Help me understand this clarinetist!

[Elian Degen]

Hello Everybody

Let me try to shed some light on this matter

I am a piano tuner and technician in Caracas, Venezuela, and several years
ago they built a very big, and modern thatre and for the opening, and
because of a very important national festivity, Venezuela invited orqestas
from all over the world to play here, some of the orquestas were: New York
Philarmonic Orquestra, Zurich Chamber Orquestra, Hamburg Orq. Saint Paul
Chamber Orq. Paris Opera. London Festival Ballet, Israel Philarmonic Orq.
Vienna. Preservation Jazz Band and many more, the festival lasted one year,
and I was appointed to tune the pianos ( sorry about misspellings, I am
translating the names ).

My experience with this Orquestas was as it follows, despite of any rules.

U.S. Orquestas used mainly as standard A440 depending were they came from,
and sometimes A442 despite of the fact that almost all of them told me that
the standard for them was A442

European Orquestas asked from 442 up to 448 unless they used singers, they
seamed to have problems with a high pitch.

Normally the Clarinet ( and I also know they can change the pitch, )  would
state he could not, but mainly because he was already used and confortable
as he allways played.

So I think it has became a habit and it also depends what life school they
had.

Thatīs my opinion.