Woodwinds · Clarinet family
Clarinet in B♭
A cylindrical woodwind played with a single reed. It overblows at the twelfth, which gives it distinct registers and one of the widest dynamic ranges in the orchestra.
- Section
- Woodwinds
- Family
- Clarinet family
- Classification
- Aerophone · single reed
- Transposition
- In B♭, written a major 2nd higher
- Clefs
- Treble
- Sounding range
- D3 – B♭6
Parts of the clarinet
Photo: Yamaha Corporation, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Labels added by Musicians Tools.
Range
Written E3 to C7. The altissimo register above written C6 needs a strong player. Playback uses a neutral tone, not the instrument's own sound.
Writing for the clarinet
- Written a major second higher than it sounds.
- Registers (written pitch): chalumeau E3–F♯4, dark and full; throat tones G4–B♭4, weaker; clarion B4–C6, bright and clear; altissimo above.
- The break between written B♭4 and B4 is easy for modern players, but fast trills and tremolos across it remain awkward.
- It can fade to almost nothing (niente) better than any other wind instrument.
- Agile in every register; wide leaps and arpeggios are idiomatic.
History
Johann Christoph Denner of Nuremberg is credited with developing the clarinet from the chalumeau around 1700. Mozart's late works for his friend Anton Stadler did much to establish it. The Boehm-system clarinet (Klosé and Buffet, 1840s) is now standard in most countries, while German and Austrian players use the Oehler system.
Listen
Key works featuring the clarinet. Each link opens a YouTube search, so you can pick the recording you like.
- Mozart – Clarinet Concerto in A, K. 622
- Mozart – Clarinet Quintet, K. 581
- Brahms – Clarinet Quintet, Op. 115
- Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue (opening)