Clarinet - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/Clarinet

The clarinet is a family of woodwind instruments. It has a

single-reed mouthpiece, a straight, cylindrical tube with an Clarinet
almost cylindrical bore, and a flared bell. 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 as opposed to the gapped
scales or arpeggios of the lower register. The trumpet parts that
required this specialty were known by the term clarino and this in
turn came to apply to the musicians themselves. It is probable
that the term clarinet may stem from the diminutive version of
the 'clarion' or 'clarino' and it has been suggested that clarino B♭ clarinets (Boehm and Oehler
players may have helped themselves out by playing particularly fingering system)
difficult passages on these newly developed "mock trumpets".[1]
Woodwind instrument
Johann Christoph Denner is generally believed to have invented Classification
the clarinet in Germany around the year 1700 by adding a register Wind
key to the earlier chalumeau, usually in the key of C. Over time, Woodwind
additional keywork and airtight pads were added to improve the Single-reed
tone and playability.[2]
Hornbostel– 422.211.2–71
In modern times, the most common clarinet is the B♭ clarinet. Sachs (Single-reeded
However, the clarinet in A, pitched a semitone lower, is regularly classification aerophone with
used in orchestral, chamber and solo music. An orchestral keys)
clarinetist must own both a clarinet in A and B♭ since the
Playing range
repertoire is divided fairly evenly between the two. Since the
middle of the 19th century, the bass clarinet (nowadays invariably
in B♭ but with extra keys to extend the register down to low
written C3) has become an essential addition to the orchestra.
The clarinet family ranges from the (extremely rare) BBB♭ octo-
contrabass to the A♭ piccolo clarinet. The clarinet has proved to Written range Sounding range
be an exceptionally flexible instrument, used in the classical (though it is Bb-clarinet
repertoire as in concert bands, military bands, marching bands, possible to play
klezmer, jazz, and other styles. higher)

Related instruments

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Clarinet d'amore
Basset horn
Etymology Saxophone

Characteristics Tárogató
Sound Oboe
Range Chalumeau
Acoustics Musicians
Construction
Materials Clarinetists
Reed
Components
Keywork
History
Lineage
Pads
Arrangement of keys and holes
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

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 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.[4] 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

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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.[5]

Sound

The cylindrical bore is primarily responsible for the clarinet's distinctive timbre, which varies between
its three main registers, known as the chalumeau, clarion, and altissimo. The tone quality can vary
greatly with the clarinetist, music, instrument, mouthpiece, and reed. The differences in instruments
and geographical isolation of clarinetists led to the development from the last part of the 18th century
onwards 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.[6] The proliferation of recorded music has made examples of different styles of playing
available. The modern clarinetist has a diverse palette of "acceptable" tone qualities to choose from.

The A and B♭ clarinets have nearly the same bore and use the same mouthpiece.[7] Orchestral
clarinetists using the A and B♭ instruments in a concert could use the same mouthpiece (and often
the same barrel) (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 even
through loud orchestral or concert band textures.[8] The bass clarinet has a characteristically deep,
mellow sound, while the alto clarinet is similar in tone to the bass (though not as dark).[9]

Range

Clarinets have the largest pitch range of common woodwinds.[10] 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.[11]

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.[12] 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.[13] 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;[14] the basset clarinet and
basset horn generally go to low C3.[15]

Defining the top end of a clarinet's range is difficult, since many advanced players can produce notes

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well above the highest notes commonly found in

method books. G6 is usually the highest note
clarinetists encounter in classical repertoire.[16] The C
basset clarinet with bell pointed upwards
above that (C7 i.e. resting on the fifth ledger line above
(Schwenk & Seggelke) the treble staff) is attainable by advanced players and
is shown on many fingering charts,[16] and fingerings
as high as A7 exist.[17][18]

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) [19] and spans just over an octave (from written B above middle C (B4) to the C
two octaves above middle C (C6));[16] 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).[16]

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

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:[20]

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 50% of the time shut.[21] The 'puff of Sound wave propagation in the
air' or compression wave (around 3% greater pressure than soprano clarinet
the surrounding air[20]) 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).

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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.[22]

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.[23]

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.[24] 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).[24] The
diameter of the bore affects characteristics such as available harmonics, timbre, and pitch stability
(how far the player can bend a note in the manner required in jazz and other music). The bell at the
bottom of the clarinet flares out to improve the tone and tuning of the lowest notes.

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.[25]

The fixed reed and fairly uniform diameter of the clarinet give the instrument an acoustical behavior
approximating that of a cylindrical stopped pipe.[20] 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).[20] 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.[20] Generally, the goal of the clarinetist when producing a sound is to
make as much of the reed vibrate as possible, making the sound fuller, warmer, and potentially

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louder.

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.[26] 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.[27] Their vocal tract will be shaped to resonate at
frequencies associated with the tone being produced.

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.[20] 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".[28] 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.

Most instruments overblow at two times the speed of the fundamental frequency (the octave), but as
the clarinet acts as a closed pipe system, the reed cannot vibrate at twice its original speed because it
would be creating a 'puff' of air at the time the previous 'puff' is returning as a rarefaction. This means
it cannot be reinforced and so would die away. The chalumeau register plays fundamentals, whereas
the clarion register, aided by the register key, plays third harmonics (a perfect twelfth higher than the
fundamentals). The first several notes of the altissimo range, aided by the register key and venting
with the first left-hand hole, play fifth harmonics (a major seventeenth, a perfect twelfth plus a major
sixth, above the fundamentals). The clarinet is therefore said to overblow at the twelfth and, when
moving to the altissimo register, seventeenth.

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.[20] This is also why the inner "waist"
measurement is so critical to these harmonic frequencies.

The highest notes can have a shrill, piercing quality and can be difficult to tune accurately. Different
instruments often play differently in this respect due to the sensitivity of the bore and reed
measurements. Using alternate fingerings and adjusting the embouchure helps correct the pitch of
these notes.

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.[29] 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.[30]

Around 1900, Dr. Richard H. Stein, a Berlin musicologist, made a quarter-tone clarinet, which was

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soon abandoned.[31][32] 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.

Materials

Schüller's quarter-tone
clarinet

Clarinet bodies have been made from a variety

of materials including wood, plastic, hard
rubber, metal, resin, and ivory.[33] 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.[34] Historically
other woods, notably boxwood, were used.[34]
Most inexpensive clarinets are made of plastic
resin, such as ABS.[34] Resonite is Selmer's
trademark name for its type of plastic. Metal
soprano clarinets were popular in the early The construction of a clarinet (Oehler system)
20th century until plastic instruments
supplanted them;[35] 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.[36] Ivory was used for a few 18th-century clarinets, but it tends to crack and
does not keep its shape well.[37] Buffet Crampon's Greenline clarinets are made from a composite of
grenadilla wood powder and carbon fiber.[38] 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.[39][40] The
Hanson Clarinet Company manufactures clarinets using a grenadilla compound reinforced with
ebonite, known as BTR (bithermal-reinforced) grenadilla. This material is also not affected by
humidity, and the weight is the same as that of a wooden clarinet.

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.[41]
Ligatures are often made of metal and plated in nickel, silver, or gold. Other materials include wire,
wire mesh, plastic, naugahyde, string, or leather.[28]

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Reed

The clarinet uses a single reed made from the cane of Arundo donax, a type of grass.[42] 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.

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.[24]

Most clarinetists buy manufactured reeds, although many make adjustments to these reeds, and some
make their own reeds from cane "blanks".[43] 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.[28] Reed and
mouthpiece characteristics work together to determine ease of playability, pitch stability, and tonal
characteristics.[28]

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, clarinetists used to wrap a string around the mouthpiece and
reed instead of using a ligature. The formation of the mouth around
the mouthpiece and reed is called the embouchure.

The reed is on the underside of the mouthpiece, pressing against the

player's lower lip, while the top teeth normally contact the top of the
mouthpiece (some players roll the upper lip under the top teeth to
Clarinet reed, mouthpiece, and form what is called a 'double-lip' embouchure).[44] Adjustments in
Vandoren ligature 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.[45]

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).
Some performers use a plastic barrel with a thumbwheel that adjusts the barrel length. On basset
horns and lower clarinets, the barrel is normally replaced by a curved metal neck.

The main body of most clarinets is divided into the upper joint, the holes and most keys of which are

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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
Upper joint of a Boehm system Barrel of a B♭ soprano clarinet
both a tone hole and the register
clarinet
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 of the wraparound register key say it improves sound, and it is harder for moisture to
accumulate in the tube beneath the pad.[46] Nevertheless, there is a consensus among repair techs
that this type of register key is harder to keep in adjustment, i.e., it is hard to have enough spring
pressure to close the hole securely.[47]

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.[48] The other
main system of keys is called the Oehler system and is used mostly in Germany and Austria (see
History).[49] The related Albert system is used by some jazz, klezmer, and eastern European folk
musicians.[50] The Albert and Oehler systems are both based on the early Mueller system.

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.[28] These give the player alternative
fingerings that make it easy to play ornaments and trills.[28] The
entire weight of the smaller clarinets is supported by the right thumb
behind the lower joint on what is called the thumb-rest.[51] Basset
horns and larger clarinets are supported with a neck strap or a floor
peg.
Lower joint of a Boehm system
Finally, the flared end is known as
clarinet
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.[20] For the other notes, the sound is produced almost
entirely at the tone holes, and the bell is irrelevant.[20] On basset
horns and larger clarinets, the bell curves up and forward and is
Bell of a B♭ soprano clarinet
usually made of metal.[52]

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Keywork

Theobald Böhm did not directly invent the key system of the clarinet. Böhm was a flautist who created
the key system that is now used for the transverse flute. Klosé and Buffet applied Böhm's system to
the clarinet. Although the credit goes to those people, Böhm's name was given to that key system
because it was based on that used for the flute.[53]

The current Böhm key system consists of generally 6 rings, on the thumb, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th
holes, and a register key just above the thumb hole, easily accessible with the thumb. Above the 1st
hole, there is a key that lifts two covers creating the note A in the throat register (high part of low
register) of the clarinet. A key at the side of the instrument at the same height as the A key lifts only
one of the two covers, producing G♯, a semitone lower. The A key can be used in conjunction solely
with the register key to produce A♯/B♭.

Lineage

The clarinet has its roots in the early single-reed instruments or hornpipes used in Ancient Greece,
Ancient Egypt,[54] Middle East, and Europe since the Middle Ages, such as the albogue, alboka, and
double clarinet.[55]

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.[56] Lacking a
register key, it was played mainly in its fundamental register, with a limited range of about one and a
half octaves.[56] It had eight finger holes, like a recorder, and two keys for its two highest notes.[56] At
this time, contrary to modern practice, the reed was placed in contact with the upper lip.[56]

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.[57] 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.[56] 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.[56] The classical
clarinet of Mozart's day typically had eight finger holes and five keys.

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.,[58] and by the time of Beethoven (c.
1800–1820), the clarinet was a standard fixture in the orchestra.

Pads

The next major development in the history of clarinet was the invention of the modern pad.[59]

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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.[59] 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.[31] 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.[31] 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.[60]
French Clarinet German Reform-Boehm- Early
(Original Clarinet Clarinet (with 20 Clarinet
Arrangement of keys and holes Boehm with 17 (Original keys and 7 rings, with 4 keys
keys and 6 Oehler with 22 developed in (ar. 1760)
The final development in the modern Rings, keys, 5 rings 1949)
design of the clarinet used in most of the developed in and one cap,
world today was introduced by Hyacinthe 1843) developed in
1905)
Klosé in 1839.[61] He devised a different
arrangement of keys and finger holes,
which allow simpler 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.[61] 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.[62][63] Also, some contemporary Dixieland players continue to use Albert system
clarinets.[64]

Other key systems have been developed, many built around modifications to the basic Böhm system:
Full Böhm,[65] Mazzeo,[66] McIntyre,[67] Benade NX,[68] and the Reform Boehm system [69] for
example. Each of these addressed—and often improved—issues of particular "weak" tones, or
simplified awkward fingerings, but none has caught on widely among players, and the Boehm system
remains the standard, to date.

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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).[59] 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.[70] 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.[70] In contrast, for octave-overblowing
instruments, an instrument in C with few keys could much more readily be played in any key. This
problem was overcome by using three clarinets—in A, B♭, and C—so that early 19th-century music,
which rarely strayed into the remote keys (five or six sharps or flats), could be played as follows:
music in 5 to 2 sharps (B major to D major concert pitch) on A clarinet (D major to F major for the
player), music in 1 sharp to 1 flat (G to F) on C clarinet, and music in 2 flats to 4 flats (B♭ to A♭) on
the B♭ clarinet (C to B♭ for the clarinetist). Difficult key signatures and numerous accidentals were
thus largely avoided.

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.[71] 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.

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.[70] 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 Richard Strauss deliberately reintroduced it to take advantage
of its brighter tone, as in Der Rosenkavalier (1911).[72]

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.[71]
Attempts were made to standardise to the B♭ instrument between 1930 and 1950 (e.g., tutors
recommended learning routine transposition of orchestral A parts on the B♭ clarinet, including solos
written for A clarinet, and some manufacturers provided a low E♭ on the B♭ to match the range of the
A), but this failed in the orchestral sphere.

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.[73] The B♭ instrument remains dominant in concert bands and jazz. B♭ and C
instruments are used in some ethnic traditions, such as klezmer.

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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).[74] 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.[74]

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.[73] Many clarinet concertos have been written to showcase the
instrument, with the concerti by Mozart, Copland, and Weber being well known.

Many works of chamber music have also been written for the clarinet. Common combinations are:

Clarinet and piano (including clarinet sonatas)[75]

Clarinet trio; Clarinet, piano, and another instrument (for example, string instrument or voice)[73]
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.[76][77]
Clarinet quintet, generally made up of a clarinet plus a string quartet.[78]
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.[79]
Trio d'anches, or trio of reeds consists of oboe, clarinet, and bassoon.[80]
Wind octet, consists of pairs of oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and horns.[80]

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

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1940s.[73] 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.[73]

Swing clarinetists such as Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and

Woody Herman led successful big bands and smaller groups from
the 1930s onward.[81] Duke Ellington, active from the 1920s to
the 1970s, used the clarinet as lead instrument in his works, with
several players of the instrument (Barney Bigard, Jimmy
Hamilton, and Russell Procope) spending a significant portion of
their careers in his orchestra. Harry Carney, primarily Ellington's
baritone saxophonist, occasionally doubled on bass clarinet.
Meanwhile, Pee Wee Russell had a long and successful career in
small groups. Jazz clarinetist Pete Fountain

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 performers in this genre.[82]
Bob Wilber, active since the 1950s, is a more eclectic jazz clarinetist, playing in several classic jazz
styles.[83] 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.[84] Several
singles recorded by Bilk reached the British pop charts, including the ballad "Stranger on the Shore".

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.[85] The requirement for an increased
speed of execution in modern jazz also did not favour the clarinet, but the clarinet did not entirely
disappear. The clarinetist Stan Hasselgård made a transition from swing to bebop in the mid-1940s. A
few players such as Buddy DeFranco, Tony Scott, and Jimmy Giuffre emerged during the 1950s
playing bebop or other styles. A little later, Eric Dolphy (on bass clarinet), Perry Robinson, John
Carter, Theo Jörgensmann, and others used the clarinet in free jazz. The French composer and
clarinetist Jean-Christian Michel initiated a jazz-classical cross-over on the clarinet with the drummer
Kenny Clarke.

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.[86]

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.[87] A clarinet is prominently featured for two different solos in "Breakfast
in America", the title song from the Supertramp album of the same name.[88]

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Clarinets feature prominently in klezmer music, which entails a distinctive style of playing.[89] The
use of quarter-tones requires a different embouchure.[73] Some klezmer musicians prefer Albert
system clarinets.[37]

The popular Brazilian music styles of choro and samba use the clarinet.[90] Prominent contemporary
players include Paulo Moura, Naylor 'Proveta' Azevedo, Paulo Sérgio dos Santos, and Cuban born
Paquito D'Rivera.

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.[91] The clarinet plays a crucial role in saze (folk) ensembles that perform in
weddings and other celebrations.[92] It is worth mentioning that the kaba (an instrumental Albanian
Isopolyphony included in UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list[93]) is characteristic of these
ensembles.[94] Prominent Albanian clarinet players include Selim Leskoviku, Gaqo Lena, Remzi Lela
(Çobani), Laver Bariu (Ustai),[95] and Nevruz Nure (Lulushi i Korçës).[96]

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

music.[97] 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.[98]

In old-town folk music in North Macedonia (called čalgija ("чалгија")), the clarinet has the most
important role in wedding music; clarinet solos mark the high point of dancing euphoria.[99][100] One
of the most renowned Macedonian clarinet players is Tale Ognenovski, who gained worldwide fame
for his virtuosity.[101]

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).[102] 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.[37] Traditional dance music,
wedding music, and laments include a clarinet soloist and quite often improvisations.[102] Petroloukas
Chalkias is a famous clarinetist in this genre.

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.[37]

Turkish clarinet

Also in Turkish folk music, a clarinet-like woodwind instrument, the sipsi, is used. However, it is far
more rare than the soprano clarinet and is mainly limited to folk music of the Aegean Region.

Groups of clarinets

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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.[103]
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.[104]

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.[105]

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 G and E♭, basset clarinet in A

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Contrabass and contra-alto clarinets

Range
Name Key Commentary
(concert)

Now rare, used for Italian military music and some

Piccolo clarinet A♭
contemporary pieces for its sonority.[106]

It has a characteristically shrill timbre, and is used to great

E♭ clarinet effect in the classical orchestra whenever a brighter, or
sometimes a more rustic or comical sound is called for.
Richard Strauss featured it as a solo instrument in his
(Sopranino clarinet in E♭ symphonic poem, Till Eulenspiegel.[107] It is much used in
E♭) 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♭.[73]

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 this
D instrument more and more expendable. Though a few
(Sopranino clarinet in D)
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.[73][107]

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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 the orchestra.
C clarinet From the time of Mozart, many composers began to favour
the mellower, lower pitched instruments, and the timbre of
C the 'C' instrument may have been considered too
(Soprano clarinet in C)
bright.[108] 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.[109]

The most common type: used in most styles of music.[73]

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

Many clarinetists and some composers maintain that this

'A' clarinet has a somewhat mellower sound than the B♭; most people
A can't perceive a difference in blindfold testing. It is
(Soprano clarinet in A) frequently used in orchestral and chamber music,
especially of the nineteenth century. The Clarinet Quintet
by Brahms (op. 115) is a notable example.[73]

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

Classical-era music.[110] Mozart's Clarinet Concerto was
written for this instrument, though it is frequently played in
Basset clarinet A
a version for the ordinary A clarinet. Basset clarinets in B♭
also exist; this instrument is required to play the obbligato
to the aria "Parto, parto" in Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito.

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.

Sometimes referred to (mostly in Europe) as the tenor

clarinet. Its greater size and consequently lower pitch give
it a rich, dark sonority capable of greater resonance than
E♭ the soprano instruments, but with less projection than the
Alto clarinet
or F 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.[111]

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
B♭ bass, but now, most orchestras employ a specialist
Bass clarinet devoted principally to this instrument.[73] It is used in
or A
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

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now so rare as to usually be considered obsolete.[112]

E♭ contrabass clarinet (also

Used in clarinet choirs and is common in concert
called Contra-alto or EE♭
bands.[73]
Contralto clarinet)

Used in clarinet choirs and is common in concert bands. It

is sometimes used in orchestras. Arnold Schoenberg calls
Contrabass clarinet (also
BB♭ for a contrabass clarinet in A in his Five Pieces for
called double-bass clarinet)
Orchestra, but it is not clear if such an instrument ever
existed.[73]

EEE♭ and BBB♭ octocontra-alto and octocontrabass clarinets have also been built.[113] There have
also been soprano clarinets in C, A, and B♭ with curved barrels and bells marketed under the names
saxonette, claribel, and clariphon.

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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