What clarinet do I use.
I am transcribing a Strauss waltz (for orchestra) that has two clarinet parts. Both are noted as Clarinet in B on the score and I assume this is a B Flat clarinet as there is no instrument without the flat in the instrument catalog and perhaps this was common why to refer to it by German speaking composers. The key signatures appear to match the score when I use it. Later in the score one changes to Clarinet in ES. All I can find int the instrument catalog is an E flat. The key signature for this appears to be a semitone higher than the B flat instrument as the key signature for the ES instrument has an added sharp or one fewer flats in the key signature. Is this an E flat instrument in Musescore? If not what is it.
Comments
It is an E flat Clarinet for sure. Strauss uses one in Tales from the Vienna Woods which I remember well as I bought my first Eb clarinet to play it.
In reply to It is an E flat Clarinet for… by SteveBlower
Looks like from a transpose issue alone I need a major sixth to get the E flat major to display in key of C so let me see what E Flat does.
German note naming conventions: “B”=English “B-flat” (“H”=English “B natural”); “Es”=English “E-flat”. So yes, your assumptions are correct.
Here is a comparison of the German and English names for some clarinet types:
![Clarinet_German-English.png]( "Clarinet_German-English.png")
Note names in German:
All flats have the extension 's' or 'es' like As or Ges for A♭ or G♭. (Ces, Des, Es, Fes, Ges, As, B)
All notenames with a sharp are added by a 'is' like Cis or Ais for C# or A# (Cis, Dis, Eis, Fis, Gis, Ais, His)
The big exception has already been mentioned: the German note name H is B in English and the German B is B♭ in English.
This occasionally leads to misunderstandings ...