Clarinet

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Clarinet
B♭ Clarinet (Boehm system)
Woodwind instrument
Classification	Wind Woodwind Single-reed
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	422.211.2-71 (Single-reeded aerophone with keys)
Playing range
Written range (though it is possible to play higher):
Related instruments
Saxophone Tárogató (modern) Oboe Chalumeau
Musicians
Clarinetists

Musical instruments

Woodwinds Piccolo Flute Oboe Cor anglais Clarinet Saxophone Bassoon Contrabassoon Bagpipes Recorder

Brass

Percussion

String instruments

Keyboards

The clarinet is a type of woodwind instrument that has a straight cylindrical tube with a flaring bell and a single-reed mouthpiece. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed. A person who plays the clarinet is called a clarinetist or clarinettist.

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".^[1] It "is plainly a diminutive of clarino, the Italian for trumpet", and the Italian clarinetto is the source of the name in all other languages. According to Johann Gottfried Walther, writing in 1732, the reason for the name is that "it sounded from far off not unlike a trumpet". This may indicate a strident quality in the upper register, but in the low register it was feeble and buzzing. 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.^[2]

There are many types of clarinets of differing sizes and pitches, comprising a large family of instruments. The unmodified word clarinet usually refers to the B♭ soprano clarinet, by far the most common type. The clarinet family is the largest woodwind family, with more than a dozen types, ranging from the (extremely rare) BBB♭ octo-contrabass to the A♭ soprano (piccolo clarinet). Of these, many are rare or obsolete (there is only one BBB♭ octo-contrabass clarinet in existence, for example), and music written for them is usually played on more common versions of the instrument.

Johann Christoph Denner invented the clarinet in Germany around the turn of the 18th century by adding a register key to the earlier chalumeau. Over time, additional keywork and airtight pads were added to improve tone and playability. Today, the clarinet is used in jazz and classical ensembles, in chamber groups, and as a solo instrument.

Contents 1 Characteristics 1.1 Sound 1.2 Range 1.3 Acoustics 2 Construction 2.1 Materials 2.2 Reed 2.3 Components 2.4 Keywork 3 History 3.1 Lineage 3.2 Pads 3.3 Arrangement of keys and holes 4 Usage and repertoire 4.1 Use of multiple clarinets 4.2 Classical music 4.3 Concert bands 4.4 Jazz 4.5 Other genres 4.6 Groups of clarinets 5 Extended family of clarinets 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links

Characteristics

Sound

The cylindrical bore is primarily responsible for the clarinet's distinctive timbre, which varies between its three main registers, known as the chalumeau, clarino, and altissimo. The tone quality can vary greatly with the musician, the music, the instrument, the mouthpiece, and the reed. The differences in instruments and geographical isolation of players in different countries led to the development, from the last part of the 18th century onwards, of several different schools of clarinet playing. The most prominent were the German/Viennese traditions and the French school. The latter was centered on the clarinetists of the Conservatoire de Paris.^[3] The proliferation of recorded music has made examples of different styles of clarinet playing available. The modern clarinetist has a diverse palette of "acceptable" tone qualities to choose from.^[3]

Bass clarinet

The A clarinet and B♭ clarinet have nearly the same bore, and use the same mouthpiece.^[4] Orchestral players using the A and B♭ instruments in the same concert use the same mouthpiece (and often the same barrel) for both (see 'usage' below). The A and the B♭ instruments have nearly identical tonal quality, although the A typically has a slightly warmer sound.^[4] The tone of the E♭ clarinet is brighter than that of the lower clarinets and can be heard even through loud orchestral textures.^[5] The bass clarinet has a characteristically deep, mellow sound,^[3] while the alto clarinet is similar in tone to the bass and the basset horn has a tone quality comparable to the A clarinet.

Range

Main articles: clarinet family, E-flat clarinet, soprano clarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, basset-horn, contra-alto clarinet, and contrabass clarinet

Clarinets have the largest pitch range of common woodwinds.^[6] The intricate key organization that makes this range 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 allow a low E on the common B♭ clarinet. The lowest concert pitch depends on the transposition of the instrument in question.

Nearly all soprano and piccolo clarinets have keywork enabling them to play the E below middle C (E₃ in scientific pitch notation) as their lowest written note, though some B♭ clarinets go down to E♭₃ to enable them to match the range of the A clarinet.^[7] 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.^[8] 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;^[9] the basset clarinet and basset horn generally go to low C₃.^[3]

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 books. The G two octaves above G₄ is usually the highest note clarinetists encounter in classical repertoire.^[10] 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,^[10] and fingerings as high as G₇ exist.^[11]

The range of a clarinet can be divided into three distinct registers. The lowest register, consisting of the notes up 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 termed the clarino (sometimes clarion) register^[12] and spans just over an octave (from written B above middle C (B₄) to the C two octaves above middle C (C₆));^[10] 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).^[10] Unlike other woodwinds, all three registers have characteristically different sounds. The chalumeau register is rich and dark. The clarino register is brighter and sweet, like a trumpet heard from afar ("clarino" means trumpet). The altissimo register can be piercing and sometimes shrill.