The clarinet is a single-reed woodwind mouthpiece instrument, which is a straight and cylindrical tube that has a flared bell and a cylindrical bore of about 0.6 inches. It is one of the newest instruments in the woodwind instrument family. In French, it is called Clarinette and in German it is Klarinette. Though all-metal instruments are created, not many are used professionally. The mouthpiece is made of a kind of hard rubber called ebonite and it has a small opening in one side where the single reed is positioned. The players grip the mouthpiece between their lips and teeth.
History
The clarinet was possibly invented in the early 18th century by Johann Christoph Denner. He was a famous woodwind maker belonging from Nürnberg. Earlier a similar instrument named chalumeau was already in existence. That instrument was more effective when played at lower registers. On the other hand, the clarinet created rich sounds while playing at both low and high registers. Before that single reed was only used in folk instruments and organs. Denner’s instrument was much longer and it was supposed to be played mainly in the upper register. The word clarinet originally meant small trumpet and it was maybe related to the characteristics of the instrument.
There are numerous similar instruments in the clarinet family. They come in various sizes and shapes such as the alto, contrabass, piccolo, and bass clarinets, and also the basset horn which is a bit different in terms of its construction. It has a curved tube and was invented in the latter half of the eighteenth century. It was majorly used by classical composers.
There are instruments that are of the same size but have different lengths of tubes. The shortest tube is called the C tube and the longest one is called the G tube. The most popular ones currently are the B♭-tube (B♭ major) soprano clarinet and A-tube (A major) soprano clarinet.
How it works
The sound produced by it is produced by a single reed that is attached to the mouthpiece. The keys are attached to the bore, which is the cylindrical section and it is used to adjust the pitch. The musical device had only two keys until the first half of the eighteenth century. Over the decades more keys were added to the instrument to improve its range to play chromatic scales and cleaner notes more precisely.
The configuration of the clarinet that we use today was perfected by Klosé in the mid-nineteenth century. The design was based on the ideas of Theobald Boehm. As the instrument was based on Boehm’s ideas, it is called Boehm clarinet.
The bass clarinet
The bass ones are said to be originated in France at the end of the eighteenth century. It is said that a man named Gilles Lot created an instrument called the Bass tube. The bass clarinet was created100years later. And it was the model for it in the early eighteenth century. It did not become much popular as an instrument at that time. The bass one that we know and use today was created in the next century. In 1838 Adolph Sax made the bass clarinet which had a straight tubular body and large keys. It was the closest version of the current bass instrument.
Meyerbeer’s ‘Les Huguenots’ was the first piece of music that featured bass clarinet. It even had a long solo of the musical device in the fifth act. The instrument was later developed into its present version alongside the B♭ clarinet.
What clarinets are made of?
Clarinets can be made of various materials. What the classical players used was boxwood. The material of the instrument depends on the needs of the players. The requirements of both music and musicians have changed over the years. The instruments have also changed to match the pace. They now have a wider range that has enhanced their expressive powers. Clarinets now can now produce the most difficult passages and notes with ease.
Today’s most common material to make it is Grenadilla. Its density is a lot higher than boxwood. Now, it is easier to support the body when you are playing boosting the air volume. When you blow gently on the mouthpiece of the clarinet, the sound that it produces is not weak but rather soft and blissful. That makes Grenadilla the most suitable material for making a perfect clarinet.
Famous clarinet players
From the time of classical music to modern-day jazz, the clarinet has maintained a strong presence in the music scene. Some of the most popular and talented classical players of the instrument are Anton Stadler, Johann Simon Hermstedt, Heinrich Baermann, Harold Wright, and more. And some of the most famous modern jazz clarinetists are Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Sidney Bechet, and Artie Shaw.