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Historical
outline of individual instruments
Woodwinds
Clarinet
Early History and
the early 18th century
- The early history of
the clarinet is somewhat muddled because the clarinet and its predecessor,
the chalumeau, co-existed for some time. References did not separate
them consistently as different instruments.
- The inventor of the
clarinet is thought to be Johann Christoph Denner of Nuremberg.
In 1710, the earliest record of clarinets appeared on an instrument
order that listed prices for clarinets and chalumeau.
- Clarinets were made
in more sizes and pitches than any other instrument.
- From 1712-1715, the
earliest music written specifically for clarinet appeared.
- The speaker key, an
important innovation that differentiated the clarinet from the chalumeau,
is controlled by the left thumb and opens a small hole up the bore.
This device makes it easier to play the certain notes in the low
register (now called the "chalumeau register"). The inventor
is unknown.
Latter half of
the 18th century
- After the mid-18th century,
clarinets became more widespread.
- In 1758, the Mannheim
orchestra employed two clarinetists. Both the orchestras in Mannheim
and Paris influenced the widespread use of clarinets in orchestras.
After a visit to Mannheim in 1778, Mozart remarked to his father,
“alas, if only we also had clarinets”.
- By 1770, English musicians
commonly played five-key clarinets, but other Europeans still played
four-key clarinets.
- Mozart’s first
work with clarinet is in the Divertimento K.113 (1771, Milan) for
strings, two clarinets and two horns. The writing suggests a five-key
clarinet. In full orchestra, Mozart included clarinets by the 1780s,
but only sparingly. Among his symphonies, clarinet parts were included
only in K.297/300a and K.543. Clarinet parts were later added to
Haffner K.385 and to K.550.
- By the 1780’s,
the clarinet substituted for other instruments less frequently,
such as the flute or oboe. Instead, parts specifically designated
for clarinets appeared.
- In 1785, the separation
between the mouthpiece and barrel seems to have been introduced
in England to accommodate a long tuning-slide.
- During the 18th century,
more keys were added to the clarinet, especially keys for trilling.
- By the late 1700s,
clarinets in C and Bb were common.
- During the 18th century,
a skilled player could play notes chromatically in the entire range,
and some could trill on certain notes. These instruments had a good
upper register but often a poor chalumeau register.
19th century
- From the early 19th
century to the early 20th century, the standard became a 13-key
clarinet. Additional keys were added mostly for trilling.
- By this century, the
clarinet was a staple in the orchestra. Works commonly specified
for clarinets in C, Bb, and A. For symphonies by Beethoven and Schubert,
performers probably played on 5 or 6-key clarinets. The compositional
writing for the clarinet featured more lyrical and expressive passages,
and composers chose clarinets in specific keys due to their distinct
tone colors.
- Simiot’s inventions
allowed the instrument to have a better tone throughout its range.
- Boehm clarinet developed
(1839-43) through the collaboration of clarinetist Klosé
and clarinet-maker Buffet. Boehm himself was not involved in the
clarinet’s design. The ring keys on the new Boehm clarinet
helped overcome some mechanical difficulties, an important development.
- Since the 18th century,
the most important change in playing technique was the gradual transition
from playing with the reed on the upper lip to the current-day practice
of playing with the reed on the lower lip. By 1831, the Paris Conservatoire
officially changed its technique to reed-below. In England, playing
with the reed-upper technique continued longer into the first half
of the 19th century.
20th century
- The modern Boehm-system
clarinet has 7 open holes and 17 keys.
- Technical demands on
the clarinet increased, including in orchestral parts. Talented
performers also expanded the instrument’s versatility.
- Extended techniques
outside of normal clarinet playing were also introduced: flutter-tonguing,
glissandos, quarter-tones, fingered microtones, variations of tone-color,
and multiphonics (i.e. based on the upper partials and different
sounds produced simultaneously).
Orchestra-History
Early
History • Classical
period • Romantic
period • 20th
century to present
Repertoire
Classical
period • Romantic period
• 20th century to present
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