Clarinet, nominal pitch: B♭

John Hale

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Instrument

Clarinet/Clarinets/Wind/Musical Instrument ; Clarinet

Instrument Family

Wind

Maker

John Hale

Place Made

London ; Europe ; England ; United Kingdom

Date Made

Circa 1790

Description

Technical description: Boxwood with ivory ferrules and bell-rim and brass keys; Five pieces: mouthpiece, barrel, upper section, middle section with holes for the fingers of the right hand, lower section and bell in one piece. Barrel not waisted, but swells at base; has simple ferrules. Upper section: both key-rings of rectangular section, ornamented with a central groove: slight flare above lower tenon; speaker liner projects into bore. Middle section: wide ferrule of quarter-round section: similar flare above tenon. Ferrule works as a thumb rest. Lower section and bell integral: upper ferrule ornamented with ridges and grooves at top edge; keys mounted in a bell-shaped swelling; bascule mounted in a half-round ring; two blocks guide C♯ key; C♮ hole heavily undercut. Bell rim continues flare of wood to an angled edge (Cf. those of Collier). The E♭ key has unusually small head. L0: T; Speaker with "high-flying" touch. L1: T; A♮ with similar touch. L2: T. L3: T. L4: E/B♮ bascule; zig-zag F♯/C♯. R1: T. R2: T. R3: T. R4: E♭. Keyhead type: flat,square. Keymount type: turned rings; SATK. Signature marks: Stamped on all parts with fleur-de-lys / "I. HALE / LONDON / I". Usable pitch: A₄ = a little above 440 Hz. The bell-rim chipped in two places; there is also a small chip from wood of bascule ring. Mouthpiece missing. Specific literature references: Phillips auction catalogue 13.11.85, lot 11; Young 1993, No. 10. Current ownership: Purchased with assistance from the Government's Local Museums Purchase Fund and the National Heritage Memorial Fund, 1986.

Notes

T.K. Dibley, August 1991, August 1992; pitch tested by H. Lowe, 198x; H. Fricke, July 2005.

Measurements

604 to top of barrel.

Provenance

Purchased with assistance from the Government's Local Museums Purchase Fund and the National Heritage Memorial Fund, 1986.

Collection

MIMEd

Accession Number

2558

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