Samuel Adler, in his book _The Study of Orchestration,_ says that: "The major reason instruments at different transpositions were used was to avoid too many accidentals before the mechanical systems on these instruments were perfected." The New College Encyclopedia of Music says that one reason for transposing instruments' existence is to avoid "large numbers of leger lines." Transposing instruments also help people like clarinetists by allowing them to avoid different sets of fingerings for their Eb, D, Bb, and A clarinets (not to mention the basset horn in F). My 1945 Harvard Dictionary of Music says: "The use of transposing instruments or, more accurately, of transposing notation, dates back to the period (18th century) when only the natural tones were available. With the introduction of valves and keys the difference of facility in playing in the various keys was greatly diminished, and eventually almost completely eliminated. Therefore, from the present point of view, the transposed notation must be considered as inappropriate and antiquated. Its abolishment is particularly desirable from the standpoint of the orchestral conductor and, still more so, from that of the layman for whom the presence of six or seven different types of transposed notations offers the chief obstacle to the study of orchestral scores. Yet, contrary to the general progressiveness of our time, the transposed notation has successfully maintained its traditional place." I have a theory book (Benward and White's _Music in Theory and Practice,_ I believe; it's not available to me right now) that claims that transposing instruments are no longer necessary -- we have the technology to create C instruments of any kind -- but the kind of large-scale change that would necessitate would require people to buy new instruments and all music publishers to reprint old music. Although it seems like that would be a great way for publishers to pick up a few extra dollars, I don't think orchestras would like it very much. In one fell swoop, it would make obsolete several hundred years' worth of music. Sorry for the long post -- hope this helps! Jeff Grossman <[log in to unmask]> [Sure does. Makes perfect sense. Thanks, Jeff. -Dave]