CONTENTS History 4 Tosca 6 BORE DESIGNS* Festival • Vintage 8-10 1955 R13 • R13 Prestige 1985 RC • RC Prestige Festival 1987 • Vintage 1996 12-13 1975 RC • RC Prestige 1976 Eb - D - C 1994 Green Line R13 • R13 Prestige 14-15 2003 * Bore: internal diameter of the clarinet Eb • D • C 16 Green Line 18 Student clarinets 22-29 Accessories Basset A clarinet 30 Basset horn 31 Green Line bass clarinets 32 Prestige bass clarinets 33 Alto clarinet 34 Contra-alto clarinet 35 Accessories 38 PHOTOS: Stéphane OUZOUNOFF - Lionel TUCHBAND - Denis GLIKSMAN - CARRÉ Images® BUFFET CRAMPON SINCE 1825 Buffet Crampon employees in 1880 In 1825 a French “luthier”, Denis Buffet, established his workshop in the heart of Paris. He quickly became well-known in the music world for developing the excellent 13-key clarinet. At that time, clarinets were entirely hand-made, which required extensive experience and craftsmanship. IIn 1830, Jean-Louis Buffet (Denis’ son) took over the business. He married Zoé Crampon in 1836, and the famous Buffet Crampon brand name was created. The logo used today first appeared in 1844. Louis-Auguste Buffet (Jean-Louis’ uncle) met the clarinettist Hyacinthe Klosé, a virtuoso musician and a teacher, at the Paris conservatory. These two men, the technician and the artist, started working together. They took the idea of movable rings, developed by the German Theobald Boehm for the flute, and adapted it to the clarinet. First exhibited in 1839, and patented later in 1843, this new system was The finishing workshop, 1930 very successful, and in order to meet demand, the Buffet Crampon factory was built in 1850 in Mantes- la-Ville, west of Paris. As early as 1866, Buffet Crampon was producing its first saxophones, 20 years after the invention of this instrument by the Belgian Adolphe Sax. Buffet Crampon has received many awards for the quality of its instruments, notably in 1889 during the Universal Exhibition in Paris. Buffet Crampon became the exclusive supplier for the conservatory of Paris, the “Concerts Lamoureux”, the famous Toscanini orchestra in New York. Soloists of the ‘Opéra de Paris’ and the ‘Opéra Comique’ preferred the instruments of Buffet Crampon over other brands. In 1918, Buffet Crampon entered the American market and established its position as the leader in the world of professional clarinets. Bore finition In 1921, a young beginner, Robert Carrée, was hired by the company. He was an extremely talented acoustic technician, and developed the R13 clarinet in 1950 and the RC in 1975. These in turn led to the creation of the Festival and Prestige professional models. 5 Louis-Auguste Buffet, 1862 The factory modernizes its workshops and has adopted modern technology, but remains faithful to its original standards for quality. In 1981, Buffet Crampon was bought by the famous music publisher, Boosey & Hawkes, of London. Buffet Crampon has always had a tradition of innovation. In 1994, a new material was created and named Green Line. This innovative material is composed 95% of ebony powder and 5% of carbon fibre, eliminating the risk of cracking while maintaining the acoustic qualities of wood. Today the range is used worldwide by the greatest professional clarinet and oboe players. Passage du Grand-Cerf, Paris In 2003, Boosey & Hawkes separated from the cream of the crop in French wind instrument manufacturing, to join The Music Group, and in 2005 Buffet Crampon again became independent. In 2006, Buffet Crampon acquired two famous brass instrument brands, Antoine Courtois Paris (created in 1803) and Besson (created in 1837). The company became Groupe Buffet Crampon, with two subsidiaries, in the United States and Japan, and in November 2007, it appointed Antoine Beaussant as new Chief Executive Officer. Since its inception, the company has ranked first amongst clarinet manufacturers, owing to its unrivalled expertise, innovative approach and modernised facilities, from which Buffet Crampon oboes, bassoons, flutes and saxophones also benefit. The tradition, the spirit of the company and the musicians accompaniment have been, since 1825, and are now more than ever the centre of the dynamic of Buffet Crampon. TOSCA A musical must Raised C# - G# tone hole Bb reated by the combined talents of BUFFET CRAMPON luthiers and Low F correction key well known artists like Michel Arrignon, Romain Guyot, Pascal CMoraguès, Guy Deplus and Paul Meyer, the Tosca clarinet possesses an incomparable level of style and elegance. This clarinet from the XXIst century is the evolutionary result of most advanced materials and manufacturing techniques. Unanimously musicians from all the continents found in this clarinet the answer to their intimate musical quest. The Tosca clarinet offers a generous velvet sound rich in warmth and unrivalled in its stability and consistency of intonation. 7 Pitch Barrel PROFESSIONAL 442 / 440 length (mm) Bb BC1150L 65 / 66 The smoothly shaped design of the new keywork A BC1250L 65 / 66 gives a heightened level of comfort and sensation. Bb BC1150GL 65 / 66 Made in premium selected African blackwood A BC1250GL 65 / 66 or material, the Tosca innovates with a new perfectly crafted bore design. Technical features on pages 20/21 The most of BUFFET CRAMPON clarinets range benefits from the high level of tradition and know how of BUFFET CRAMPON artwork. Equipped with a low F correction key, raised C# - G# tone hole, GT and cork pads, the Tosca clarinet is available in Bb and A. A NEW ACOUSTICAL OPTION: intonation correction key for low E (on request) FESTIVAL A colourful sound for each talent Festival Bb hree international renowned artists Jacques Lancelot, Guy Deplus and Michel Arrignon collaborated to produce the Festival clarinet. TIt meets the needs of today’s musicians and teachers who are faced with the difficult task of interpreting a wide repertoire of works from Mozart to Boulez. Musicians will certainly appreciate its depth of sound, which is particularly warm. The tone and precision of this instrument are in perfect harmony. The Festival belongs to the R13 bore family and has a rich powerful fluid tone. 9 Pitch Barrel PROFESSIONAL 442 / 440 length (mm) Festival Bb BC1139L 65 / 66 Festival A BC1239L 65 / 66 Technical specifications: Festival Bb BC1139GL 65 / 66 • The body is in African blackwood, chosen, dried and tested with care Festival A BC1239GL 65 / 66 • High precision bore • Undercut tone holes Technical features on pages 20/21 • Keywork in nickel silver, pre-plated in copper, then silver plated, cold power forged • Rods and pivot screws in stainless steel, adjusted by master craftsmen • Pointed needle springs • GT pads • Eb / Ab lever Festival A • Adjustable thumb rest VINTAGE A highly colourful clarinet he Vintage clarinet was designed in 1996 by René Lesieux, master craftsman for over 40 years and responsible for instrument research and Tdevelopment at BUFFET CRAMPON. In creating the Vintage, BUFFET CRAMPON specially wanted to satisfy American musicians, wishing to find the same features and sound that they had with their 1950’s R13 clarinet. Today the Vintage has charmed many clarinettists over the world. They choose the Vintage for its fluid, focused tone, its homogeneity in all registers, and its easy response. 11 Pitch Barrel PROFESSIONAL 442 / 440 length (mm) Vintage Bb BC1131LV 66 / 66V Vintage A BC1231LV 66 / 66V The Vintage A has a special bore designed to provide a previously unreached level of flexibility and remarkable Technical features on pages 20/21 tuning with a warmth in all registers. The D / A and G# / C# tone holes have been raised. The Vintage clarinet comes with both a cylindrical and a double conical barrel. Vintage Bb RC • RC PRESTIGE Robert Carrée in 1930 RC Bb RC he RC clarinet lives up to musicians expectations and gives them great Tfreedom of expression. Developed in 1975 by the extremely talented luthier Robert Carrée, who plays an important role in the history of BUFFET CRAMPON, the RC clarinet has a pure, sweet sound. The exclusive design of the RC bore results in easy response and a homogeneity in all registers. This clarinet, which also has great stability, has won over innumerable musicians throughout Europe. 13 Barrel PROFESSIONAL Pitch length (mm) RC* Bb BC1111 440 66 RC RC* A BC1211 440 65 PRESTIGE RC*• Bb BC1113 442 65 RC* A BC1213 442 64,5 Numerous improvements have been made to the famous RC Eb BC1512 442 / 440 40,5 / 41,5 RC Prestige, now its already remarkable tone is even RC Prestige• Bb BC1106L 440 66 better: the shape of the bell plays a major role in adding RC Prestige A BC1206L 440 65 warmth and focus. RC Prestige• Bb BC1107L 442 65 Carefully chosen quality materials, the talents of the best RC Prestige A BC1207L 442 64 craftsmen, cutting-edge technology and unparalleled RC Prestige• Eb BC1507 442 / 440 41,5 / 42,2 skills come together in the RC Prestige. RC Prestige D BC1407 442 / 440 40,5 / 41,5 RC Prestige C BC1607 442 / 440 45,5 /,47,5 Technical specifications: •The body is in African blackwood, selected, dried and tested with care Technical features on pages 20/21 * Eb lever in option •High precision bore RC Prestige Bb • Available in Green Line •Undercutting of tone holes carried out according to BUFFET CRAMPON strict specifications •Keywork in nickel silver, pre-plated in copper, then silver plated, cold power forged •Rods and pivot screws in stainless steel and fine tuned. •Pointed needle springs •GT pads (RC Prestige) •Eb / Ab lever (RC Prestige) • The upper and lower joint tenons come with metal rings which reduce the risk of cracks (RC Prestige) R13 • R13 PRESTIGE The legendary choice R13 Bb R13 hroughout its long lifetime, BUFFET CRAMPON has developed the most complete range of clarinets and always taking into account the require- Tments of musicians, conductors and composers.