Clarinet

The clarinet is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument. Like

many wind instruments, clarinets are made in several different Clarinet
sizes, each having its own range of pitches. All have a nearly-
cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and utilize a mouthpiece with a
single reed. A person who plays a clarinet is called a clarinetist
(sometimes spelled clarinettist).

While the similarity in sound between the earliest clarinets and the
trumpet may hold a clue to its name, other factors may have been
involved. During the Late Baroque era, composers such as Bach
and Handel were making new demands on the skills of their
trumpeters, who were often required to play difficult melodic
passages in the high, or as it came to be called, "clarion" register.
Since the trumpets of this time had no valves or pistons, melodic
passages would often require the use of the highest part of the
trumpet's range, where the harmonics were close enough together
to produce scales of adjacent notes. The trumpet parts that required
this specialty were known by the term clarino and this in turn
came to apply to the musicians themselves. The word clarinet may
have come from the diminutive version of the clarion or clarino B♭ clarinets (Boehm and Oehler
and it has been suggested that clarino players may have helped fingering system)
themselves out by playing particularly difficult passages on these
newly developed "mock trumpets".[1] Woodwind instrument
Classification
Johann Christoph Denner is generally believed to have invented Wind
the clarinet in Germany around the year 1700 by adding a register Woodwind
key to the earlier chalumeau, usually in the key of C. Over time, Single-reed
additional keywork and airtight pads were added to improve the
tone and playability.[2] Hornbostel– 422.211.2–71
Sachs (Single-reeded
The most common clarinet is the B ♭ clarinet. The clarinet in A, classification aerophone with
pitched a semitone lower, is also regularly used in orchestral, keys)
chamber, and solo music. The bass clarinet has been common in
Playing range
orchestras since the middle of the 19th century. The modern bass
clarinet is in B♭ but has extra keys to extend the register down to
low written C3. The clarinet family ranges from the (extremely
rare) BBB♭ octo-contrabass to the A♭ piccolo clarinet. The clarinet
is used in classical music, concert bands, military bands, marching
bands, klezmer, jazz, and other styles. Written range Sounding range
(though it is Bb-clarinet
possible to play

Contents higher)

Etymology Related instruments

Characteristics
 Sound Clarinet d'amore
Range Basset horn
Acoustics Saxophone
Construction Tárogató
Materials
Oboe
Reed
Chalumeau
Components
Keywork Musicians

History Clarinetists
Lineage
Pads
Keywork and toneholes
Usage and repertoire
Use of multiple clarinets
Classical music
Jazz
Other genres
Groups of clarinets
Extended family of clarinets
See also
References
Citations
Cited sources
Further reading
External links

Etymology
The word clarinet may have entered the English language via the French clarinette (the feminine
diminutive of Old French clarin or clarion), or from Provençal clarin, "oboe".[3] It is ultimately from the
Latin root clarus ("clear"). [4]

It would seem, however, that its real roots are to be found among some of the various names for trumpets
used around the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Clarion, clarin, and the Italian clarino are all derived from
the medieval term claro, which referred to an early form of trumpet.[5] This is probably the origin of the
Italian clarinetto, itself a diminutive of clarino, and consequently of the European equivalents such as
clarinette in French or the German Klarinette. According to Johann Gottfried Walther, writing in 1732, the
reason for the name is that "it sounded from far off not unlike a trumpet". The English form clarinet is
found as early as 1733, and the now-archaic clarionet appears from 1784 until the early years of the 20th
century.[6]

Characteristics
Sound

The clarinet's cylindrical bore is the main reason for its distinctive timbre, which varies between the three
main registers (the chalumeau, clarion, and altissimo). Tone quality can vary greatly with the clarinetist,
music, instrument, mouthpiece, and reed. Beginning in the late 18th century, geographical isolation of
clarinetists and differences in instruments led to the development of several different schools of playing.
The most prominent were the German/Viennese traditions and French school. The latter was centered on
the clarinetists of the Conservatoire de Paris.[7]

The A and B♭ clarinets have nearly the same bore and use the same mouthpiece.[8] It is possible to use the
same mouthpiece, and even the same barrel, for both (see 'usage' below). The A and B ♭ have nearly
identical tonal quality, although the A typically has a slightly warmer sound. The tone of the E♭ clarinet is
brighter and can be heard through loud orchestral or concert band textures.[9] The bass clarinet has a
characteristically deep, mellow sound, and the alto clarinet sounds similar to the bass, though not as
dark.[10]

Range

Clarinets have the largest pitch range of common woodwinds.[11] The intricate key organization that makes
this possible can make the playability of some passages awkward. The bottom of the clarinet's written range
is defined by the keywork on each instrument, standard keywork schemes allowing a low E on the
common B♭ clarinet. The lowest concert pitch depends on the transposition of the instrument in question.
The nominal highest note of the B♭ clarinet is a semitone higher than the highest note of the oboe but this
depends on the setup and skill of the player. Since the clarinet has a wider range of notes, the lowest note of
the B♭ clarinet is significantly deeper (a minor or major sixth) than the lowest note of the oboe.[12]

Nearly all soprano and piccolo clarinets have keywork enabling them to play the E below middle C as their
lowest written note (in scientific pitch notation that sounds D3 on a soprano clarinet or C4 , i.e. concert
middle C, on a piccolo clarinet), though some B♭ clarinets go down to E♭ 3 to enable them to match the
range of the A clarinet.[13] On the B♭ soprano clarinet, the concert pitch of the lowest note is D3 , a whole
tone lower than the written pitch. Most alto and bass clarinets have an extra key to allow a (written) E♭ 3 .
Modern professional-quality bass clarinets generally have additional keywork to written C3 .[14] Among the
less commonly encountered members of the clarinet family, contra-alto and contrabass clarinets may have
keywork to written E♭3 , D3 , or C3 ;[15] the basset clarinet and basset horn generally go to low C3 .[16]

Defining the top end of a clarinet's range is difficult,

since many advanced players can produce notes well
above the highest notes commonly found in method
Basset clarinet with bell pointed upwards books. G6 is usually the highest note clarinetists
(Schwenk & Seggelke) encounter in classical repertoire.[17] The C above that
(C7 i.e. resting on the fifth ledger line above the treble
staff) is attainable by advanced players and is shown
on many fingering charts, [17] and fingerings as high as A7 exist.[18][19]

The range of a clarinet can be divided into three distinct registers:

The lowest register, from low written E to the written B♭ above middle C (B♭4), is known as
the chalumeau register (named after the instrument that was the clarinet's immediate
predecessor).
 The middle register is known as the clarion register (sometimes in the U.S. as the clarino
register from the Italian) [20] and spans just over an octave (from written B above middle C
(B4) to the C two octaves above middle C (C6));[17] it is the dominant range for most
members of the clarinet family.
The top or altissimo register consists of the notes above the written C two octaves above
middle C (C6).[17]

All three registers have characteristically different sounds. The chalumeau register is rich and dark. The
clarion register is brighter and sweet, like a trumpet heard from afar. The altissimo register can be piercing
and sometimes shrill.[21][22]

Acoustics

Sound is a wave that propagates through the air as a result of a

local variation in air pressure. The production of sound by a clarinet
follows these steps:[23]

1. The mouthpiece and reed are surrounded by the player's

lips, which put light, even pressure on the reed and form
an airtight seal. Air is blown past the reed and down the
instrument. In the same way a flag flaps in the breeze,
the air rushing past the reed causes it to vibrate. As air
pressure from the mouth increases, the amount the reed
vibrates increases until the reed hits the mouthpiece.

At this point, the reed stays pressed against the

mouthpiece until either the springiness of the reed forces
it to open or a returning pressure wave 'bumps' into the
reed and opens it. Each time the reed opens, a puff of air
goes through the gap, after which the reed swings shut
again. When played loudly, the reed can spend up to Sound wave propagation in the
50% of the time shut.[24] The 'puff of air' or compression soprano clarinet
wave (around 3% greater pressure than the surrounding
air[23]) travels down the cylindrical tube and escapes at
the point where the tube opens out. This is either at the closest open hole or at the end of the
tube (see diagram: image 1).
2. More than a 'neutral' amount of air escapes from the instrument, which creates a slight
vacuum or rarefaction in the clarinet tube. This rarefaction wave travels back up the tube
(image 2).
3. The rarefaction is reflected off the sloping end wall of the clarinet mouthpiece. The opening
between the reed and the mouthpiece makes very little difference to the reflection of the
rarefaction wave. This is because the opening is very small compared to the size of the tube,
so almost the entire wave is reflected back down the tube even if the reed is completely
open at the time the wave hits (image 3).
4. When the rarefaction wave reaches the other (open) end of the tube, air rushes in to fill the
slight vacuum. A little more than a 'neutral' amount of air enters the tube and causes a
compression wave to travel back up the tube (image 4). Once the compression wave
reaches the mouthpiece end of the 'tube', it is reflected again back down the pipe. However
at this point, either because the compression wave 'bumped' the reed or because of the
natural vibration cycle of the reed, the gap opens and another 'puff' of air is sent down the
pipe.
5. The original compression wave, now greatly reinforced by the second 'puff' of air, sets off on
another two trips down the pipe (travelling 4 pipe lengths in total) before the cycle is
 repeated again.

The cycle repeats at a frequency relative to how long it takes a wave to travel to the first open hole and
back twice (i.e. four times the length of the pipe). For example: when all the holes bar the very top one are
open (i.e. the trill 'B' key is pressed), the note A4 (440 Hz) is produced. This represents a repeat of the
cycle 440 times per second.[25]

In addition to this primary compression wave, other waves, known as harmonics, are created. Harmonics
are caused by factors including the imperfect wobbling and shaking of the reed, the reed sealing the
mouthpiece opening for part of the wave cycle (which creates a flattened section of the sound wave), and
imperfections (bumps and holes) in the bore. A wide variety of compression waves are created, but only
some (primarily the odd harmonics) are reinforced. These extra waves are what gives the clarinet its
characteristic tone.[26]

The bore is cylindrical for most of the tube with an inner bore diameter between 14 and 15.5 millimetres
(0.55 and 0.61 in), but there is a subtle hourglass shape, with the thinnest part below the junction between
the upper and lower joint.[27] The reduction is 1 to 3 millimetres (0.039 to 0.118  in) depending on the
maker. This hourglass shape, although invisible to the naked eye, helps to correct the pitch/scale
discrepancy between the chalumeau and clarion registers (perfect twelfth).[27] The diameter of the bore
affects characteristics such as available harmonics and timbre. The bell at the bottom of the clarinet flares
out to improve the tone and tuning of the lowest notes.[23]

Most modern clarinets have "undercut" tone holes that improve intonation and sound. Undercutting means
chamfering the bottom edge of tone holes inside the bore. Acoustically, this makes the tone hole function as
if it were larger, but its main function is to allow the air column to follow the curve up through the tone hole
(surface tension) instead of "blowing past" it under the increasingly directional frequencies of the upper
registers.[28]

The fixed reed and fairly uniform diameter of the clarinet give the instrument an acoustical behavior
approximating that of a cylindrical stopped pipe.[23] Recorders use a tapered internal bore to overblow at
the octave when the thumb/register hole is pinched open, while the clarinet, with its cylindrical bore,
overblows at the twelfth. Adjusting the angle of the bore taper controls the frequencies of the overblown
notes (harmonics).[23] Changing the mouthpiece's tip opening and the length of the reed changes aspects of
the harmonic timbre or voice of the clarinet because this changes the speed of reed vibrations.[23]

The lip position and pressure, shaping of the vocal tract, choice of reed and mouthpiece, amount of air
pressure created, and evenness of the airflow account for most of the clarinetist's ability to control the tone
of a clarinet.[29] A highly skilled clarinetist will provide the ideal lip and air pressure for each frequency
(note) being produced. They will have an embouchure which places an even pressure across the reed by
carefully controlling their lip muscles. The airflow will also be carefully controlled by using the strong
stomach muscles (as opposed to the weaker and erratic chest muscles) and they will use the diaphragm to
oppose the stomach muscles to achieve a tone softer than a forte rather than weakening the stomach muscle
tension to lower air pressure.[30] Their vocal tract will be shaped to resonate at frequencies associated with
the tone being produced.[31]

Covering or uncovering the tone holes varies the length of the pipe, changing the resonant frequencies of
the enclosed air column and hence the pitch.[23] A clarinetist moves between the chalumeau and clarion
registers through use of the register key; clarinetists call the change from chalumeau register to clarion
register "the break".[32] The open register key stops the fundamental frequency from being reinforced, and
the reed is forced to vibrate at three times the speed it was originally. This produces a note a twelfth above
the original note.[23]
Most woodwind instruments have a second register that begins an octave above the first (with notes at
twice the frequency of the lower notes). With the aid of an 'octave' or 'register' key, the notes sound an
octave higher as the fingering pattern repeats. These instruments are said to overblow at the octave. The
clarinet differs, since it acts as a closed-pipe system. The low chalumeau register plays fundamentals, but
the clarion (second) register plays the third harmonics, a perfect twelfth higher than the fundamentals. The
clarinet is therefore said to overblow at the twelfth.[23] The first several notes of the altissimo (third) range,
aided by the register key and venting with the first left-hand hole, play the fifth harmonics, a perfect twelfth
plus a major sixth above the fundamentals.

By contrast, nearly all other woodwind instruments overblow at the octave or (like the ocarina and tonette)
do not overblow at all. A clarinet must have holes and keys for nineteen notes, a chromatic octave and a
half from bottom E to B ♭ , in its lowest register to play the chromatic scale. This overblowing behavior
explains the clarinet's great range and complex fingering system. The fifth and seventh harmonics are also
available, sounding a further sixth and fourth (a flat, diminished fifth) higher respectively; these are the
notes of the altissimo register.[23]

Since approximately 1850, clarinets have been nominally tuned according to twelve-tone equal
temperament. Older clarinets were nominally tuned to meantone. Skilled performers can use their
embouchures to considerably alter the tuning of individual notes or produce vibrato, a pulsating change of
pitch often employed in jazz.[33] Vibrato is rare in classical or concert band literature; however, certain
clarinetists, such as Richard Stoltzman, use vibrato in classical music. Special fingerings may be used to
play quarter tones and other microtonal intervals.[34]

Around 1900, Dr. Richard H. Stein, a Berlin musicologist, made a quarter-tone clarinet, which was soon
abandoned.[35][36] Years later, another German, Fritz Schüller of Markneukirchen, built a quarter tone
clarinet, with two parallel bores of slightly different lengths whose tone holes are operated using the same
keywork and a valve to switch from one bore to the other.[37]

Construction

Materials

Clarinet bodies have been made from a variety of materials including wood,
plastic, hard rubber, metal, resin, and ivory.[38] The vast majority of clarinets
used by professionals are made from African hardwood, mpingo (African
Blackwood) or grenadilla, rarely (because of diminishing supplies) Honduran
rosewood, and sometimes even cocobolo.[39] Historically other woods,
notably boxwood, were used.[39] Most inexpensive clarinets are made of
Schüller's quarter-tone plastic resin, such as ABS.[39] Resonite is Selmer's trademark name for its type
clarinet of plastic. Metal soprano clarinets were popular in the early 20th century until
plastic instruments supplanted them;[40] metal construction is still used for the
bodies of some contra-alto and contrabass clarinets and the necks and bells of
nearly all alto and larger clarinets.[41] Ivory was used for a few 18th-century clarinets, but it tends to crack
and does not keep its shape well.[42] Buffet Crampon's Greenline clarinets are made from a composite of
grenadilla wood powder and carbon fiber.[43] Such clarinets are less affected by humidity and temperature
changes than wooden instruments but are heavier. Hard rubber, such as ebonite, has been used for clarinets
since the 1860s, although few modern clarinets are made of it. Clarinet designers Alastair Hanson and Tom
Ridenour are strong advocates of hard rubber.[44][45]
Mouthpieces are generally made of hard rubber, although some inexpensive mouthpieces may be made of
plastic. Other materials such as crystal/glass, wood, ivory, and metal have also been used.[46] Ligatures are
often made of metal and plated in nickel, silver, or gold. Other materials include wire, wire mesh, plastic,
naugahyde, string, or leather.[32]

Reed

The clarinet uses a single reed made from the cane of Arundo donax, a type of grass.[47] Reeds may also be
manufactured from synthetic materials. The ligature fastens the reed to the mouthpiece. When air is blown
through the opening between the reed and the mouthpiece facing, the reed vibrates and produces the
clarinet's sound.[48]

Basic reed measurements are as follows: tip, 12 millimetres (0.47 in) wide; lay, 15 millimetres (0.59 in) long
(distance from the place where the reed touches the mouthpiece to the tip); gap, 1 millimetre (0.039  in)
(distance between the underside of the reed tip and the mouthpiece). Adjustment to these measurements is
one method of affecting tone color.[27]

Most clarinetists buy manufactured reeds, although many make adjustments to these reeds, and some make
their own reeds from cane "blanks".[49] Reeds come in varying degrees of hardness, generally indicated on
a scale from one (soft) through five (hard). This numbering system is not standardized—reeds with the
same number often vary in hardness across manufacturers and models.[32] Reed and mouthpiece
characteristics work together to determine ease of playability, pitch stability, and tonal characteristics.[32]

Components

Note: A Böhm system soprano clarinet is

shown in the photos illustrating this section.
However, all modern clarinets have similar
components.

The reed is attached to the

mouthpiece by the
ligature, and the top half-
inch or so of this assembly
is held in the player's
mouth. In the past, string
was used to bind the reed
to the mouthpiece. The
formation of the mouth
around the mouthpiece
and reed is called the
Mouthpiece with
embouchure. The reed is
conical ring
ligature, made
on the underside of the
from hard mouthpiece, pressing
rubber against the player's lower
lip, while the top teeth
normally contact the top The construction of a Böhm system clarinet
of the mouthpiece (some players roll the upper
lip under the top teeth to form what is called a
'double-lip' embouchure).[50] Adjustments in the strength and shape of the embouchure change the tone
and intonation (tuning). It is not uncommon for clarinetists to employ methods to relieve the pressure on the
upper teeth and inner lower lip by attaching pads to the top of the mouthpiece or putting (temporary)
padding on the front lower teeth, commonly from folded paper.[51]

Next is the short barrel; this part of the instrument may be extended to fine-tune the clarinet. As the pitch of
the clarinet is fairly temperature-sensitive, some instruments have interchangeable barrels whose lengths
vary slightly. Additional compensation for pitch variation and tuning can be made by pulling out the barrel
and thus increasing the instrument's length, particularly common in group playing in which clarinets are
tuned to other instruments (such as in an orchestra or concert band). On basset horns and lower clarinets,
the barrel is normally replaced by a curved metal neck.[52]

The main body of most clarinets is divided into the upper joint, the holes and most keys of which are
operated by the left hand, and the lower joint with holes and most keys operated by the right hand. Some
clarinets have a single joint: on some basset horns and larger clarinets the two joints are held together with a
screw clamp and are usually not disassembled for storage. The left thumb operates both a tone hole and the
register key. On some models of clarinet, such as many Albert system clarinets and increasingly some
higher-end Böhm system clarinets, the register key is a 'wraparound' key, with the key on the back of the
clarinet and the pad on the front. Advocates claim that this key configuration improves sound and makes
moisture less likely to accumulate in the tube beneath the pad,[53] but these keys can be harder to keep in
adjustment.[54]

The body of a modern soprano clarinet is equipped with numerous tone holes of which seven (six front,
one back) are covered with the fingertips, and the rest are opened or closed using a set of keys. These tone
holes let the player produce every note of the chromatic scale. On alto and larger clarinets, and a few
soprano clarinets, key-covered holes replace some or all finger holes. The most common system of keys
was named the Böhm system by its designer Hyacinthe Klosé in honour of flute designer Theobald Böhm,
but it is not the same as the Böhm system used on flutes.[55] The other main system of keys is called the
Oehler system and is used mostly in Germany and Austria (see History).[56] The related Albert system is
used by some jazz, klezmer, and eastern European folk musicians.[57] The Albert and Oehler systems are
both based on the early Mueller system.[58]

The cluster of keys at the bottom of the upper joint (protruding slightly beyond the cork of the joint) are
known as the trill keys and are operated by the right hand.[32] These give the player alternative fingerings
that make it easy to play ornaments and trills.[32] The entire weight of the smaller clarinets is supported by
the right thumb behind the lower joint on what is called the thumb-rest.[59] Larger clarinets are supported
with a neck strap or a floor peg.[60]

Finally, the flared end is known as the bell. Contrary to popular belief, the bell does not amplify the sound;
rather, it improves the uniformity of the instrument's tone for the lowest notes in each register.[23] For the
other notes, the sound is produced almost entirely at the tone holes, and the bell is irrelevant.[23] On basset
horns and larger clarinets, the bell curves up and forward and is usually made of metal.[61]

Keywork

Theobald Böhm was a flautist who created the key system now used for the transverse flute, but did not
invent the Böhm key system of the clarinet. Klosé and Buffet applied Böhm's system to the clarinet and it
was given Böhm's name.[62]

The current Böhm key system generally consists of 6 rings - on the thumb, first, second, fourth, fifth, and
sixth holes - and a register key just above the thumb hole. Keys near the top tone hole are used to produce
G♯ and A. Engaging the "A" key and the register key together produces B♭.
History

Lineage

The clarinet has its roots in the early single-reed instruments or hornpipes used in Ancient Greece, Ancient
Egypt,[63] Middle East, and Europe since the Middle Ages, such as the albogue, alboka, and double
clarinet.[64]

The modern clarinet developed from a Baroque instrument called the chalumeau. This instrument was
similar to a recorder, but with a single-reed mouthpiece and a cylindrical bore.[65] Lacking a register key, it
was played mainly in its fundamental register, with a limited range of about one and a half octaves.[65] It
had eight finger holes, like a recorder, and two keys for its two highest notes.[65] At this time, contrary to
modern practice, the reed was placed in contact with the upper lip.[65]

Around the turn of the 18th century, the chalumeau was modified by converting one of its keys into a
register key to produce the first clarinet. This development is usually attributed to German instrument maker
Johann Christoph Denner, though some have suggested his son Jacob Denner was the inventor.[66] This
instrument played well in the middle register with a loud, shrill sound, so it was given the name clarinetto
meaning "little trumpet" (from clarino + -etto). Early clarinets did not play well in the lower register, so
players continued to play the chalumeaux for low notes.[65] As clarinets improved, the chalumeau fell into
disuse, and these notes became known as the chalumeau register. Original Denner clarinets had two keys,
and could play a chromatic scale, but various makers added more keys to get improved tuning, easier
fingerings, and a slightly larger range.[65] The classical clarinet of Mozart's day typically had five keys.[67]

Clarinets were soon accepted into orchestras. Later models had a mellower tone than the originals. Mozart
(d. 1791) liked the sound of the clarinet (he considered its tone the closest in quality to the human voice)
and wrote numerous pieces for the instrument,[68] and by the time of Beethoven (c. 1800–1820), the
clarinet was a standard fixture in the orchestra.[69]

Pads

The next major development in the history of clarinet was the invention of the modern pad.[70] Because
early clarinets used felt pads to cover the tone holes, they leaked air. This required pad-covered holes to be
kept to a minimum, restricting the number of notes the clarinet could play with good tone.[70] In 1812,
Iwan Müller, a Baltic German community-born clarinetist and inventor, developed a new type of pad that
was covered in leather or fish bladder.[35] It was airtight and let makers increase the number of pad-covered
holes. Müller designed a new type of clarinet with seven finger holes and thirteen keys.[35] This allowed
the instrument to play in any key with near-equal ease. Over the course of the 19th-century, makers made
many enhancements to Müller's clarinet, such as the Albert system and the Baermann system, all keeping
the same basic design. Modern instruments may also have cork or synthetic pads.[71]

Keywork and toneholes

The final development in the modern design of the clarinet used in most of the world today was introduced
by Hyacinthe Klosé in 1839.[72] He devised an arrangement of keys and toneholes that simplified
fingering. It was inspired by the Boehm system developed for flutes by Theobald Böhm. Klosé was so
impressed by Böhm's invention that he named his own system for clarinets the Boehm system, although it
is different from the one used on flutes.[72] This new system was slow to gain popularity but gradually
became the standard, and today the Boehm system is used everywhere in the world except Germany and
Austria. These countries still use a direct descendant of the Mueller clarinet known as the Oehler system
clarinet.[73][74] Also, some contemporary Dixieland players continue to use Albert system clarinets.[75]

Other key systems have been developed, many built around modifications to the basic Böhm system: Full
Böhm,[76] Mazzeo,[77] McIntyre,[78] Benade NX,[79] and the Reform Boehm system[80] for example.

Clarinets with different arrangements of keys and holes



Early Clarinet Iwan Müller Albert clarinet Baermann Oehler clarinet

with 4 keys clarinet with designed ca. clarinet, ca. with a cover
(ca. 1760). 13 keys and 1850 by 1870, on the middle
leather pads, Eugène intermediate tone hole of
developed in Albert, between the the lower joint
1809. intermediate Müller and and a bell
between the Oehler mechanism to
Müller and clarinets. improve low E
Oehler and F.
clarinets. Developed in
1905 by Oscar
Oehler.

 Standard French Full Boehm Reform

German Clarinet clarinet with Boehm
clarinet (Original 19 keys and 7 clarinet with
without cover Boehm with rings 20 keys and 7
or bell 17 keys and 6 developed ca. rings,
mechanism. rings). 1870. developed ca.
Developed ca. 1949 by Fritz
1843 by Wurlitzer.
Hyacinthe
Klosé and
Louis Auguste
Buffet.

Usage and repertoire

Use of multiple clarinets

The modern orchestral standard of using soprano clarinets in B♭ and A has to do partly with the history of
the instrument and partly with acoustics, aesthetics, and economics. Before about 1800, due to the lack of
airtight pads (see History), practical woodwinds could have only a few keys to control accidentals (notes
outside their diatonic home scales).[70] The low (chalumeau) register of the clarinet spans a twelfth (an
octave plus a perfect fifth), so the clarinet needs keys/holes to produce all nineteen notes in this range. This
involves more keywork than on instruments that "overblow" at the octave—oboes, flutes, bassoons, and
saxophones, for example, which need only twelve notes before overblowing. Clarinets with few keys
cannot therefore easily play chromatically, limiting any such instrument to a few closely related keys.[81]
For example, an eighteenth-century clarinet in C could be played in F, C, and G (and their relative minors)
with good intonation, but with progressive difficulty and poorer intonation as the key moved away from
this range.[81] With the invention of the airtight pad, and as key technology improved and more keys were
added to woodwinds, the need for clarinets in multiple keys was reduced.[82] However, the use of multiple
instruments in different keys persisted, with the three instruments in C, B♭, and A all used as specified by
the composer.[83]

The lower-pitched clarinets sound "mellower" (less bright), and the C clarinet—being the highest and
therefore brightest of the three—fell out of favour as the other two could cover its range and their sound
was considered better.[81] While the clarinet in C began to fall out of general use around 1850, some
composers continued to write C parts after this date, e.g., Bizet's Symphony in C (1855), Tchaikovsky's
Symphony No. 2 (1872), Smetana's overture to The Bartered Bride (1866) and Má Vlast (1874), Dvořák's
Slavonic Dance Op. 46, No. 1 (1878), Brahms' Symphony No.  4 (1885), Mahler's Symphony No. 6
(1906), and Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier (1911).[84]

While technical improvements and an equal-tempered scale reduced the need for two clarinets, the technical
difficulty of playing in remote keys persisted, and the A has thus remained a standard orchestral instrument.
In addition, by the late 19th century, the orchestral clarinet repertoire contained so much music for clarinet
in A that the disuse of this instrument was not practical.[82] Similarly there have been E♭ and D instruments
in the upper soprano range, B♭, A, and C instruments in the bass range, and so forth; but over time the E♭
and B♭ instruments have become predominant.[85] The B♭ instrument remains dominant in concert bands
and jazz. B♭ and C instruments are used in some ethnic traditions, such as klezmer.

Classical music

In classical music, clarinets are part of standard orchestral and concert band instrumentation.
The orchestra
frequently includes two clarinetists playing individual parts—each player is usually equipped with a pair of
standard clarinets in B ♭ and A, and clarinet parts commonly alternate between B ♭ and A instruments
several times over the course of a piece, or less commonly, a movement (e.g., 1st movement Brahms' 3rd
symphony).[86] Clarinet sections grew larger during the last few decades of the 19th century, often
employing a third clarinetist, an E ♭ or a bass clarinet. In the 20th century, composers such as Igor
Stravinsky, Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler, and Olivier Messiaen enlarged the clarinet section on occasion
to up to nine players, employing many different clarinets including the E♭ or D soprano clarinets, basset
horn, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, and/or contrabass clarinet.

In concert bands, clarinets are an important part of the instrumentation. The E♭ clarinet, B ♭ clarinet, alto
clarinet, bass clarinet, and contra-alto/contrabass clarinet are commonly used in concert bands. Concert
bands generally have multiple B♭ clarinets; there are commonly 3 B♭ clarinet parts with 2–3 players per
part. There is generally only one player per part on the other clarinets. There are not always E♭ clarinet, alto
clarinet, and contra-alto clarinets/contrabass clarinet parts in concert band music, but all three are quite
common.

This practice of using a variety of clarinets to achieve coloristic variety was common in 20th-century
classical music and continues today. However, many clarinetists and conductors prefer to play parts
originally written for obscure instruments on B♭ or E♭ clarinets, which are often of better quality and more
prevalent and accessible.[86]

The clarinet is widely used as a solo instrument. The relatively late evolution of the clarinet (when
compared to other orchestral woodwinds) has left solo repertoire from the Classical period and later, but
few works from the Baroque era.[85] Many clarinet concertos have been written to showcase the
instrument, with the concerti by Mozart, Copland, and Weber being well known.[87]

Many works of chamber music have also been written for the clarinet. Common combinations are:
 Clarinet and piano (including clarinet sonatas)[88]
Clarinet trio; Clarinet, piano, and another instrument (for example, string instrument or
voice)[85]
Clarinet quartet: three B♭ clarinets and bass clarinet; two B♭ clarinets, alto clarinet, and
bass; and other possibilities such as the use of a basset horn, especially in European
classical works.[89][90]
Clarinet quintet, generally made up of a clarinet plus a string quartet.[91]
Reed quintet, consists of oboe (doubling English horn), clarinet, alto saxophone (doubling
soprano saxophone), bass clarinet, and bassoon.
Wind quintet, consists of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn.[92]
Trio d'anches, or "trio of reeds" consists of oboe, clarinet, and bassoon.[93]
Wind octet, consists of pairs of oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and horns.[93]

Jazz

The clarinet was originally a central instrument in jazz, beginning

with the New Orleans players in the 1910s. It remained a signature
instrument of jazz music through much of the big band era into the
1940s.[85] American players Alphonse Picou, Larry Shields,
Jimmie Noone, Johnny Dodds, and Sidney Bechet were all
pioneers of the instrument in jazz. The B ♭ soprano was the most
common instrument, but a few early jazz musicians such as Louis
Nelson Delisle and Alcide Nunez preferred the C soprano, and
many New Orleans jazz brass bands have used E♭ soprano.[85]

Swing clarinetists such as Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and

Woody Herman led successful big bands and smaller groups from
the 1930s onward.[94] With the decline of the big bands' popularity
in the late 1940s, the clarinet faded from its prominent position in
jazz. By that time, an interest in Dixieland or traditional New
Orleans jazz had revived; Pete Fountain was one of the best known Jazz clarinetist Pete Fountain
performers in this genre.[95] Bob Wilber, active since the 1950s, is
a more eclectic jazz clarinetist, playing in several classic jazz
styles.[96] During the 1950s and 1960s, Britain underwent a surge in the popularity of what was termed
'Trad jazz'. In 1956 the British clarinetist Acker Bilk founded his own ensemble.[97] "Stranger on the
Shore" recorded by Bilk reached the British pop charts.[98]

The clarinet's place in the jazz ensemble was usurped by the saxophone, which projects a more powerful
sound and uses a less complicated fingering system.[99] However, the clarinet did not entirely disappear
from jazz. Prominent players since the 1950s include Stan Hasselgård, Buddy DeFranco, Jimmy Giuffre,
Eric Dolphy (on bass clarinet), Perry Robinson, and John Carter. In the U.S., the prominent players on the
instrument since the 1980s have included Eddie Daniels, Don Byron, Marty Ehrlich, Ken Peplowski, and
others playing the clarinet in more contemporary contexts.[100]

Other genres
The clarinet is uncommon, but not unheard of, in rock music. Jerry Martini played clarinet on Sly and the
Family Stone's 1968 hit, "Dance to the Music"; Don Byron, a founder of the Black Rock Coalition who
was a member of hard rock guitarist Vernon Reid's band, plays clarinet on the Mistaken Identity album
(1996). The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Aerosmith, Billy Joel, and Tom Waits have also all used
clarinet on occasion.[101] A clarinet is prominently featured for two different solos in "Breakfast in
America", the title song from the Supertramp album of the same name.[102]

Clarinets feature prominently in klezmer music, which entails a distinctive style of playing.[103] The use of
quarter-tones requires a different embouchure.[85] Some klezmer musicians prefer Albert system
clarinets.[42]

The popular Brazilian music styles of choro and samba use the clarinet.[104]

Even though it has been adopted recently in Albanian folklore (around the 18th century), the clarinet, or
gërneta as it is called, is one of the most important instruments in Albania, especially in the central and
southern areas.[105] The clarinet plays a crucial role in saze (folk) ensembles that perform in weddings and
other celebrations.[106] It is worth mentioning that the kaba (an instrumental Albanian Isopolyphony
included in UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list[107]) is characteristic of these ensembles.[108]
Prominent Albanian clarinet players include Selim Leskoviku, Gaqo Lena, Remzi Lela (Çobani), and
Laver Bariu (Ustai).[109]

The clarinet is prominent in Bulgarian wedding music as an offshoot of Roma/Romani traditional

music.[110] Ivo Papazov is a well-known clarinetist in this genre. In Moravian dulcimer bands, the clarinet
is usually the only wind instrument among string instruments.[111]

In Greece, the clarinet (usually referred to as "κλαρίνο"—"clarino") is prominent in traditional music,

especially in central, northwest, and northern Greece (Thessaly, Epirus, and Macedonia).[112] The double-
reed zurna was the dominant woodwind instrument before the clarinet arrived in the country, although
many Greeks regard the clarinet as a native instrument.[42] Traditional dance music, wedding music, and
laments include a clarinet soloist and quite often improvisations.[112]

The instrument is equally famous in Turkey, especially the lower-pitched clarinet in G. The western
European clarinet crossed via Turkey to Arabic music, where it is widely used in Arabic pop, especially if
the intention of the arranger is to imitate the Turkish style.[42]

Turkish clarinet

Groups of clarinets

Groups of clarinets playing together have become increasingly popular among clarinet enthusiasts in recent
years. Common forms are:

Clarinet choir, which features a large number of clarinets playing together, usually involves a
range of different members of the clarinet family (see Extended family of clarinets). The
homogeneity of tone across the different members of the clarinet family produces an effect
with some similarities to a human choir.[113]
 Clarinet quartet, usually three B♭ sopranos and one B♭ bass, or two B♭, an E♭ alto clarinet,
and a B♭ bass clarinet, or sometimes four B♭ sopranos.[114]

Clarinet choirs and quartets often play arrangements of both classical and popular music, in addition to a
body of literature specially written for a combination of clarinets by composers such as Arnold Cooke,
Alfred Uhl, Lucien Caillet, and Václav Nelhýbel.[115]

Extended family of clarinets

There is a family of many differently pitched clarinet types, some of which are very rare. The following are
the most important sizes, from highest to lowest:

Bass clarinet, Basset horn, clarinets in D, B♭, A,

High A♭ and E♭, basset clarinet in A
Contrabass and contra-alto clarinets
 Name Key Commentary Range (concert)

Now rare, used for Italian military music and some

Piccolo clarinet A♭
contemporary pieces for its sonority.[116]

It has a characteristically shrill timbre, and is used to

great effect in the classical orchestra whenever a
E♭ clarinet brighter, or sometimes a more rustic or comical sound
is called for. Richard Strauss featured it as a solo
(Sopranino clarinet in E♭ instrument in his symphonic poem, Till
E♭) Eulenspiegel.[117] It is much used in the concert band
repertoire where it helps out the piccolo flute in the
higher register and is very compatible with other band
instruments, especially those in B♭ and E♭.[85]

This was, to the high pitched E♭ instrument, what the A

clarinet is to the B♭. Advances in playing technique and
D clarinet the instrument's mechanism meant that players could
play parts for the D instrument on their E♭ thus making
(Sopranino clarinet in D this instrument more and more expendable. Though a
D) few early pieces were written for it, its repertoire is now
very limited in Western music. Nonetheless Stravinsky
included both the D and E♭ clarinets in his
instrumentation for The Rite Of Spring.[85][117]
Although this clarinet was very common in the
instrument's earliest period, its use began to dwindle,
and by the second decade of the twentieth century it
had become practically obsolete and disappeared from
C clarinet the orchestra. From the time of Mozart, many
composers began to favour the mellower, lower pitched
C instruments, and the timbre of the 'C' instrument may
(Soprano clarinet in C)
have been considered too bright.[118] Also, to avoid
having to carry an extra instrument that required
another reed and mouthpiece, orchestral players
preferred to play parts for this instrument on their B♭
clarinets, transposing up a tone.[119]

B♭ clarinet The most common type: used in most styles of

music.[85] Usually the term clarinet on its own refers to
(Soprano clarinet in B♭ this instrument. It was commonly used in early jazz and
swing. This was the instrument of renowned and
B♭) popular figures such as Sidney Bechet, Benny
Goodman, Woody Herman, and Artie Shaw.

'A' clarinet
It is frequently used in orchestral and chamber music,
A especially of the nineteenth century. The Clarinet
(Soprano clarinet in A) Quintet by Brahms (op. 115) is a notable example.[85]

Clarinet in A extended to a low C; used primarily to play

Classical-era music.[120] Mozart's Clarinet Concerto
Basset clarinet A was written for this instrument, though it is frequently
played in a version for the ordinary A clarinet. Basset
clarinets in B♭ also exist.

Similar in appearance to the alto, but differs in that it is

pitched in F, has an extended range to low C, and has a
Basset-horn F narrower bore on most models. Mozart's Clarinet
Concerto was originally sketched out as a concerto for
basset horn in G. Rarely used today.[121]
Alto clarinet Sometimes referred to (mostly in Europe) as the tenor
 E♭ clarinet. Its greater size and consequently lower pitch
or F give it a rich, dark sonority capable of greater
resonance than the soprano instruments, but with less
projection than the larger bass clarinet. It is used in
chamber music and concert bands, and occasionally, if
rarely, in orchestras. A few players have specialized in
using the alto in jazz (e.g. Gianluigi Trovesi). The alto in
F is considered obsolete.[122]
Invented in the 1770s, it only became popular around a
hundred years later when it contributed to the rich
orchestral palettes of composers such as Wagner and
the late Romantics. It has become a mainstay of the
modern orchestra. Originally, the third clarinet would
double on bass, but now, most orchestras employ a
B♭ specialist devoted principally to this instrument.[85] It is
Bass clarinet
or A used in concert bands, contemporary music, and
enjoys, along with the B♭ clarinet, a considerable role in
jazz. Eric Dolphy was one of its more remarkable
exponents. The bass clarinet in A, which had a vogue
among certain composers from the mid-19th to the mid-
20th centuries, is now so rare as to usually be
considered obsolete.[123]

E♭ contrabass clarinet
Used in clarinet choirs and is common in concert
(also called Contra-alto or EE♭
bands.[85]
Contralto clarinet)

Used in clarinet choirs and is common in concert

bands. It is sometimes used in orchestras. Arnold
Contrabass clarinet (also
BB♭ Schoenberg calls for a contrabass clarinet in A in his
called double-bass clarinet)
Five Pieces for Orchestra, but it is not clear if such an
instrument ever existed.[85]

EEE♭ and BBB♭ octocontra-alto and octocontrabass clarinets have also been built.[124]

See also
Clarinet family
List of clarinet concerti
List of clarinetists
Clarinet makers Lists of makers of clarinets, clarinet mouthpieces, and clarinet reeds.
Double clarinet A Middle Eastern instrument, not a true clarinet in the Western sense of the
term
Quarter tone clarinet
International Clarinet Association

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Cited sources
Lawson, Colin, ed. (1995). The Cambridge Companion to the Clarinet ([Link]
ails/cambridgecompani00prof). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-47668-3.
Pino D. (1998). The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing. Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-
40270-3.
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(3rd ed.). W. W. Norton & Company Inc. ISBN 978-0-393-02164-6.

Further reading
Nicholas Bessaraboff, Ancient European Musical Instruments. Boston: Harvard University
Press, 1941.
Jack Brymer, Clarinet. (Yehudi Menuhin Music Guides) Hardback and paperback, 296
pages, Kahn & Averill. ISBN 1-871082-12-9.
F. Geoffrey Rendall, The Clarinet. Second Revised Edition. London: Ernest Benn Limited,
1957.
Cyrille Rose, Artistic Studies, Book 1. ed. David Hite. San Antonio: Southern Music, 1986.
Nicholas Shackleton, "Clarinet", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed 21 February
2006), [Link] ([Link] (subscription access).
Jennifer Ross, "Clarinet", "Ohio: Hardcover Printing Press, 1988.
Fabrizio Meloni, Il Clarinetto, ill., 299 pages, Zecchini Editore, [Link] ([Link]
[Link]/) Italy, 2002, ISBN 88-87203-03-2.
Bărbuceanu Valeriu, "Dictionary of musical instruments", Second Revised Edition, Teora
Press, Bucharest, 1999.
"Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics" by Arthur H. Benade, Dover Publishing.
 SELMER Paris : the clarinet family ([Link]
SELMER%20CLAR)

External links
The International Clarinet Association ([Link]

Clarinet ([Link] at Curlie

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