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Clarinet

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Clarinet
Classification
Playing range
Written range:
Related instruments
Musicians
Two soprano clarinets: a B♭ clarinet (left, with capped mouthpiece) and an A clarinet (right, with no mouthpiece). These use the Oehler system of keywork.

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 particular 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 actually comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches. It is the largest such instrument family, with more than a dozen types. Of these many are rare or obsolete, and music written for them is usually played on one of the more common size instruments. The unmodified word clarinet usually refers to the B♭ soprano clarinet, by far the most common clarinet. (See "Clarinet family").

A person who plays the clarinet is called a clarinetist or clarinettist.

Characteristics of the instrument

Tone

The clarinet has a distinctive timbre, resulting from the shape of the cylindrical bore, whose characteristics vary between its three main registers. It has a very wide compass, which is showcased in chamber, orchestral, and wind band writing. The tone quality varies greatly with the musician, the music, the style of clarinet, the reed, and humidity. The German (Oehler system) clarinet generally has a darker tone quality than the French (Boehm system). In contrast, the French clarinet typically has a lighter, brighter tone quality. The differences in instruments and geographical isolation of players in different countries led to the development, from the last part of the 18th century on, of several different schools of clarinet playing. The most prominent of these schools were the German/Viennese traditions and the French school, centered around the clarinetists of the Conservatoire de Paris. Increasingly, through the proliferation of recording technology and the Internet, examples of many different styles of clarinet playing are available to developing clarinetists today. This has led to decreased homogeneity of styles of clarinet playing. The modern clarinetist has an eclectic palette of "acceptable" tone qualities to choose from, especially when working with an open-minded teacher.

The A clarinet and B♭ clarinet have nearly the same bore, and use the same mouthpiece. Orchestral players often use both A and B♭ instruments in the same concert, but use only one mouthpiece (and often the same barrel), which they swap between the two as needed (see 'usage' below for the reasons for this). The A and the B♭ instruments have nearly identical tonal quality. The A, however, lacks some of the B♭'s brightness and will generally have a slightly warmer sound.

The tone of the E♭ clarinet is brighter than that of the lower clarinets and can be heard through even loud orchestral textures.

The bass clarinet has a characteristically deep, mellow sound. It is an octave lower than the B-flat soprano clarinet. It uses a bigger reed than the soprano clarinet and requires the use of a different emboucher. The alto clarinet is similar in sound to the bass, and the basset horn has a tone quality similar to the A clarinet.

Range

Clarinets have the largest pitch range of any common woodwind, rivalled only by the bassoon; this is at the sacrifice of the convenience and ease of some passages (due to more intricate key organization), however, most experienced clarinetists can overcome this. The bottom of the clarinet’s written range is defined by the keywork on each particular instrument; there are standard keywork schemes with some variability. The actual 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. In the case of the B♭ soprano clarinet, the concert pitch of the lowest note is D3, a whole tone lower than the written pitch. This is an impressively low note considering the instrument's size. Most alto and bass clarinets have an additional key to allow a (written) E♭3. Modern professional-quality bass clarinets generally have additional keywork to C3. Among the less commonly encountered members of the clarinet family, contra-alto and contrabass clarinets may have keywork to E♭3, D3, or C3; the basset clarinet and basset horn generally go to low C3.

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 “high G” two octaves plus a perfect fifth above middle C (G6) is routinely encountered in the standard soprano clarinet literature through the nineteenth century. The C above that (C7) is attainable by most advanced players and is shown on many fingering charts.

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 ancestor). This register is the easiest to play and is the first learned by beginning players. The top four notes of this register are known as the throat tones; they can pose problems of poor intonation and tone quality, making them troublesome in solo or ensemble writing.

The middle register is termed the "clarino" register (sometimes "clarion") register[1]) and spans just over an octave (from written B above middle C(B4) to the C two octaves above middle C(C6)); it is the dominant range for most members of the clarinet family and is audible above the brass while playing forte. The top or altissimo register consists of the notes above the written C two octaves above middle C (C6); this range is not used as frequently, as tone greatly deteriorates with pitch height.

Unlike other woodwinds, all three registers have characteristically different sounds. The chalumeau register is rich and (relatively) quiet. The clarino register is bright and sweet as a trumpet if heard from afar, "clarino" meaning trumpet and being the root word for "clarinet". The altissimo register can be piercing and sometimes shrill, though the differences in tone between all three ranges can be diminished with the experience of the player.


Why You Should Not Play the Clarinet

1. It Really Really Bites!!!!

Usage and repertoire of the clarinet

Use of multiple clarinets

The reason that the principal (orchestral) soprano clarinets are in both 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 (explained below – see History), practical woodwinds could have only a few keys to control accidentals (notes outside their diatonic home scales). Because clarinets overblow at the twelfth rather than the octave, they need keys to control more notes in each register than oboes, flutes, or bassoons do. Therefore clarinets with few keys cannot easily play an in-tune chromatic scale, limiting any such instrument to a few closely related key signatures. For example, an eighteenth century clarinet in C could readily be played in (B♭), F, C, G and (D) (and their relative minors) with good intonation, but not (easily) in keys outside this range. In contrast, for octave-overblowing instruments a single instrument in C with few keys could much more readily be played in any key.

So by using three clarinets in A, B♭ and C, 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♭). 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 musical keys was reduced. However, the use of more than one instrument in different keys persisted, with the three instruments in C, B♭ and A all used as specified by the composer.

Because the acoustics of the clarinet mean that the deeper the instrument is in pitch (i.e. the larger it is) the more "mellow" (less bright) it sounds, the C clarinet – being the shortest and therefore brightest instrument of the three – did eventually fall out of favour, as the other two clarinets could play its range of keys between them and their sound was considered better. The clarinet in C fell out of general use around 1850, although some composers continued to write C parts, e.g. Bizet Symphony in C (1855), Tchaikovsky 2nd Symphony (1872), Smetana Vltava (1874), Brahms 4th Symphony (1885), and Richard Strauss deliberately reintroduced it to take advantage of its brighter tone, e.g. Der Rosenkavalier (1911) et seq.

As more technical improvements were made, and the clarinet became equal tempered, the need for two clarinets itself reduced. However the technical difficulty for the player playing in remote keys remains and thus the A has remained a very useful orchestral instrument. In addition, by the later part of the 19th century the orchestral clarinet repertoire contained so much music for clarinet in A that the disuse of this instrument was not practical and it was thus retained. Attempts were made to standardise to the B♭ instrument between 1930 and 1950 (e.g. tutors of the period recommended, with examples and studies, learning the routine transposition of orchestral A parts on the B♭ clarinet, including famous solos written for A clarinet) and although this did happen in band and show music it did not succeed in the orchestral sphere.

Yet another factor at play is economics - the clarinet being of a cylindrical bore is much cheaper to make than, say, an oboe of similar quality (less wood is wasted and the production process with machine tools is simpler). This makes buying and owning two clarinets a feasible proposition.

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.

Classical music

A pair of Boehm-System Soprano Clarinets – one in B♭ and one in A.

In classical music, clarinets are part of standard orchestral instrumentation, which frequently includes two clarinetists playing individual parts — each player usually equipped with a pair of standard clarinets in B♭ and A (see above) and it is quite common for clarinet parts to alternate between B♭ and A instruments several times over the course of a movement. 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, bass clarinet and/or contrabass clarinet.

This practice of using a variety of clarinets to achieve colouristic variety was common in 20th century music and continues today. However, many clarinetists and conductors prefer to play parts originally written for obscure instruments such as the C or D clarinets on B♭ or E♭ clarinets, which are often of better quality and more prevalent and accessible.

The clarinet is widely used as a solo instrument. The relatively late evolution of the clarinet (when compared to other orchestral woodwinds) has left a considerable amount of solo repertoire from the Classical, Romantic and Modern periods but few works from the Baroque era. A number of clarinet concertos have been written to showcase the instrument, with the concerti by Mozart, Copland and Weber being particularly well known.

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

Concert bands

In wind bands, clarinets are a particularly central part of the instrumentation, occupying the same space (and often playing the same parts) in bands that the strings do in orchestras. Bands usually include several B♭ clarinets, divided into sections each consisting of 2–3 clarinetists playing the same part. There is almost always an E♭ clarinet part and a bass clarinet part, usually doubled. Alto, contra-alto, and contrabass clarinets are sometimes used as well, and very rarely a piccolo A♭ clarinet.

Jazz

Dr Michael White (front right) plays clarinet at a jazz funeral in Treme, New Orleans, Louisiana.

The clarinet was a central instrument in early jazz starting in the 1910s and remaining popular in the United States through the big band era into the 1940s. Larry Shields, Ted Lewis, Jimmie Noone and Sidney Bechet were influential in early jazz. The B♭ soprano was the most common instrument, but a few early jazz musicians such as Louis Nelson Deslile and Alcide Nunez preferred the C soprano, and many New Orleans jazz brass bands have used E♭ soprano.

Swing clarinetists such as Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Woody Herman led successful and popular big bands and smaller groups from the 1930s onward. With the decline of the big bands' popularity in the late 1940s, the clarinet faded from its prominent position in jazz, though a few players (Buddy DeFranco, Eric Dolphy, Jimmy Giuffre, Perry Robinson, Theo Jorgensmann and others) used clarinet in bebop and free jazz.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Britain underwent a surge in the popularity of traditional jazz. During this period, a British clarinetist named Acker Bilk became popular, founding his own ensemble in 1956. Bilk had a string of successful records including the most popular, Stranger on the Shore, a tune now synonymous with Acker Bilk himself.

Back in the U.S., the instrument has seen something of a resurgence since the 1980s, with Eddie Daniels, Don Byron, and others playing the clarinet in more contemporary contexts. The instrument remains common in Dixieland music; Pete Fountain is one of the best known performers in this genre. Bob Wilber, active since the 1950s, is a more eclectic jazz clarinetist, playing in a number of classic jazz styles.

Filmmaker Woody Allen is a notable jazz clarinet enthusiast, and performs New Orleans-style jazz regularly with his quartet in New York.

Rock and pop

In Rock and Pop music, the clarinet is used very rarely. But exceptions occur even here:

The Beatles used a clarinet trio in Dixieland jazz style as backing for their song When I'm Sixty-Four on their Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

John Helliwell with the band Supertramp sometimes uses the clarinet for an unusual sound.

Other genres

Clarinets also feature prominently in much Klezmer music, which requires a very distinctive style of playing. This folk genre makes much use of quarter-tones, making a different embouchure (mouth position) necessary. Some klezmer musicians prefer Albert system clarinets.

The popular Brazilian music style choro often uses a clarinet. Prominent contemporary players include Paquito D'Rivera.

The clarinet is prominent in Bulgarian wedding music, an offshoot of Roma/Romani traditional music. Ivo Papazov is a well-known clarinetist in this genre.

In Greece clarinet (usually referred to as "κλαρίνο" - "clarino") is closely related to the traditional music of the country, especially central and north-west Greece (Thessaly and Epirus). Clarinet in Greece has a unique sound, due to the integration of it with zurna, which was the dominant (double-reed) woodwind before clarinet arrived to the country. It is such a famous instrument that many people there regard clarinet as Greece-made instrument. Traditional dancing music, wedding music and laments always include clarinet soloist and quite often improvisations. Petroloukas Chalkias is a famous clarinetist in this genre.

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.
  • Clarinet quartet, usually three B♭ sopranos and one B♭ bass, but also sometimes four B♭ sopranos.

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.

Extended family of clarinets

Main article: Clarinet family

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

Experimental EEE♭ and BBB♭ Octocontra-alto and Octocontrabass clarinets have also been built.

In the early 20th century, Clarinets in B natural were often used at ice skating rinks. The idea was that the low temperatures would make the clarinet so flat that it would effectively become a B♭ clarinet.

Clarinets other than the standard B♭ and A soprano clarinets are sometimes known as harmony clarinets.

There have also been soprano clarinets in C, A, and B♭ with curved barrels and bells marketed under the names Saxonette, Claribel, and Clariphon.

History

4-key boxwood clarinet, ca. 1760.

The clarinet developed from a Baroque instrument called the chalumeau. This instrument was similar to a recorder, but with a single reed mouthpiece similar to that of the modern clarinet and a cylindrical bore. Lacking a register key, it was played mainly in its fundamental register, with a limited range of about one and a half octaves. It had eight finger holes, like a recorder, plus two keys for its two highest notes.

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 a German instrument maker named Johann Christoph Denner, though some have suggested his son Jacob Denner was the inventor. This instrument played well in the middle register with a loud, strident tone, so it was given the name clarinetto meaning "little trumpet" (from clarino + -etto). Early clarinets did not play well in the lower register, so chalumeaux continued to be made to play the low notes and these notes became known as the chalumeau register. As clarinets improved, the chalumeau fell into disuse.

The original Denner clarinets had two keys, and could play a chromatic scale, but various makers added more keys to get improved notes, easier fingerings, and a slightly larger range. 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 much music for it, and by the time of Beethoven (c. 1800–1820), the clarinet was a standard fixture in the orchestra.

The next major development in the history of clarinet was the invention of the modern pad. Early clarinets covered the tone holes with felt pads. Because these leaked air, the number of pads had to be kept to a minimum, so the clarinet was severely restricted in what notes could be played with a good tone. In 1812, Ivan Mueller, a Russian-born clarinetist and inventor, developed a new type of pad which was covered in leather or fish bladder. This was completely airtight, so the number of keys could be increased enormously. He designed a new type of clarinet with seven finger holes and thirteen keys. This allowed the clarinet to play in any key with near equal ease. Over the course of the 19th century, many enhancements were made to Mueller's clarinet, such as the Albert system and the Baermann system, all keeping the same basic design. The Mueller clarinet and its derivatives were popular throughout the world.

The final development in the modern design of the clarinet used in most of the world today was introduced by Hyacinthe Klosé in 1839. He devised a different arrangement of keys and finger holes which allow simpler fingering. It was inspired by the Boehm System developed by Theobald Boehm, a flute maker who had invented the system for flutes. Klosé was so impressed by Boehm's invention that he named his own system for clarinets the Boehm system, although it is different from the one used on flutes. This new system was slow to catch on because it meant the player had to relearn how to play the instrument. To ease this transition, Klose wrote a series of exercises for the clarinet, designed to teach his fingering system. Gradually, however, it 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. Also, some contemporary Dixieland and Klezmer players continue to use Albert system clarinets, as the simpler fingering system can allow for easier slurring of notes. At one time the reed was held on using string, but now the practice exists primarily in Germany and Austria, where the tone is preferred over that produced with the ligatures that are more popular in the rest of the world.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Sadie, Stanley (1984). New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. Macmillan Press. p. 391.

References

  • 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
  • David Pino, The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing. Providence: Dover Pubns, 1998, 320 p.; ISBN 0-486-40270-3
  • 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), grovemusic.com (subscription access).
  • Buffet Crampon Greenline website
  • Jennifer Ross, "Clarinet", "Ohio: Hardcover Printing Press, 1988.
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