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ACQUISITIONS
bigger sound and flexibility in producing a rich personal tone. This is a very different instrument from the now-dominant, technically easier and lighter-toned Boehm-system instruments used by most clarinetists since the 1930s. What makes this Bechet instrument even more rare is that it is a plateau clarinet, meaning that it has seven covered tone holes (normally, these holes are uncovered). The rarely seen plateau clarinets are made for persons who have difficulty covering the open holes with their fingers— for example, a small child or someone with some physical impairment or limitations.
Bechet rarely played clarinet during his later years and did not record on it after 1950. On his classic clarinet recordings made between the 1920s and ’40s he mainly used regular Selmer Company-brand Albert-system clarinets. He acquired the Couesnon plateau clarinet at some point during the mid- to late 1950s but was never photographed with the instrument. Although it remains uncertain why Bechet had such an unusual instrument, he probably did not play it often. It could have been a gift from the instrument maker, a musician, or a fan who wanted to hear Bechet’s lyrical clarinet sound again. Bechet had often complained about the difficulties of clarinet playing and may have wanted the plateau model to see if covered tone holes, like those on the soprano saxophone, would make it easier to play—especially as he began to slow down as he got older. It is also possible that Bechet could have bought the plateau clarinet for his son Daniel (b. 1954), who was only five years old when his father died. The plateau model would have been a likely choice for the small-fingered child to first learn the clarinet.
No matter the reason or circumstances for Sidney Bechet having a B-flat Albert-system plateau clarinet, this instrument is a very valuable piece to add to The Collection’s holdings. It is a small part in the story of one of the greatest instrumental voices the world has ever known. The fact that Sidney Bechet owned it, touched it, and breathed his magical sound into it makes this instrument a rare gem. —MICHAEL G. WHITE,
JAZZ CLARINETIST, HISTORIAN, AND XAVIER UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR
RECENT ADDITIONS
Armstrong’s Homecoming, Maritime Finds, and a Dressmaker Abroad
Henry Wight Diman Letter j Gunboat Kineo Watercolor
2015.0303, 2015.0305
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26 The Historic New Orleans Collection Quarterly