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Clarinet in B-flat

1930
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 684
Because it is easier to play music in flat keys on a B-flat clarinet and sharp keys on an A, orchestral players use a pair of clarinets. However, switching between them without an opportunity to warm up the instrument can cause intonation problems. These "thermoclarinets," patented by Haynes, have a double-wall construction that enables the player to quickly and silently bring the whole instrument to a uniform temperature by exhaling warm air into the cavity between the walls.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Clarinet in B-flat
  • Maker: William S. Haynes Co.
  • Date: 1930
  • Geography: Boston, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Silver
  • Dimensions: 29 × 2 7/8 × 2 7/8 in. (73.7 × 7.3 × 7.3 cm)
  • Classification: Aerophone-Reed Vibrated-single reed cylindrical
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Robert Alonzo Lehman Bequest, 2012
  • Object Number: 2012.571.2, .3
  • Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments

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Flute, William S. Haynes Co., Silver, American
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Clarinet in A
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Tiple Puertorriqueño, Luis Ángel Colón American, Wood, metal, wire, Native American (Puerto Rico)
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Trumpet in B-flat, Conn Musical Instrument Co. American, Brass, silver plate, mother-of-pearl, American
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Double tuba and baritone, "Bellophone" in BB-flat, H. N. White Co. American, Brass, mother of pearl, American
Double tuba and baritone, "Bellophone" in BB-flat
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