Woodwinds · Clarinet family
Bass Clarinet in B♭
The bass of the clarinet family, an octave below the B♭ clarinet, with a metal crook and an upturned bell. Rich and velvety in the low register.
- Section
- Woodwinds
- Family
- Clarinet family
- Classification
- Aerophone · single reed
- Transposition
- In B♭, written a major 9th higher
- Clefs
- Treble (French notation); bass clef in German notation
- Sounding range
- D♭2 – F5
Parts of the bass clarinet
Photo: Yamaha, edited by Gisel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Labels added by Musicians Tools.
Range
C1C2C3C4C5C6C7C8
Written E♭3 (or C3) to G6 in treble clef. Playback uses a neutral tone, not the instrument's own sound.
Writing for the bass clarinet
- Usually written in treble clef a major 9th above sounding pitch (French notation). In German notation it is written in bass clef only a major 2nd higher.
- Professional instruments go down to written low C; older and student models stop at written E♭.
- The soft low register is one of the most beautiful sounds in the orchestra and blends well with cellos and bassoons.
- It can play extremely quietly; short low notes have a dry, comic quality.
History
Bass clarinets were tried from the 18th century, but Adolphe Sax's improved design of 1838 made the instrument practical. Meyerbeer and Wagner gave it important parts, and it became a regular member of the orchestra in the late 19th century.
Listen
Key works featuring the bass clarinet. Each link opens a YouTube search, so you can pick the recording you like.
- Tchaikovsky – The Nutcracker, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
- Wagner – Tristan und Isolde, Act 2 (King Marke)
- Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring
Useful tools
Clarinet family
Also in the family (pages coming):E♭ clarinetClarinet in ABasset hornContrabass clarinet
Ancestors:Chalumeau