Clarinets

The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The name derives from adding the suffix -et (meaning little) to the Italian word clarino (meaning a type of trumpet), as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed.

Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches. The clarinet family is the largest such woodwind family, with more than a dozen types, ranging from the BB? contrabass to the A? soprano. Of these many are rare or obsolete, and music written for them is usually played on one of the more common types. The unmodified word clarinet usually refers to the B soprano clarinet, by far the most common clarinet.

A person who plays the clarinet is called a clarinetist or clarinettist. The clarinet was invented in Germany by Johann Christoph Denner 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 both jazz and classical ensembles, as well as in chamber groups and as a solo instrument.

Category: File - :Clarinetfamily.jpg|thumb|right|280px|In order from left to right: BB? contrabass, EE? contra-alto, B? bass, E? alto, B? soprano

The clarinet family is a musical instrument family including the well-known B? clarinet, the slightly less familiar E?, A, and bass clarinets, and other clarinets.

Clarinets other than the standard B? and A clarinets are sometimes known as harmony clarinets. However, there are many differently-pitched clarinet types, some of which are very rare. They may be grouped into sub-families, but grouping and terminology vary; the list below reflects popular usage and compares it with systems advocated by a few influential authors. See separate articles for additional details.

* Piccolo clarinet — Very rare. Also known as octave clarinet or sopranino clarinet. About an octave higher than the B? clarinet.

** A? piccolo clarinet.

*** Rendall uses the term octave clarinet and includes also obsolete instruments in C, B?, and G.F. Geoffrey Rendall. The Clarinet. Third Edition. London: Ernest Benn Limited, 1971, pp. 3-4.

*** Shackleton lists also obsolete instruments in C, B?, and A.Nicholas Shackleton. "Clarinet", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed 21 February 2006), grovemusic.com (subscription access).

* Soprano clarinet — The most familiar type of clarinet.

** E? clarinet — Fairly common in America and western Europe; less common in eastern Europe.

** D clarinet — Rare in America and western Europe.

***Rendall lists the E? and D clarinets, along with obsolete instruments in G, F, and E, as sopranino clarinets.

***Shackleton lists the E? and D clarinets, along with obsolete instruments in F, and E, as sopranino clarinets.

***The E? and D clarinets are commonly called piccolo clarinets in eastern Europe and Russia.

** C clarinet — Moderately rare. Clarinets in C are common in the scores of some composers' classical opera, in which clarinetists were expected to be equipped with instruments in A, B? and C.

** B? clarinet — The most common type of clarinet.

** A clarinet — Standard orchestral instrument used alongside the B? soprano.

** G clarinet — Also called a "Turkish clarinet". Primarily used in ethnic music.

*** Rendall lists the C, B?, and A clarinets along with the obsolete instrument in B as sopranos, and the clarinette d'amour in A? and G and the clarinet in G as obsolete altos.

*** Shackleton lists the C, B?, A, and G clarinets along with obsolete instruments in B and A? as sopranos, noting that the A? and G often occurred as clarinette d'amour in the mid-18th century.

*** Rice classifies G clarinets with flared bells as altos, with pear- or bulb-shaped bells as clarinets d'amour.Albert R. Rice. From the Clarinet DAmour to the Contra Bass: A History of Large Size Clarinets, 1740-1860. Oxford University Press, 2009, pp. 9-10.

* Basset clarinet — Essentially a soprano clarinet with a range extension to low C (written).

** A basset clarinet — Most common type.

** Basset clarinets in C, B?, and G also exist.

***Rendall includes no basset clarinets in his classifications. Shackleton has three in his collection: Numbers 5389 (Bb and A set) and 5393 (in A). See Catalogue of the Sir Nicholas Shackleton Collection, Edinburgh University Collection.

* Basset horn — Alto-to-tenor range instrument with (usually) a smaller bore than the alto clarinet, and a range extended to low (written) C.

** F basset horn — Most common type.

*** Rendall lists basset horns in G (obsolete) and F as tenors.

*** Shackleton lists also basset horns in G and D from the 18th century.

*** Neither Rendall nor Shackleton lists A, E, or E? basset horns though these apparently existed in the eighteenth century.

* Alto clarinet — About half an octave lower than the B? clarinet.

** E? alto clarinet — Most common type. Range usually only down to low E? (written).

*** Rendall lists the E? alto and F tenor clarinets as tenors (along with the basset horns).

*** Shackleton lists F alto clarinet as obsolete.

* Bass clarinet — An octave below the B? clarinet often with an extended low range.

** B? bass clarinet — The standard bass.

** A bass clarinet — Obsolete.

** C bass clarinet — Obsolete.

*** Rendall and Shackleton list C, B?, and A; Rendall lists only C as obsolete, while Shackleton calls A "rare". Rendall groups these in baritone and bass.

* Contra-alto clarinet — An octave below the alto clarinet.

** EE? contra-alto clarinet, also called EE? contrabass clarinet.

*** Rendall lists "contrabasset-horns" in G, F, and E? (none marked obsolete), grouping these in baritone and bass.

*** Shackleton lists only "E? contrabass clarinet", grouping it in contrabass (pedal) clarinets.

* Contrabass clarinet — An octave below the bass clarinet.

** BB? contrabass clarinet.

*** Rendall lists also contrabass clarinet in C as obsolete, and groups it and the BB? contrabass in baritone and bass.

*** Shackleton lists only the BB? contrabass, grouping it in contrabass (pedal) clarinets''

* Two larger types have been built on an experimental basis:

** EEE? octocontra-alto — An octave below the contra-alto clarinet. Only three have been built.

** BBB? octocontrabass — An octave below the contrabass clarinet. Only one was ever built.

*** Neither Rendall nor Shackleton includes these in their classifications.