Why we should love the Alto Clarinet | Interesting Instruments

A video about one of the most unfairly derided woodwind instruments: the E flat Alto Clarinet. As a composer, I am 'Pro-Alto'! Timestamps: 0:06 What is an Alto Clarinet? 0:19 Related Instruments: The Basset Horn 0:57 Which instrument do composers write for? 2:05 How can this be confusing? 4:18 What's the deal with the Alto Clarinet? 5:12 Problems: reasons why people might hate the Alto 8:00 How to write for the Alto Clarinet; What the Alto Clarinet can do 10:05 Effective scoring combinations 10:48 Alto Clarinet in the orchestra 11:58 Josef Holbrooke's use of the Alto Clarinet (orchestra) 13:00 The Alto Clarinet in the modern wind band 14:20 Scoring tips in a wind band using the Alto Clarinet 16:51 Summary of the Alto Clarinet's capabilities; call to composers and bands to embrace it and use it! Points raised include: -The Alto Clarinet's place in the clarinet family, and a comparison with its relative, the Basset Horn -An exploration of a couple of arguments that exist with regard to the possiblity of changing the instrument's name to Tenor Clarinet -Why the Bass Clarinet may have usurped the Alto in the orchestra in the 19th century -Various reasons as to why people hate or ridicule the instrument -How to write for the instrument; reference to its low, middle & high registers with some examples; what the instrument can do -Scoring combinations and instrument pairings that are effective -Use of the Alto Clarinet in the orchestra, with reference to Josef Holbrooke's treatment of the Alto Clarinet/Basset Horn in a few of his works -The Alto's place in the wind band today; and how including it gives the Bass Clarinet a bit of a much-needed break -Orchestration examples showing various ways of employing the Alto Clarinet in the woodwind section in a band; how it can add depth, lighten the texture, carry the melody, add strength to a melody in the alto/tenor register, and contribute to a full woodwind tutti -Summary of why we should be using the Alto more Patreon:   / danthefugueguy   www.danielbasford.co.uk Further info: Mozart Divertimento (audio excerpt at 1:45) - full live performance:    • Mozart - Divertimento No. 1 for Three Bass...   The performance of 'Rufford Park Poachers' from Lincolnshire Posy (Grainger) is from Dallas Wind Symphony, cond. Junkin, Reference Recordings 2012    • Lincolnshire Posy: III. Rufford Park Poachers  . This excerpt is used under Fair Use/Fair Dealing as it forms part of an educational discussion and informative video, and is not detrimental to the market. My orchestration of Bach's Passacaglia & Fugue in C minor BWV 582 for band (excerpt shown 8:50) is available at https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/... Further reading & sources of some info: Alto Clarinet: The Endangered Species of the American Band (Mark Wolbers) https://depts.washington.edu/uwwinds/... The Unrealised Potential of the Alto Clarinet (Annabelle Inhyung Hwang) - includes a comprehensive discussion on extended techniques https://na-st01.ext.exlibrisgroup.com... A clip from Family Guy (dubbed in German) is used under Fair Use/Fair Dealing as (a) it is employed out of context; (b) is transformative in nature; and (c) is not detirmental to the market. #altoclarinet #clarinet #windband