Una historia interminable: dos siglos de propuestas para solucionar en el clarinete las molestias de una nota indómita
Since the clarinet appeared on the music scene in the early eighteenth century, one note has troubled clarinetists and makers with its difficulty in fingering, sound emission, and tuning. It is the B-flat on the staff's third line, which, together with the problematic G-sharp and A constitute t...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Resonancias |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://resonancias.uc.cl/n-51/una-historia-interminable-dos-siglos-de-propuestas-para-solucionar-en-el-clarinete-las-molestias-de-una-nota-indomita/ |
| Summary: | Since the clarinet appeared on the music scene in the early eighteenth century, one note has troubled clarinetists and makers with its difficulty in fingering, sound emission, and tuning. It is the B-flat on the staff's third line, which, together with the problematic G-sharp and A constitute the so-called ‘Throat notes.’ The problem's origin lies in the instrument's particular acoustic behavior. From the mid-nineteenth century, proposals to solve it increased substantially, and today several makers offer devices designed to provide a good B-flat. Then, why do most of the present clarinets not have it incorporated? What happened that the problem has not been solved yet? Is it not possible to solve it satisfactorily? This work presents an exhaustive study of the proposals put forward by manufacturers throughout history. These proposals have been classified into several categories, and their most significant examples have been described. Probable reasons why none have been widely accepted are also discussed. |
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| ISSN: | 0717-3474 0719-5702 |