Thanks very much for your kind words. I don’t think the basset horn is in need of a revival necessarily. It’s not as if the basset horn parts of works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Richard Strauss etc. are just left out, they’re still played on basset horns: in most cases it’s unavoidable. Quite a few contemporary composers have written works for basset horn, but given the relative unpopularity of these works, many don’t register (yet) within the classical canon, a situation that I hope will change in time. The wind orchestra obviously prefers the alto clarinet in Eb but I do know of some wind orchestras in which the alto part is played on basset horn. Basset horns continue to be produced and further developed by the biggest and some smaller manufacturers. There are however only a few players around today performing on basset horn in a soloistic context, in part due to the fact that there are only a few good concertos and it’s difficult to acquire opportunities as a basset horn soloist. In my opinion, the true revival needs to occur in the minds of composers and commissioners in order to rethink the now very tried, tested and tired cohort of common clarinets (Eb/Bb/bass) and explore the possible colours in combining other clarinets, including basset horn.
@@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet In concert bands generally used the Eb probably because in orchestration it's easier to use the whole clarinet family. In sound and dynamics the basset is far superior to the alto clarinet. I think for start it would be nice some chamber music adaptations where the basset-horn can replace the F or Eb horn or cello. In the classic, early romantic era chamber music it is a good place to start. I think much more players will use it...but the price of a decent basset-horn is pretty much inhibitory for the average player
I think the transposition of Eb is in keeping with many of the instruments of a concert band, which is perhaps why the alto clarinet in Eb became cemented in this ensemble, and the basset horn in F remained an occasional character of the symphony orchestra and other smaller orchestras and chamber ensembles. We can't change history in this respect and that's completely OK. I'm more than confident however, that regardless of whether the instrument is an alto clarinet in Eb, or a basset horn in F, it only depends on how the instrument is made when it comes to how good it sounds (and the skills of the player of course). I'm sure that the top of the line alto clarinets (among others, Buffet, Selmer, Dietz [German system]) can sound exquisite with the right setup (good mp, lig, reeds) and some dedicated practice. My basset horn is a second-hand Leblanc on which that I had a lot of work done. This instrument wouldn't normally be classified as top of the line, but with attention to detail, financial investment and hard practice, you can turn an affordable instrument into something special. In terms of transcriptions/arrangements for basset horn, I think anything with a similar tessitura is worth looking into, just as long as one doesn't distort the relationship between instrumental parts, i.e. simply playing a concerto/sonata one octave lower without adjusting the voicing of the accompaniment is simple and utter nonsense.
We need a revival of the basset-horn. Nice rendition Richard!
Thanks very much for your kind words. I don’t think the basset horn is in need of a revival necessarily. It’s not as if the basset horn parts of works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Richard Strauss etc. are just left out, they’re still played on basset horns: in most cases it’s unavoidable. Quite a few contemporary composers have written works for basset horn, but given the relative unpopularity of these works, many don’t register (yet) within the classical canon, a situation that I hope will change in time. The wind orchestra obviously prefers the alto clarinet in Eb but I do know of some wind orchestras in which the alto part is played on basset horn. Basset horns continue to be produced and further developed by the biggest and some smaller manufacturers. There are however only a few players around today performing on basset horn in a soloistic context, in part due to the fact that there are only a few good concertos and it’s difficult to acquire opportunities as a basset horn soloist. In my opinion, the true revival needs to occur in the minds of composers and commissioners in order to rethink the now very tried, tested and tired cohort of common clarinets (Eb/Bb/bass) and explore the possible colours in combining other clarinets, including basset horn.
@@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet In concert bands generally used the Eb probably because in orchestration it's easier to use the whole clarinet family. In sound and dynamics the basset is far superior to the alto clarinet. I think for start it would be nice some chamber music adaptations where the basset-horn can replace the F or Eb horn or cello. In the classic, early romantic era chamber music it is a good place to start. I think much more players will use it...but the price of a decent basset-horn is pretty much inhibitory for the average player
I think the transposition of Eb is in keeping with many of the instruments of a concert band, which is perhaps why the alto clarinet in Eb became cemented in this ensemble, and the basset horn in F remained an occasional character of the symphony orchestra and other smaller orchestras and chamber ensembles. We can't change history in this respect and that's completely OK. I'm more than confident however, that regardless of whether the instrument is an alto clarinet in Eb, or a basset horn in F, it only depends on how the instrument is made when it comes to how good it sounds (and the skills of the player of course). I'm sure that the top of the line alto clarinets (among others, Buffet, Selmer, Dietz [German system]) can sound exquisite with the right setup (good mp, lig, reeds) and some dedicated practice. My basset horn is a second-hand Leblanc on which that I had a lot of work done. This instrument wouldn't normally be classified as top of the line, but with attention to detail, financial investment and hard practice, you can turn an affordable instrument into something special. In terms of transcriptions/arrangements for basset horn, I think anything with a similar tessitura is worth looking into, just as long as one doesn't distort the relationship between instrumental parts, i.e. simply playing a concerto/sonata one octave lower without adjusting the voicing of the accompaniment is simple and utter nonsense.