THE VINTAGE CLARINET DOCTOR
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Clarinet Donations
    • Why Vintage Clarinets?
  • Before and After
  • Contact Us
  • Learn
    • Blog
    • Clarinet Lengths
    • Clarinet Makers
    • Fingering Systems
    • Links
  • Shop
    • Clarinets >
      • Vintage Boosey and Hawkes 2-20 Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Siour Chapelain Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Conn 446N Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Leblanc. Noblet Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Leblanc Normandy Special Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Paris Selmer A LP Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Selmer Model 55 Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Thibouville Freres Bb Boehm Clarinet
    • Flutes
    • Mouthpieces
    • Saxophones >
      • Vintage P. Gerard Beaugnier Stencil Eb Alto Saxophone
      • Vintage Kohlert Eb Alto Saxophone
      • Vintage Martin Handcraft Alto Saxophone
  • Services
    • FAQ
    • Performance
    • Services II - Technical Info
  • Testimonials

Boehm, Albert and Oehler System Clarinets : Differences and Similarities

4/15/2019

4 Comments

 
Picture
  I frequently receive questions about the difference between Albert and Boehm system - especially when I have a cheap Albert in C for sale and some poor soul doesn't really want to spend $2k+ for a Boehm! How hard is it to switch? How different are they?

 OK, here's the historic progression: Simple system came first, and is basically an open hole clarinet that only had a couple of keys for accidentals. This illustration is a little late, but shows a 5 or 6 key instrument dating to the early 1800's. It would've been comfortable to play in 4 or 5 keys...anything beyond that would be challenging and a bit uneven in response and intonation....which explains why they used to come in sets!

Picture
As composers became more demanding of clarinetists, clarinet makers added more and more keys in an attempt to meet that demand:  more accidentals, fingerings for either hand or to facilitate key changes further from the fundamental, etc. here's an 11 key horn dating from about 1860/70 that illustrates the progression...almost an Albert.

Picture
Here's an Albert system instrument from about WWI/1920. It has 14 keys, including a Low F# crossover (allowing F#/C# with either pinky) on the lower stack. There are 2 Eb's and front and side F's on the upper stack. You can play further from the fundamental with this system, have more choice of fingerings for challenging passages, and the intonation is more even.

Picture
Here's a vintage Oehler system (still used in Austria and Germany to this day) which is the logical end result of the Albert fingering, but on steroids: it can do pretty much what a Boehm can do, but the keywork has gotten pretty complex and heavy!

Picture
 This all proved as challenging for the clarinet as parallel challenges were for the flute, and Theobald Boehm was kind enough to wipe the slate clean and re-design the system from scratch, creating an equally tempered instrument capable of being played (albeit with some whining) in any key. It was developed in the mid 19th century, Buffet started production in the 1880's, but it didn't fully catch on until the late 1920's, when Alberts started diminishing in popularity due to the demands of increasingly chromatic music (both Jazz and Classical).

 Albert system is still alive and well, however - they are favored by Greeks, Turks, Armenians, Jewish Klezmer musicians, and even some New Orleans Jazz traditionalists trying to get 'that sound'. I get requests on a monthly basis and sell quite a few to customers worldwide... who are relieved that they don't have to spend E2500+ for one from Markneukirchen!

 For the record, many of the notes and fingerings are the same and switching wouldn't present much challenge to the educated player, as long as s/he had big hands - the spacing of keys is a bit wider than Boehm...and Albert does have its advantages! Partly in expressiveness (certain slurs and decorations are easier with fewer keys), and partly in its tone.

 Ironically, in the effort to make the Boehm instrument more perfectly in tune, louder, more focused (all the qualities that Buffet's R13 is famous for), the tone has become thinner, blander, less rich and subtle. For a classical section player, this may be ideal. For a Greek or Trad Jazz musician, its contraindicated! Alberts sound great, as a listen to YouTube videos by older jazz and folk musicians will illustrate. Personally, I'm glad it has hung around all this time and hope the wave of revivalism in modern music will assure its continued use...

4 Comments
Timothy Tikker link
4/15/2019 05:33:02 pm

Here's a wonderful historic recording of George Lewis playing a metal Pedler Albert: https://www.clarinette-metal.fr/Burgundy%20St.%20Blues%20(G.%20LEWIS).MP3

Reply
Betty Thompson
4/15/2019 05:48:09 pm

I have my grandfather's C clarinet. After reading your article. It looks like the top picture. Albert system. I never knew. Lol I played it in grade school and bought a new Bb clarinet in high school. Over 60 years ago.

Reply
Nick
4/15/2019 08:46:25 pm

great blog ... and your choice of Bechet’s music is genius .... alberts rule .....

Reply
Charles Davidson
4/16/2019 08:02:05 pm

Love that Sidney! Love that sound! Makes me wanna getup n dance!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    July 2023
    May 2023
    June 2022
    April 2022
    May 2021
    August 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    May 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012

    Picture

    Author

    The Licorice Shtick Blog is the creation of the Vintage Clarinet Doctor, a Winston Salem, NC based woodwind instrument repair shop specializing in vintage and antique clarinets, saxophones, and the occasional flute.

    Categories

    All
    Clarinet
    Mouthpiece
    Reed
    Saxophone

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Clarinet Donations
    • Why Vintage Clarinets?
  • Before and After
  • Contact Us
  • Learn
    • Blog
    • Clarinet Lengths
    • Clarinet Makers
    • Fingering Systems
    • Links
  • Shop
    • Clarinets >
      • Vintage Boosey and Hawkes 2-20 Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Siour Chapelain Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Conn 446N Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Leblanc. Noblet Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Leblanc Normandy Special Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Paris Selmer A LP Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Selmer Model 55 Bb Boehm Clarinet
      • Vintage Thibouville Freres Bb Boehm Clarinet
    • Flutes
    • Mouthpieces
    • Saxophones >
      • Vintage P. Gerard Beaugnier Stencil Eb Alto Saxophone
      • Vintage Kohlert Eb Alto Saxophone
      • Vintage Martin Handcraft Alto Saxophone
  • Services
    • FAQ
    • Performance
    • Services II - Technical Info
  • Testimonials