Clarinet, B-flat
ALTERNATE NAME(S)
- Double-wall clarinet
Date1929-1942 ca.
Place MadeBoston, Massachusetts, United States, North America
ModelThermoclarinet
Serial No.245
SignedStamped on upper part of body: THE / HAYNES CLARINET/ MADE BY / WM.S. HAYNES Co. / BOSTON, MASS. / 245 / PAT. 1715162 / REG. TRADE MARK / BStamped on bell: B / REGISTERED / WSH Co (monogram) / TRADEMARK
MarkingsStamped on barrel just above top socket: B
Description3 sections: barrel, one-piece body, bell. Boehm system; 17 keys, 6 rings; sterling silver body, keys, rings and ferrules; double-wall construction; articulated g-sharp.
The William S. Haynes Company began the manufacture of a double-wall, sterling-silver clarinet, based on the principal of a thermos flask, in 1926. The fabrication of this instrument continued until 1942, resulting in a total production of only 334 examples. It was the only time in the history of the Haynes Company that an instrument other than the flute was produced.
The patent for the thermoclarinet was filed on March 19, 1926, and awarded patent number 1,715,162 on May 28, 1929. The instrument consists of two, hard-drawn, sterling-silver, seamless tubes, one within the other. The bore of the inner tube matches that of a regular wood clarinet. Similarly, the outer tube matches the exterior size of a wood clarinet. Between the two tubes is a one-eighth-inch air space. A small slide, or louver, is placed at the end of the body, just above the bell. This louver can be opened, revealing the inner tube and exposing the air space. When closed, the space between the tubes is air tight. Near the top of the body is a second vent. This consists of an extended tube covered with a metal cap that renders it air tight. When the cap is removed, the outer bore is opened and the inner bore is exposed to the air. The procedure to warm the clarinet is simple. The bottom louver is opened and the top vent cap is removed. The player blows warm air into the top vent, expelling the cold air through the bottom. After several breaths the clarinet is warm and the vents are closed to seal in the warmth. The barrel of the clarinet also features a double bore. It fits tightly over the top of the body forming a tuning slide.
DimensionsOverall length (from top of barrel to bottom of bell): 600 mm
Barrel: 60 mm
One-piece body: 459 mm
Bell: 110 mm
Bore at top of body: 15.1 mm
Bore at bottom of body: 22.4 mm
ProvenanceNo known provenance.
Published ReferencesReeves, Deborah Check. "Historically Speaking." _The Clarinet_ 31, no. 3 (June 2004): 28-29.
Reeves, Deborah Check. "The Haynes (Powell?) Thermos Clarinet." Research paper presentation for AMIS, Boston, June 21, 2002, and ClarinetFest, Salt Lake City, UT, July 9, 2003.
Deborah Reeves, "Historically Speaking," The Clarinet. Vol. 50, No. 3, June 2023, pp. 28-31.
Credit LineRosario Mazzeo Collection, 1995
Object number05838
On View
Not on view
1820-1970 ca.
