On Jun 7, 2007, at 2:36 PM, John Howell wrote:
At 1:25 PM -0400 6/7/07, Raymond Horton wrote:
For starters, don't expect taxonomy to be logical!! We're talking
about musicians, remember!?
Just what exactly about altos is that clarinet "against"? The
low clarinet in Eb can be a bass, or a double bass, or even a
contrabass (which _has_ come to mean something) , but there is no
way that "contra-alto" can mean "double alto" which is what I
presume it is meant to mean.
Actually that's exactly what it does mean, since it is twice the
length and one octave below the alto in Eb. And since we all know
exactly what it means, trying to change the common name is a lost
cause, even if it is a dumb and awkward name. (Witness the "bass"
trumpet, which is a tenor instrument, and the rest of this
interesting thread.)
And may I point out the ridiculous juxtaposition of the names "bass
trombone" which was applied to an instrument with a G fundamental,
whereas an instrument with an F fundamental suddenly becomes a
"contrabass trombone".
No sense at all.
Christopher
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