Schwenk & Seggelke

Seggelke Klarinetten (GmbH & Co. KG), is a German clarinet manufacturer based in Bamberg in the Bavarian Upper Franconia. The company manufactures clarinets according to the German system (Oehler system) and the French system (Boehm system) as well as in a combination of both systems, starting from the Boehm system (so-called modular design).[1][2] A specialty of the company is the reproduction of historical clarinets.[3][4]

Seggelke Klarinetten
GmbH & Co. KG
Genreinstrument makers
Founded1996 as Schwenk & Seggelke. In 2020 the name was changed to Seggelke Klarinetten GmbH & Co. KG.
Headquarters
Bamberg Germany
Key people
Jochen Seggelke
ProductsClarinets
Number of employees
15 (2019)
WebsiteWebsite english
Basset horn, German and French System, awarded several times
Set of clarinets (in A and Bb) from mopane, French System
Part of boxwood clarinet (german system)
Basset clarinet from cocobolo with bell pointed upwards (French system)

History

The company was founded in 1996 as a company by the clarinet maker Werner Schwenk and the clarinet maker and clarinetist Jochen Seggelke, based in Tübingen and Bamberg. In 1998, the two production facilities were merged in Bamberg. In 2002, the company moved there larger premises. The co-shareholder Werner Schwenk retired from the company in 2013, which has since been continued by Jochen Seggelke as a sole proprietorship. In 2020 the company was transferred to the newly founded company Seggelke Klarinetten GmbH & Co. KG. The name Schwenk and Seggelke will be continued as a brand name (label).[2]

Products

In all of the above three designs, the company offers the full range of clarinet from high A flat to low G, including basset clarinets in A and B♭ and G (!), as well as basset horn in F and bass clarinet in B♭. All basset and bass clarinets and basset horns extend down to a low C.[5]

All instruments are individually configurable in terms of equipment (bore, type of wood, mechanical equipment, and their finishing).[6] There are also replicas of 10 historical instruments in different moods, of which two models are offered in B♭ and A.[7] Not in the program: the alto clarinet in E flat (looks similar to a basset horn) and the extremely rare contra alto clarinet.

The manufacturer S & S has developed several improvements of the mechanics and the soundhole drilling for their clarinets.[8] All instruments are made of wood, mainly of grenadilla wood, but also cocobolo, mopane and boxwood are available, the latter, especially for the historical replicas. The instruments are built to order and primarily for professional clarinetists and are in the top price range. In addition, S & S sells clarinets in the low and middle price range produced by the company F. Arthur Uebel, in a revised form in their own workshop. Since 2014 Jochen Seggelke avised this company in acoustic and technical questions.[9][10][11]

Awards

In March 2006, the newly developed basset horn was awarded the Bavarian State Prize, after S & S already received a design award in 2004.[12] Instead of the usual metal bow between the mouthpiece and the upper joint, the instrument is equipped with a normal barrel and a bent connecting piece between the barrel and the upper joint each made of wood. In 2013, the E flat clarinet model 2000 received the German Musical Instrument Award [13]

Sales areas

Around one-third of Seggelke Klarinetten products are sold in Germany, the rest in Europe and overseas.[14]

References
  1. Alan Hacker: A NEW CLARINET, Article in the magazine Clarinet & Saxophone Spring 2005, Vol. 30, Nr. 1, p. 20–21 (no longer online)
  2. Gisbert König, Eine Reise durch die deutsche Klarinettenbaulandschaft (A journey through the German clarinet making landscape) in 'rohrblatt - die Zeitschrift für Oboe, Klarinette, Saxophon und Fagott (the magazine for oboe, clarinet, saxophone and bassoon) 38 (2023), vol. 3 p. 107-117, PDF-file, here p. 115 Seggelke Klarinetten GmbH & Co. KG (in German)]
  3. "History". schwenk-und-seggelke.de.
  4. Hans Dieter Grünefeld interviews the american clarinetist Charles Neidich obout classical music and his replicas of historical clarinets made by Schwenk & Seggelke
  5. Thomas Grass, Dietrich Demus, Das Bassetthorn und seine Entwicklung (The Basset horn and its development), p. 21, 22
  6. see the corresponding configurators on the website
  7. "Reproductions of Period Clarinets". schwenk-und-seggelke.de.
  8. "Our Clarinets - The Features".
  9. "Seggelke-Line". schwenk-und-seggelke.de.
  10. For the complete paragraph: Andreas Schwarze, Klarinetten aus dem Herzen Bambergs, March 24, 2017 (Translation: Andreas Schwarze, Clarinets from the heart of Bamberg)
  11. For the complete paragraph: Exempla 2009, Der Klarinettenbauer Schwenk & Seggelke, Bamberg
  12. Urkunde und Zeitungsausschnitt „Bamberger Firma gehört zur Welt-Elite der Klarinettenbauer“ (Translation: "Certificate and newspaper excerpt" Bamberger company belongs to the world elite of the clarinet makers"
  13. Handwerkskammer Oberfranken "Deutscher Musikinstrumentenpreis für Schwenk & Seggelke" April 12th, 2013 (Translation: Craft Chamber Upper Franconia: "German Musical Instrument Prize for Schwenk & Seggelke")
  14. "Deutsche Handwerkszeitung 9/2013", 4th paragraph
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