Resonance Clarinets

The story began nearly forty years ago, with the help of talented and passionate clarinetists such as François Benda, René Meyer, Michel Westphal, Émile Delrieu, Aart Rozeboom, Thomas Friedli, Curzio Petraglio and Bruno Martinez.

One of the first major projects, supported by Geneva soloist and pedagogue René Meyer, was the creation of an automatic mechanism to obtain a clear B flat. After numerous versions, one was patented and adopted by Buffet Crampon for their basset-horn, alto clarinet and student bass clarinet, still in production today.

As for the RESONANCE clarinet, the standard version is the legacy of the clear B flat designed by E. Schmidt (1912 patent), based on a coaction system. Since 2005, René Hagmann has offered an optional “integral clear B flat”, which separates the function of the B flat hole from that of the twelfth hole, making them independent.

Since 1992, inspired by E. Schmidt’s Boehm Reform system (1910-1935), René Hagmann applied his experimentation to instruments from the French school, with convincing results. These results were confirmed by an acoustic analysis conducted by the EPFL (Swiss federal institute of technology – Lausanne) under the direction of Mario Rossi and Pierre-Alain Bionda. The study revealed notable improvements: a clearer B flat, better overall intonation, and increased resonance of the seventh ring and key n°6.

Buoyed by his success, René Hagmann continued to apply resonance holes to modern French instruments, improving their intonation and sound homogeneity. Since 1990, he has modified numerous instruments for musicians interested in these acoustic innovations.

At the same time, he has designed various basset horn low joints, notably for the Zurich Opera (Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, with M. Leutold) and for the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (soloist: Michel Westphal). He has also made an A basset clarinet for François Benda.

At the “Clarinet in 1800” symposium in Basel in 2002, René Hagmann and François Benda presented their analyses of the Oehler and Boehm systems, and their proposals for improvements to the modern clarinet. It was also in this year that the RESONANCE® project was born, in partnership with François Benda and Jochen Seggelke.

In 2005, he introduced a correction system for the bass (F and E), inspired by the German method and applied to instruments from the French school.

In 2009, he was awarded the Prix de l’Artisanat de la République et Canton de Genève (Geneva Crafts Award), followed in 2016 by the Prix de l’Entreprise Formatrice Genevoise (Geneva Training Company Award), in recognition of the transmission of his knowledge to his collaborators and apprentices.

In 2013, he created an emission and intonation correction system for high E flat, applicable to standard instruments. Since 2015, his innovations concerning B flat and “Schmidt” corrections, including the “Swiss Skill” system, have given rise to numerous concrete applications.

At the end of 2017, Buffet Crampon decided to equip their prestigious Tosca bass clarinets with the Schmidt B-flat system, developed at Servette-Music.

Today, in collaboration with Jochen Seggelke’s workshop in Bamberg, René Hagmann hand-makes RESONANCE® clarinets, the culmination of long years of research and fruitful dialogue with François Benda and Jochen Seggelke. A passionate master craftsman, he listens carefully to his customers and continues to explore new ways to develop the clarinet.

Born in Munich in 1964, Jochen Seggelke grew up in the Black Forest, where he discovered various musical genres through brass ensemble playing and the tutoring of several clarinet teachers.

From 1984 to 1989, he studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Heidelberg-Mannheim under the guidance of Professor Hans Pfeifer. During this period, he performed as a substitute clarinetist in several orchestral ensembles, including the Mannheim and Stuttgart Opera orchestras. After graduating, he became a clarinet teacher at the Municipal School of Music in Weil am Rhein, while deepening his knowledge of historical clarinet interpretation with Pierre-André Taillard. He then joined renowned ensembles such as the Concerto Köln and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, while founding several chamber music ensembles. These include CLARIMONIA, which still exists today and regularly coordinates concerts, workshops and recordings (Bremen Radiohall Records).

Jochen Seggelke has been making clarinets since 1992. He started out in Guntram Wolf’s workshop in Kronach, before setting up his own workshop in 1994. In 1996, he co-founded the company Schwenk & Seggelke with Werner Schwenk, which he has run alone since 2009. Initially focused on the reproduction of historical models, his work is now oriented towards the creation of clarinets of his own design, of German and French obedience, in every conceivable size and tonality, which now make up the bulk of his production.

His development work is distinguished by collaborations with some of the greatest contemporary clarinetists, such as Charles Neidich, Ernesto Molinari, François Benda and Shirley Brill.

Since 2002, he has been collaborating with René Hagmann on the design and development of RESONANCE® clarinets.

As of 2021, Jochen Seggelke has been at the helm of Seggelke GmbH & Co. KG. Recent innovations include a new range of German clarinets for students, developed in partnership with F.A. Uebel and marketed exclusively under the “Seggelke-Line” brand.

Born in Brazil, the Swiss clarinetist François Benda comes from a famous family of musicians. After extensive musical studies (clarinet, composition, conducting) in Graz, Vienna and Geneva, he made a brilliant solo debut in 1988 at the Zürich Tonhalle and the Geneva’s Victoria Hall.

Since 1991, when he was awarded the prestigious Italian Press Prize “Premio Internationale per le Arti dello Spettacolo Gino Tani” in Rome, he has performed in the world’s renowned concert halls (Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Musikverein, Concertgebow Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall London, Tonhalle Zurich, Cologne Philharmonic, Hercules Saal Munich) and as soloist with leading orchestras (Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Sinfonieorchester Basel, Wiener Kammerphilharmonie).

His extensive discography (for the ECM, Fono, EPU, Hänssle and Genuin labels) includes the complete works for clarinet by Johannes Brahms, as well as works for clarinet and orchestra by Nielsen, Debussy, Busoni and Rossini. He has also recorded a CD dedicated to Robert Schumann for the composer’s 200th birthday, as well as a CD dedicated to French music entitled “Clarinette à la carte”. Finally, he recorded K.Pendercki’s complete works for clarinet and orchestra, commemorating the composer’s 85th birthday, as well as W.A. Mozart’s clarinet concerto for the Artist Consort edition with a basset clarinet developed for that purpose.

François Benda devotes himself to both the classical and contemporary repertoires, both as a clarinetist (collaboration and first performances of works by Heinz Holliger, Elliott Carter, Luciano Berio, Krystof Penderecki, Bernhard Lang, Wolfgang von Schweinitz) and as a conductor.

As a soloist and much sought-after chamber musician, he performs at numerous international festivals such as Berliner Festwochen, Styriarte, Musicades Lyon, Ittinger Pfingstkonzerte, Accademia Filarmonica Romana and others, as chamber music partner to Heinz Holliger, Paul Badura-Skoda, Bruno Giuranna, Isabelle Faust, Josef Silverstein and Bruno Canino.

François Benda is also an internationally renowned teacher of his instrument and of chamber music. He is a titular professor at the Berlin University of the Arts, and teaches at the Basel University of Music, as well as at the ¨Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana¨ in Lugano.

Since 2002, he has been collaborating with René Hagmann and Jochen Seggelke on the design and development of RESONANCE® clarinets.