Clarinets in the Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments

Contents

Technical development in detail

Clarinets featuring Müller´s inventions

Photo: This detail of a French clarinet by David, c 1840, (4060) shows the new design of the throat A and Ab key. They are mounted in pivots using needle springs.


 

David's clarinet features the Müller system. the basic idea of the clarinettist Iwan Müller was to allot a key or hole to every semitone and to place the tone-hole in the correct acoustical position. The main invention of Iwan Müller was a hinge key for the F3/C5 tone-hole, which was normally covered by the little finger. The advantage of the key-covered hole is that it can be bored at the optimal acoustic position and needn't be undercut like the finger-hole before. This changes not only the whole disposition of the tone-holes but also the sound and the loudness of the clarinet. Another major achievement of Müller was the saltspoon keyhead, which unfailingly closes the hole. This has a half ball shape, is filled with wool and covered with fish skin. The tone-hole has a profiled seating to fit the key.

Photo: Müller´s hinge key on a clarinet by David.


 


Photos: Müller’s invention on a clarinet by Bruggemann, Leyden (Holland), c 1860 (111).

 

Bruggemann's clarinet uses modern keyheads instead of saltspoon ones, but the profiled seating which is shown in the picture is still in use today. To make sure that the key fits the tone-hole this clarinet uses a saddle as guidance. Though having modern key heads, the cross keys were still mounted in blocks on the Bruggemann clarinet.
 


A clarinet made by Jacques François Simiot

With his clarinette omnitonique Müller tried to supersede clarinets in different keys like C, D, Bb, and A. During the 19th century the D and C clarinets went out of use, but a set of A and Bb clarinets has been required equipment for professional players up to the present day. As the example above shows, Simiot tried to combine both tunings, A and Bb, in one instrument. It can be extended by a rack and pinion releasing a silver tuning slide at the lower section of the instrument. Rings are mounted on the key heads so that the levers are flexible.

Photo: Detail of a clarinet by Jacques François Simiot, Lyon, c 1827 (115).

 


The touchpiece for the F3/C5 key is adjustable to the proportions of the players hand. It could be screwed in or out.

Photo: Detail of a clarinet by Jacques François Simiot, Lyon, c 1827 (115).

 


The player is able to control the levers for L4 also with the thumb of his right hand to reduce the frequency of difficult fingering for the little finger. The plate, working also as a thumb rest, is screwed into the bore and linked to the levers.

Photos: Details of a clarinet by Jacques François Simiot, Lyon, c 1827 (115).

 


To improve the intonation of throat F# and G Simiot displaced the thumb hole to the front of the instrument. Instead of the hole he features the dorsal side with a plate that closes the hole at the front of the instrument when it is depressed.

Photos: Details of a clarinet by Jacques François Simiot, Lyon, c 1827 (115).

 


Simiot added more trill keys to the throat register. The keys are all salt spoon types and all tone-holes are lined with German silver.

Photos: Details of a clarinet by Jacques François Simiot, Lyon, c 1827 (115).

 


To prevent the speaker from being disturbed by condensed water, Simiot displaced also the hole for the speaker on the front of the instrument. To work accurately it has a small chimney.

Photos: Details of a clarinet by Jacques François Simiot, Lyon, c 1827 (115).

 


Simiot died in 1844 so this clarinet was probably made by his successor Brelet. It uses typical Simiot elements like the thumb plate for giving an alternative E3/B-natural5. The long side levers for the left hand small finger are guided in saddles of a new design.

Photos: Details of a clarinet by Simiot and Brelet, Lyon, c 1845 (132).

 


In comparison to the David clarinet shown above, the A-key crosses the Ab key and not vice versa. The distance between A and Ab is wider on the Simiot. The trill key is linked to the F4/C6 key to give a better intonation, and a side key for Eb4/Bb5 is mounted towards the dorsal side of the clarinet to be depressable by the lowest joint of the index finger. Putting side-by-side the boxwood Simiot clarinet and the earlier black Simiot clarinet, astonishingly this later clarinet seems to be less ambitious. Probably the earlier instrument was made for a certain virtuoso or for an exhibition.

Photos: Details of a clarinet by Simiot and Brelet, Lyon, c 1845 (132).

 


Stengel in Bayreuth made this small clarinet in D probably for a player in a military band. The key heads of the Müller type instrument are ornamented, as can be seen on this photo of the hinge key.

Photo: Detail of a clarinet by Stengel, Bayreuth, c 1840 (3043).


A very simple way to offer an alternative fingering of the cross key for Bb3/F5 is shown here: The lever, mounted in a pivot, lifts when it is depressed the key, too. The thumb rest is made of ivory and perhaps a later addition. Even though this is a later instrument there are no screws, but pins in the pivots.

Photo: Detail of a clarinet by Stengel, Bayreuth, c 1840 (3043).

Next chapter: Details of further systems

Contents of the Clarinet Web Guide