Note-worthy Experiences Music Studio
F E A T U R E
Explore an Instrument: Clarinet
F E A T U R E
Explore an Instrument: Clarinet
The clarinet is a single-reed instrument in the woodwind family, an instrument group which consists of the flute, clarinet, oboe, saxophone and bassoon. The woodwinds produce sound by blowing air past either a reed or fipple, which distinguishes them from other wind instruments, such as brass instruments. The clarinet has the largest family within the woodwinds, with many sized instruments having been created to produce a very large range of pitches; the most common being the B flat or A clarinets.
As a single-reed instrument, the clarinet has a very long history dating back to antiquity, with examples and depictions being discovered in Ancient Greece, Egypt, Rome and the Middle East. Its earliest origin appears to be an instrument called the memet, which has been found in several Egyptian reliefs in various locations. This instrument was considered a “double clarinet,” which consisted of two tubes and a single reed, with one of the tubes producing a drone-like sound.
The predecessor to the modern clarinet is considered the chalumeau, a folk instrument popular during the Baroque period in France, and then later in Germany. It was similar to the recorder and had a range just over the interval of an octave. In 1698, Johann Christopher Denner added a register key to the chalumeau, which extended the instrument’s range, by raising the pitch by a 12th interval. Eventually many more keys and pads were added to the clarinet, often inspired by a composer’s desire for more range, with an added benefit of improved tone and ease of playing. With three registers, the modern clarinet has the largest pitch range of the woodwind instruments. These registers include the lower chalumeau, the mid clarion, and the upper altissimo.
Most clarinets are made from wood, specifically Grenadilla, an African blackwood. Many beginner instruments are made of plastic, or a hybrid between the two materials. It consists of a mouthpiece, ligature, reed, (cylindrical) barrel, upper joint, lower joint, and a flared bell. Sizes range from the rare and small ‘octave’ clarinets, to the large contrabass clarinet, which requires the clarinetist to sit on a tall stool in order to play. The B flat clarinet is the main instrument used in orchestral, concert band, chamber ensemble, or jazz settings. The A clarinet, being a half step lower, is used mostly in orchestra pieces.
Composers have been enthralled by the capabilities and tonal qualities of the clarinet since the early classical period. In 1716, Vivaldi was the first composer to write an orchestral piece with clarinet, in his oratorio “Juditha Triumphans” from the chorus “Plena Nectare.” Handel, Jean-Phillipe Rameau, Haydn and Mozart were also among classical composers who included the clarinet in their works, with the latter composing his famous Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in 1791.
A most versatile instrument, the clarinet has a long and varied history, with music spanning centuries of orchestral, concert, chamber, jazz, klezmer and pop music. Music examples highlighting the clarinet include concertos and sonatas. Berlioz, who also showcased the instrument, wrote:
“There is no other wind instrument which can produce a tone, let it swell, decrease and die away as beautifully as the clarinet. Hence its invaluable ability to render distant sounds, an echo, the reverberation of an echo, or the charm of twilight.”
Recordings of Notable works for the Clarinet
Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A Major, K 622, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1791.
https://youtu.be/wrZnK74FkLY
Clarinet Concerto No. 1, F minor, Op. 73, Carl Maria von Weber, 1811.
https://youtu.be/37kaymgFkUI
Clarinet Sonata, E Flat Major, Op 120, No. 2, Johannes Brahams, 1894.
https://youtu.be/V39p4Fbgz_A
Premiere Rhapsodie, Claude Debussy, 1910.
https://youtu.be/hCCgUGkSdc4
Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin, 1924.*
https://youtu.be/cH2PH0auTUU
Clarinet Sonata, FP 184, Francis Poulenc, 1962.
https://youtu.be/y0iRkE1CiXg
Time Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, Op 43, Robert Muczynski, 1984.
https://youtu.be/CfxzR74KiDE
To learn more about Carly, visit her Teacher Page.
As a single-reed instrument, the clarinet has a very long history dating back to antiquity, with examples and depictions being discovered in Ancient Greece, Egypt, Rome and the Middle East. Its earliest origin appears to be an instrument called the memet, which has been found in several Egyptian reliefs in various locations. This instrument was considered a “double clarinet,” which consisted of two tubes and a single reed, with one of the tubes producing a drone-like sound.
The predecessor to the modern clarinet is considered the chalumeau, a folk instrument popular during the Baroque period in France, and then later in Germany. It was similar to the recorder and had a range just over the interval of an octave. In 1698, Johann Christopher Denner added a register key to the chalumeau, which extended the instrument’s range, by raising the pitch by a 12th interval. Eventually many more keys and pads were added to the clarinet, often inspired by a composer’s desire for more range, with an added benefit of improved tone and ease of playing. With three registers, the modern clarinet has the largest pitch range of the woodwind instruments. These registers include the lower chalumeau, the mid clarion, and the upper altissimo.
Most clarinets are made from wood, specifically Grenadilla, an African blackwood. Many beginner instruments are made of plastic, or a hybrid between the two materials. It consists of a mouthpiece, ligature, reed, (cylindrical) barrel, upper joint, lower joint, and a flared bell. Sizes range from the rare and small ‘octave’ clarinets, to the large contrabass clarinet, which requires the clarinetist to sit on a tall stool in order to play. The B flat clarinet is the main instrument used in orchestral, concert band, chamber ensemble, or jazz settings. The A clarinet, being a half step lower, is used mostly in orchestra pieces.
Composers have been enthralled by the capabilities and tonal qualities of the clarinet since the early classical period. In 1716, Vivaldi was the first composer to write an orchestral piece with clarinet, in his oratorio “Juditha Triumphans” from the chorus “Plena Nectare.” Handel, Jean-Phillipe Rameau, Haydn and Mozart were also among classical composers who included the clarinet in their works, with the latter composing his famous Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in 1791.
A most versatile instrument, the clarinet has a long and varied history, with music spanning centuries of orchestral, concert, chamber, jazz, klezmer and pop music. Music examples highlighting the clarinet include concertos and sonatas. Berlioz, who also showcased the instrument, wrote:
“There is no other wind instrument which can produce a tone, let it swell, decrease and die away as beautifully as the clarinet. Hence its invaluable ability to render distant sounds, an echo, the reverberation of an echo, or the charm of twilight.”
Recordings of Notable works for the Clarinet
Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A Major, K 622, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1791.
https://youtu.be/wrZnK74FkLY
Clarinet Concerto No. 1, F minor, Op. 73, Carl Maria von Weber, 1811.
https://youtu.be/37kaymgFkUI
Clarinet Sonata, E Flat Major, Op 120, No. 2, Johannes Brahams, 1894.
https://youtu.be/V39p4Fbgz_A
Premiere Rhapsodie, Claude Debussy, 1910.
https://youtu.be/hCCgUGkSdc4
Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin, 1924.*
https://youtu.be/cH2PH0auTUU
Clarinet Sonata, FP 184, Francis Poulenc, 1962.
https://youtu.be/y0iRkE1CiXg
Time Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, Op 43, Robert Muczynski, 1984.
https://youtu.be/CfxzR74KiDE
To learn more about Carly, visit her Teacher Page.