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{klair-i-net'}
The clarinet is a WIND INSTRUMENT consisting of a cylindrical
wood (or occasionally metal) pipe with a bell-shaped opening
at one end and a mouthpiece at the other end, to which a reed
is attached. Generically, the clarinet is any member of the
woodwind family, whose enclosed air column is activated by
a single reed, as opposed to the double-reed instruments of
the oboe family. It is a versatile member of the orchestra,
the principal treble woodwind of the concert band and is used
extensively in solo, chamber, and popular music. The clarinet
is a transposing instrument--its part in the score is written
at a different pitch from the one actually sounded.
The immediate ancestor of the clarinet was the chalumeau,
a short, cylindrical pipe with seven finger holes and a reed
cut in its upper side, but without a bell-shaped opening.
The clarinet was invented when Johann C. Denner (1655-1707)
doubled the length of the chalumeau and added two keys, making
possible the clarino, the upper or trumpetlike, register.
By the end of the 18th century, the clarinet was an established
member of the orchestra and was exploited by such composers
as Jean Philippe RAMEAU and Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART. In describing
the clarinet of Mozart's day, Anthony Baines wrote: "
. . . every note offers a resistance that encourages the most
expressive cantabile that is possible to imagine from a wind
instrument. . . . In the upper register, the clarinet can
never have sounded more beautiful."
Mechanical improvements gradually transformed the clarinet
into one of the most versatile of all instruments. It is capable
of playing all chromatic tones with great ease, producing
a tonal variety that ranges from the somber and mysterious
low tones through the bright, full-bodied clarino register
to the shrill and piercing notes of its highest octave.
Early clarinets were made in many more sizes than are produced
today. The number of different sizes needed was reduced in
the early 19th century by adding more keys to the instrument.
The instrument most commonly used today is known as the B-flat
clarinet; the next most common is the clarinet in A. The B-flat
clarinet is about 60 cm (23.6 in) long and has a range of
more than three octaves. Since the end of the 19th century,
a D clarinet and a bass clarinet in B-flat have been used
in large orchestras. Concert bands commonly use a small E-flat
clarinet, pitched a fourth above the B-flat clarinet; an alto
clarinet in E-flat, pitched a fifth lower than the B-flat
clarinet; and a bass clarinet, pitched an octave lower than
the standard instrument; these constitute the " clarinet
choir." A double-bass, or contrabass, clarinet is also
used, which is pitched two octaves lower than the standard
B-flat clarinet.
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