G Langenus was the New York Symphony’s principal clarinetist. He was
most world reknowned by his involvement in the transition to the Boehm keywork
system rearranging teaching method. He was also know in his clarinet
mouthpiece design and his superb and rare clarinets. He was apparently
idolized by Bennny Goodman and BG apparently used Langenus mouthpieces
throughout his entire career. The mouthpieces can apparently be superb
though the quality is often overlooked by traditional clarinetists as their
design is not normal as he was known for his “duckbill” design. His
clarinets, though quite rare, are ranked with the best in the world at his time
of the 1920s through 1940s. The clarinets were supposedly made by the
Hofinger company. They may have had multiple models as it was noted one
model had pot metal keys which are very soft and can melt easily at high heat.