PARIS Eb contra
is made out of RESONITE. Was the Selmer Paris ever made in anything other
than Rosewood? Possibly African Blackwood? Dark wood might resemble
resonite.
Thanks for any help.Stuart
-Sax/Clarinet
----------------------
end contrabass list
---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 01 Jun 1999 15:09:45 -0400
From: RJ Carpenter <emerald1@megsinet.net>
Subject: RE: Bass Clarinet or what?
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comThat's because it is an eb alto clarinet.
Tristan-----Original Message-----
From: contrabass-owner@contrabass.com
[mailto:contrabass-owner@contrabass.com] On Behalf Of Steve Rea
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 1999 10:34 AM
To: Contrabass@contrabass.com
Subject: Bass Clarinet or what?CONTRABASS@contrabass.com
========*I saw this on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=111698046Is this a bass clarinet or some other clarinet? I've never seen one without
a curved neck.
(Looks like an alto clarinet neck?)
Stephen Rea <srea@uaex.edu>
Oracle Certified Professional in Database Administration
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
Oracle Tips, Tricks, and Scripts: http://www.uaex.edu/srea
----------------------
end contrabass list---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 01 Jun 1999 15:05:32 -0400
From: FranÚois Villon <feodor@informaxinc.com>
Subject: Re: [EarlyClarinet] Heckel's address and phone
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com
Grant Green wrote:
>
> CONTRABASS@contrabass.com
> ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ*
>
> >Hello, in my note yesterday I misquoted the serial number of this
> >Heckelphone. The correct number is 3985, not 3465. In an instrument
> >that is made in such quantity as a Heckelphone, this may represent a 50
> >year difference!
>
> According to the info I have from Heckel, the horn must have been made in
> the period 1913-1928. I have a table of heckelphone serial numbers
> correlated with dates at http://www.contrabass.com/pages/hecktab.html
> Actually, both those serial numbers fall into the same date range. I
> unfortunately do not have more detailed information (or higher resolution),
> but Heckel can tell you exactly when it was made, and with which options if
> you contact them.
>
> The contact info is:
>
> Wilhelm Heckel GmbH
> Telephone: +49 611 66182
> Fax: +49 611 600841
> Stettiner Straße 7
> D-65203 Wiesbaden
> Germany
> Email: WHeckel@mainz-online.deThey also have a web site http://www.heckel.de
In German only.
Enjoy!Feodor
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 12:32:37 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Helicons du jour...
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comHere it is: an Eb helicon at
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=111085458 There's
also another helicon listed, but located in France, and with a high opening
bid.An ophicleide by C.J. Sax at
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=111012767, opening
bid US$3K...Enjoy!
Grant
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green gdgreen@contrabass.com
http://www.contrabass.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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