Name that Clarinet!

This old picture used to be on the Leblanc site but has since disappeared. So I asked some people more knowledgeable than me what they were. Here is what I think is the correct answer:

Ab sopranino

  • Eb sopranino
  • D sopranino
  • C soprano
  • Bb soprano
    A soprano
    (missing basset clarinet in A)
    F basset horn
    Eb alto clar
    Bb bass clar to low Eb
    Bb bass clar to low C
    EEb contralto to low C (paperclip model)
    BBb contrabass to low C (paperclip)
    EEEb octocontralto to low C
    BBBb octocontrabass to low C

And some tidbits of history. The last 2 were built for some exhibition or another in the 1930s. The BBBb was supposedly the lowest pitched wind instrument ever, going down nearly an octave below the piano keyboard. One or the other of them was supposedly lying around the Paris factory as late as the 1970s, but no sign of them has been seen or heard since.

There was (I believe) exactly ONE octocontrabass built, and three octocontraltos. They were all in the private collection of Leon Leblanc, but (again, I believe, but don’t quote me) the octobass and one of the octoaltos now reside with Terje Lerstad.

The octocontrabass sounded an octave below the contrabassoon, which made it indeed one octave lower than the lowest Bb on the piano. Scary! It’s not even a note at that frequency, just a sound effect.

You’ll note that all of the horns in the photo were products of Leblanc Paris. Omitted from the photo were the "bassett clarinet" (which did not exist in their line at that time), the A bass clarinet (which only Selmer has made in modern times, but examples of which have existed since the 1800’s (I used to have an Albert system A bass, manual double octave key and all, that dated to the early 1900’s, so I have personal knowledge with hands on experience in this end of things)), and the clarinet in G (played in Turkey and other such near Balkan locales). So, the Leblanc collection is by no means complete, even if it does include "workshop oddities" (as the English used to term them)…

As for the FB and articulated models, they went out of style and (for the most part) out of production in the 60s.

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About Gandalfe

Just an itinerant saxophonist trying to find life between the changes. I have retired from the Corps of Engineers and Microsoft. I am an admin on the Woodwind Forum, run the Pacifica Big Band (formerly the Microsoft Jumpin' Jive Orchestra) and participate in other ensembles. Mostly enjoy time with family and friends.
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