A saxonette is a
soprano clarinet
A soprano clarinet is a clarinet that is higher in register than the basset horn or alto clarinet. The unmodified word ''clarinet'' usually refers to the B clarinet, which is by far the most common type. The term ''soprano'' also applies to th ...
in C, A, or B that has both a curved barrel and an upturned bell, both usually made of metal. It has the approximate overall shape of a
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...
, but unlike that instrument it has a cylindrical
bore
Bore or Bores often refer to:
*Boredom
* Drill
Relating to holes
* Boring (manufacturing), a machining process that enlarges a hole
** Bore (engine), the diameter of a cylinder in a piston engine or a steam locomotive
** Bore (wind instruments), ...
and
overblows by a twelfth. The instrument is also known as the 'Claribel' and 'Clariphon'. First Produced by Buescher Band Instrument Company between 1918 and 1921 under the name Clariphone.
Saxonettes were first produced by the
Buescher Band Instrument Company
The Buescher Band Instrument Company was a manufacturer of musical instruments in Elkhart, Indiana, from 1894 to 1963. The company was acquired by the H&A Selmer Company in 1963. Selmer retired the Buescher brand in 1983.
History
The company ...
between 1918 and 1921 under the name "Clariphon". They are almost always simple (
Albert
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Albert ...
) system, and most are in C. It is known that they were made in B, C and A, and
Boehm system
The Boehm system is a system of keywork for the flute, created by inventor and flautist Theobald Boehm between 1831 and 1847.
History
Immediately prior to the development of the Boehm system, flutes were most commonly made of wood, with an i ...
examples exist as well. The J.W Pepper company produced similar instruments at this time branded "Claribel".
A "Sax-Clarinet" appeared in the
Couesnon
The Couesnon (; br, Kouenon) is a river running from the ''département'' of Mayenne in north-western France, forming an estuary at Mont Saint-Michel. It is long, and its drainage basin is . Its final stretch forms the border between the histor ...
catalogue of 1934. Couesnon instruments are amongst the most common instruments around today.
In 1923 the
Gretsch
Gretsch is an American company that manufactures musical instruments. The company was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York by Friedrich Gretsch, a 27-year-old German immigrant, shortly after his arrival to the United States. Friedrich Gretsc ...
Musical Instrument Company advertised a new invention called the Saxonette, which was identical to Buescher's Clariphon. There are some similarities with Buescher branded and Gretsch branded instruments, so the Gretsch may have been a stencil of the Buescher. Instruments have also emerged branded 'Supertone', a trade name of
Sears, Roebuck & Company, which may also be stencils of Buescher or Couesnon. A Plateau-keyed Bb instrument branded 'Abbott' was also produced.
Other than the barrel and bell, there is no difference between a saxonette and a soprano clarinet (of the same fingering system). In fact, some manufacturers sold instruments having both clarinet- and saxonette-style barrels and bells.
The curvature of the bell has little effect on the sound of the instrument. In particular, very few notes on a woodwind instrument vent through the bell, so its effect on most notes is negligible. Switching from a straight wood barrel to a curved metal one is more likely to influence the instrument's sound for several reasons: differences between metal and wood resonances, likely differences in variation of the cross sectional area of the bore, and differences in the player's
embouchure
Embouchure () or lipping is the use of the lips, facial muscles, tongue, and teeth in playing a wind instrument. This includes shaping the lips to the mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument or the mouthpiece of a brass instrument. The word is of ...
due to the different angle of the mouthpiece with respect to the body of the instrument. It is possible that the projection of the instrument could also be improved. Perhaps the main reason for preferring a saxonette to a straight clarinet is visual: the saxonette looks distinctive and unusual.
The Saxonette achieved some popularity amongst the New Orleans style of clarinet players.
Alphonse Picou
Alphonse Floristan Picou (October 19, 1878 – February 4, 1961) was an important very early American jazz clarinetist of New Orleans, Louisiana, who also wrote and arranged music.
Early life and education
Alphonse Picou was born into a prosper ...
was an adherent and can be seeing performing
High Society
High society, sometimes simply society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open to men based ...
on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.
Curved bells and barrels have also been sold as
aftermarket accessories.
References
External links
Passegen Hem- a page devoted to the Saxonette.
a manufacturer of curved (wooden) clarinet barrels
a photobucket account with over 150 pictures of Saxonettes
{{Clarinet
Clarinets
de:Chalumeau#Chalumeau heute