[BRAVURA] What does this represent?

[OCTO]

There are many glyphs that I don't understand in Bravura, but this one (and so similar) are unknown to me, what does it represent?

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[wess-music]

Bass clarinet clef, I guess.

[Knut]

Bass clarinet clef, I guess.

Bravura (and SMuFL) includes an entire range of such ligatures, indicating precise transpositions. They might be especially useful for educational purposes within currently available instruments or as specification for any new ones that might come along.

[RMK]

I've been a professional clarinetist for more than 40 years and have never seen this clef. Anyway 9 would be an incorrect transposition for bass clarinet, since it is transposed a major ninth higher than written (usually, but let's not open *that* can of worms).

[OCTO]

It is definitely not for the clarinet.

But what is this?

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Or this?

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Maybe for Schenker-analyzis?

[Knut]

As I said in my earlier post, these clefs are all for indicating specific intervals of transposition independent of any specific instrument. Many of them have no practical purpose with regard to instrumentation, and are (probably) meant for musical analysis.

[John Ruggero]

Schenker never used such aberrations, and I hope no current or future analyst would either.

[Knut]

Schenker never used such aberrations, and I hope no current or future analyst would either.

There would be no reason to use them in Schenker analysis, as far as I can see. However, they might be used to signify the transposition of a theme or motive.

To be honest, I've never come across such clefs myself either, but since their inclusion in SMuFL implies that they are indeed in actual use (although the bar for obscurity is set pretty low).

Hopefully, Daniel will be able to shed some more light one the semantics of these symbols.

[John Ruggero]

I smell an absurd desire for "completeness", i.e., if there is a treble sign with a 8 symbol, why not one with a 1, a 2, a 3 etc?
Wait, why not one with a 1#, a 2# etc. (Shouldn't that be #1, #2?) And why not double sharps and flats? And in all clefs, including alto and tenor?

And now that all of these "exist", someone will begin to use them to place more clutter in a score.

And all because of that original octave symbol that no one needed for several centuries and no one needs today, because anyone who can read a score knows the standard transpositions and anyone who plays the instrument in question doesn't need it either.

But don't get me going...

[Knut]

I smell an absurd desire for "completeness", i.e., if there is a treble sign with a 8 symbol, why not one with a 1, a 2, a 3 etc?

Those are indeed included in SMuFL as well.