Clarinet in A
This clarinet is clearly made for the British market. ‘Charles Bertin’ is probably a trade name.
Overall size: 688
Bore: c-hole 14.8; f-hole 14.8
Conical part: 170
Technical description: Cocus wood with German silver ferrules and keywork. Five pieces: mouthpiece, barrel, upper section, lower section, bell. Cocus wood mouthpiece to be used with a ligature. Long barrel. Speaker liner does not project into the bore, but has a chimney on the front of the instrument. Curved speaker. Long tailed A*b key indicates that the instrument was made for the British market. C sharp mechanism. Shaped thumb rest. 13 keys plus spectacle key.
L0: T; speaker.
L1: T; throat A♮.
L2: T; throat A♭.
L3: T; cross E♭4/B♭5.
L4: C♯4/G♯5; E3/B♮4; F♯3/C♯5.
R1: T; side F4/ C6; side E♭4/B♭5; side trill key for throat A-B♮ and B♭-C.
R2: T + spectacle.
R3: T + spectacle (forked B♭3/F♮5); cross B♭3/F♮5.
R4: G♯3/E♭5; F3/C5.
Keyhead type: modern.
Keymount type: between pillars.
Inscribed on upper and lower section: "CHARLES BERTIN / PARIS"; on mouthpiece "JTL" [Jérôme Thibouville-Lamy].
Playing accessories: one reed, ligature, and reed-cap.
(Heike Fricke, 2014)
Overall size: 688
Bore: c-hole 14.8; f-hole 14.8
Conical part: 170
Technical description: Cocus wood with German silver ferrules and keywork. Five pieces: mouthpiece, barrel, upper section, lower section, bell. Cocus wood mouthpiece to be used with a ligature. Long barrel. Speaker liner does not project into the bore, but has a chimney on the front of the instrument. Curved speaker. Long tailed A*b key indicates that the instrument was made for the British market. C sharp mechanism. Shaped thumb rest. 13 keys plus spectacle key.
L0: T; speaker.
L1: T; throat A♮.
L2: T; throat A♭.
L3: T; cross E♭4/B♭5.
L4: C♯4/G♯5; E3/B♮4; F♯3/C♯5.
R1: T; side F4/ C6; side E♭4/B♭5; side trill key for throat A-B♮ and B♭-C.
R2: T + spectacle.
R3: T + spectacle (forked B♭3/F♮5); cross B♭3/F♮5.
R4: G♯3/E♭5; F3/C5.
Keyhead type: modern.
Keymount type: between pillars.
Inscribed on upper and lower section: "CHARLES BERTIN / PARIS"; on mouthpiece "JTL" [Jérôme Thibouville-Lamy].
Playing accessories: one reed, ligature, and reed-cap.
(Heike Fricke, 2014)
Artwork Details
- Title: Clarinet in A
- Maker: Charles Bertin
- Date: second half of 19th Century
- Geography: Paris, France
- Culture: French
- Medium: Cocus, nickel-silver
- Dimensions: Overall: Diam. 8 x L. 69cm (3 1/8 x 27 3/16in.); Diam. of bell 8 cm (3-3/16 in.); Lengths: mouthpiece 8.7 cm (3-7/16 in.); barrel 6.1 cm (2-7/16 in.); upper body section 23.5 cm (9-1/4 in.); lower body section 26.5 cm (10-7/16); bell 11.2 cm (4-7/16 in.)
- Classification: Aerophone-Reed Vibrated-single reed cylindrical
- Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
- Object Number: 89.4.3440
- Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Italian (Ancient Roman)
1st century CE
probably German
second half of 18th century
Christian Nonnemacker
18th century
Italian
1st century CE (?)
Italian (Pompeii)
1st century CE
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.