Clarinet in B-flat

Clarinet in B-flat. Ebony, with hallmarked silver garland, ferrules and keywork. Three pieces: upper section with integral barrel, lower section, bell. Speaker liner projects almost to the centre of the bore. L4 levers on a single pivot. 17 keys, 6 rings.

The keywork is very similar to modern Boehm system clarinets. On the upper joint, the register key is straight and does not “wrap around.” The keywork bridges the connection between upper and lower joints to allow the upper and lower joints to be separated. The lower joint has a single post for the left-hand extension keys.

The Instrument bears three Buffet-Crampon logos: One at the top of the upper joint, above the A-G sharp throat tone key assembly; the second at the bottom of the lower joint below the extension rod, and the third on the bell. The second and third appear identical. The logo on the upper joint includes the following: “BREVETÉS S.G.D.G.” The instrument bears no serial number.

Each key is stamped with French silver smith hallmarks denoting that the keys were made in from solid .800 silver by a master silver smith. Also, the bell ring and socket rings are solid silver. Two hallmarks are present: the “Boar’s Head” stamp, which was in use from Paris from 1838 to 1962 as a “small guarantee,” i.e. a guarantee by the silver smith that the material used is .800 fine solid silver; the other is the French silversmith mark that was used by Pierre Goumas of Buffet-Crampon et cie from 1863-1872.

On the bell, a finely engraved silver plaque bearing the initials “G W” has been applied and countersunk to the surface. The initials are surrounded by a wreath comprised of a branch of oak leaves and a branch of laurel leaves.

The Boehm key system is the most widely used clarinet key system and is preferred by players in France, the United States, Asia, and parts of Europe. This instrument shows the Boehm system clarinet in its early and largely original setup, which was developed between 1839 and 1844 by the clarinetist Hyacinthe Eléonore Klosé and the manufacturer Auguste Buffet jeune in Paris.

The choice of grenadilla wood, still an expensive import at the time this instrument was made, and hallmarked silver single this instrument out as a special order piece, as does the meticulously engraved plaque on the bell.