Editing Clarinet

{{Short description|Single-reed woodwind instrument}}
{{Distinguish|Clavinet}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox Instrument
| name           = Clarinet
| names          =
| image          = Leitner+Kraus 410 320.png
| image_capt     = [[B♭ clarinet]]s ([[Boehm system (clarinet)|Boehm]] and [[Oehler system|Oehler fingering system]])
| background     = woodwind
| classification = [[Single-reed instrument|Single-reed]]
| hornbostel_sachs = 422.211.2–71
| hornbostel_sachs_desc = [[Single-reed instrument|Single-reeded]] [[aerophone]] with keys
| range          = [[File:Clarinet range.svg|200px|center|class=notpageimage]] All clarinets have approximately the same written range. The sounding pitch depends on what key the instrument is in. Low clarinets generally have extra keys to extend the range downward.
| related        = {{hlist| [[Chalumeau]]|[[Tárogató]]|[[Heckelphone-clarinet]]}}
| articles       =
}}
{{Woodwinds}}

The '''clarinet''' is a [[Single-reed instrument|single-reed]] musical instrument in the [[woodwind]] family, with a nearly cylindrical [[bore (wind instruments)|bore]] and a flared bell.

Clarinets comprise a [[Family (musical instruments)|family]] of instruments of differing sizes and pitches. The [[clarinet family]] is the largest woodwind family, ranging from the [[contrabass clarinet|BB♭ contrabass]] to the [[A-flat clarinet|A♭ piccolo]]. The B{{music|flat}} [[soprano clarinet]] is the most common type, and is the instrument usually indicated by the word "clarinet".

German instrument maker [[Johann Christoph Denner]] is generally credited with inventing the clarinet sometime around 1700 by adding a [[register key]] to the [[chalumeau]], an earlier single-reed instrument. Over time, additional keywork and airtight pads were added to improve the tone and playability. Today the clarinet is a standard fixture of the [[orchestra]] and [[concert band]] and is used in [[classical music]], [[military band]]s, [[klezmer]], [[jazz]], and other styles.

==Etymology==
The word "clarinet" may have entered the English language via the French {{lang|fr|clarinette}} (the feminine diminutive of [[Old French]] {{lang|fro|clarin}}), or from [[Occitan language|Provençal]] {{lang|oc|clarin}} {{gloss|oboe}},<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2018 |title=clarinet |encyclopedia=[[The American Heritage Dictionary|The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language]] |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |url=https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=clarinet |editor-last=Pickett |editor-first=Joseph |edition=5th |isbn=978-1-328-84169-8}}</ref> originating from the Latin root {{lang|la|clarus}} {{gloss|clear}}.<ref>{{cite web |last=Harper |first=Douglas |date=2017 |title=clarinet |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/clarinet#etymonline_v_13772 |accessdate=24 October 2022 |website=[[Online Etymology Dictionary]] }}</ref> The word is related to [[Middle English]] {{lang|enm|clarion}}, a type of trumpet, the name of which derives from the same root.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |year=2021 |title=clarinet |encyclopedia=Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198868750.001.0001/acref-9780198868750-e-1028 |editor-last=Cresswell |editor-first=Julia |edition=3rd |isbn=978-0-1988-6875-0}}</ref>

The earliest mention of the word "clarinette" being used for the instrument dates to a 1710 order placed by the Duke of Gronsfeld for two instruments made by [[Jacob Denner]].{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}}{{Sfn|Hoeprich|2008|p=21}} The English form "clarinet" is found as early as 1733, and the now-archaic "clarionet" appears from 1784 until the early 20th century.{{Sfn|Rendall|Bate|1971|pp=1–2, 69}}<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Jacobs |first=Arthur |encyclopedia=A New Dictionary of Music |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-351-53488-8 |page=74 |title=clarionet}}</ref>

A person who plays the clarinet is called a ''clarinetist'' (in [[North American English]]), a ''clarinettist'' (in [[British English]]), or simply a clarinet player.{{Sfn|Ellsworth|2015|p=28}}

==Development==
[[File:Applicatio auf das Clarinett (1).jpg|thumb|left|Two-key clarinet with fingering chart, from [[Museum musicum theoreticalo practicum]], 1732]]
[[File:Diderot clarinette.jpg|thumb|Denner clarinet]]
[[File:Stadler-Klarinette mit Replica.jpg|thumb|Sketch of the [[basset clarinet]] used by [[Anton Stadler]] since 1789 and a replica]]
The modern clarinet developed from a [[Baroque music|Baroque]] instrument called the [[chalumeau]]. This instrument was similar to a [[Recorder (musical instrument)|recorder]], but with a single-reed mouthpiece and a cylindrical bore. Lacking a [[register key]], it was played mainly in its fundamental register, with a limited range of about one and a half octaves. It had eight finger holes, like a recorder, and a written pitch range from F<sub>3</sub> to G<sub>4</sub>. At this time, contrary to modern practice, the reed was placed in contact with the upper lip.<ref name="karp">{{cite journal |last=Karp |first=Cary |year=1986 |title=The early history of the clarinet and chalumeau |journal=Early Music |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=545–551 |doi=10.1093/earlyj/14.4.545}}</ref>
Around the beginning of the 18th century the German instrument maker [[Johann Christoph Denner]] (or possibly his son Jacob Denner)<ref name="Hoeprich">{{cite journal |last1=Hoeprich |first1=T Eric |year=1981 |title=A three-key clarinet by J.C. Denner |url=http://woodwindsresourcefile.weebly.com/uploads/1/4/0/3/14034613/a_three-key_clarinet.pdf |journal=The Galpin Society Journal |volume=34 |jstor=841468 |pages=21–32 |doi=10.2307/841468 }}</ref> equipped a chalumeau in the alto register{{Sfn|Pino|1998|pp=198–199}} with two keys, one of which enabled access to a higher register. This second register did not begin an octave above the first, as with other woodwind instruments, but started an octave and a perfect fifth higher than the first. A second key, at the top, extended the range of the first register to A<sub>4</sub> and, together with the register key, to B{{music|flat}}<sub>4</sub>. Later, Denner lengthened the bell and provided it with a third key to extend the pitch range down to E<sub>3</sub>.<ref name="Hoeprich"/>

After Denner's innovations, other makers added keys to improve [[Musical tuning|tuning]] and facilitate fingerings<ref name="karp" /> and the chalumeau fell into disuse. The clarinet of the [[Classical period (music)|Classical period]], as used by [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], typically had five keys.{{Sfn|Shackleton|1995}} Mozart suggested extending the clarinet downwards by four semitones to C{{Sub|3}}, which resulted in the [[basset clarinet]] that was about {{convert|18|cm}} longer, made first by Theodor Lotz.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|first=Christian|last=Fastl|date=21 June 2021| url=https://www.musiklexikon.ac.at/ml/musik_L/Lotz_Theodor.xml|title=Theodor Lotz|encyclopedia=Austrian Music Encyclopaedia}}</ref> In 1791 Mozart composed the [[Clarinet Concerto (Mozart)|Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A major]] for this instrument, with passages ranging down to C<sub>3</sub>.<ref name="hacker">{{cite journal |last=Hacker | first = Alan |title=Mozart and the basset clarinet |journal=The Musical Times |volume=110 |issue=1514 |date=April 1969 |pages=359–362 |doi=10.2307/951470 |jstor=951470}}</ref> By the time of [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]] ({{Circa|1780–1820}}), the clarinet was a fixed member in the orchestra.{{Sfn|Pino|1998|p=204}}

[[File:Countersunk and normal tone hole clarinet.jpg|thumb|left|Tone holes - countersunk and straight]]
The number of keys was limited because their felt pads did not seal tightly. [[Iwan Müller]] invented the stuffed pad, originally made of [[kid leather]]. These in combination with countersunk tone holes sealed the keyholes sufficiently to permit the use of an increased number of keys. In 1812 Müller presented a clarinet with seven finger holes and thirteen keys, which he called "clarinet omnitonic" since it was capable of playing in all keys. It was no longer necessary to use differently tuned clarinets for a different keys.{{sfn|Shackleton|1995}} Müller is also considered the inventor of the metal [[Ligature (instrument)|ligature]] and the [[thumb rest]].<ref name="Northern Illinois University">{{cite web | title=Development of the Clarinet |first= Gregory|last= Barrett |date=1999| publisher=Northern Illinois University | url=https://www.niu.edu/gbarrett/resources/development.shtml | accessdate=2 January 2023}}</ref> During this period the typical embouchure also changed, orienting the mouthpiece with the reed facing downward. This was first recommended in 1782 and became standard by the 1830s.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Rice|first=Albert|title=Clarinet Fingering Charts, 1732–1816|journal=[[The Galpin Society Journal]]|doi=10.2307/841137|volume=37|date=March 1984|pages=16–41}}</ref>

In the late 1830s,<ref name="ridley"/> German flute maker [[Theobald Böhm]] invented a [[Boehm system|ring and axle key system]] for the flute. This key system was first used on the clarinet between 1839 and 1843 by French clarinetist [[Hyacinthe Klosé]] in collaboration with instrument maker [[Louis Auguste Buffet]]. Their design introduced needle springs for the axles, and the ring keys simplified some complicated fingering patterns. The inventors called this the [[Boehm system (clarinet)|Boehm clarinet]], although Böhm was not involved in its development and the system differed from the one used on the flute.<ref name="ridley" />{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}} Other key systems have been developed, many built around modifications to the basic Boehm system, including the Full Boehm, [[Mazzeo system|Mazzeo]], McIntyre,{{Sfn|Ellsworth|2015|p=68}} the Benade NX,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Benade |first=Arthur H. |author2=Keefe, Douglas H.|title=The physics of a new clarinet design |journal=The Galpin Society Journal |volume=49 |date=March 1996 |pages=113–142 |doi=10.2307/842396 |jstor=842396}}</ref> and the [[Reform Boehm system (clarinet)|Reform Boehm system]], which combined Boehm-system keywork with a German mouthpiece and bore.{{Sfn|Hoeprich|2008|pp=5, 211}}

The [[Albert system|Albert clarinet]] was developed by [[Eugène Albert]] in 1848. This model was based on the Müller clarinet with some changes to keywork, and was also known as the "simple system".{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|p=183}} It included a "spectacle key" patented by [[Adolphe Sax]] and rollers to improve little-finger movement. After 1861, a "patent C sharp" key developed by Joseph Tyler was added to other clarinet models.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116191044/http://www.music.ed.ac.uk/euchmi/ugw/ugwf1j.html|accessdate=8 January 2023|publisher=University of Edinburgh|title=The Simple System}}</ref> Improved versions of Albert clarinets were built in Belgium and France for export to the UK and the US.{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|p=184}}

Around 1860, clarinettist [[Carl Baermann]] and instrument maker Georg Ottensteiner developed the patented Baermann/Ottensteiner clarinet. This instrument had new connecting levers, allowing multiple fingering options to operate some of the pads.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=National Music Museum |title=Clarinets in C, B-flat, and A by Georg Ottensteiner, Munich, ca. 1860–1879 |url=http://collections.nmmusd.org/Clarinets/Ottensteiner/Ottensteinerclarinets.html |date=10 March 2016|archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182930/http://collections.nmmusd.org/Clarinets/Ottensteiner/Ottensteinerclarinets.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> In the early 20th century, the German clarinetist and clarinet maker Oskar Oehler presented a clarinet using similar fingerings to the Baermann instrument, with significantly more toneholes than the Böhm model.{{sfn|Shackleton|1995}} The new clarinet was called the [[Oehler system]] clarinet or German clarinet, while the Böhm clarinet has since been called the French clarinet.<ref name=systems>{{cite magazine|url=https://clarinet.org/collaboration-with-boehm-and-oehler-clarinets/|magazine=The Clarinet|date=4 March 2021|last=Harrie|first=Jessica|volume=48|issue=2|title=Collaboration with Boehm and Oehler clarinets}}</ref> The French clarinet differs from the German not only in fingering but also in sound. [[Richard Strauss]] noted that "French clarinets have a flat, nasal tone, while German ones approximate the singing voice".<ref>Quoted in {{harvnb|Hoeprich|2008|p=5}}</ref> Among modern instruments the difference is smaller, although intonation differences persist.<ref name=systems/> The use of Oehler clarinets has continued in German and Austrian orchestras.{{sfn|Shackleton|1995}}<ref>{{cite web|title=The Structure of the Clarinet &#91;Experiment&#93;, The Boehm system and the Oehler system|publisher=Yamaha|url=https://www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/clarinet/mechanism/mechanism003.html|accessdate=8 December 2022}}</ref>

Today the Boehm system is standard everywhere except in Germany and Austria, where the Oehler clarinet is still used.{{sfn|Pino|1998|p=212}} Some contemporary Dixieland players continue to use Albert system clarinets.{{sfn|Shackleton|1995}}{{sfn|Brown|1995}} The Reform Boehm system is also popular in the Netherlands.{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|p=211}}

{{Quote box|quote=
<div style="background:#e3e3e3">
<gallery mode="packed" class="float-center"  heights="550" perrow="11" caption="Clarinets with different arrangements of keys and holes" >
clarinet 4 key anon Bate (2).jpg|Early Clarinet with 4 keys ({{Circa|1760}}).
C-klarinette-lauriol-bordeaux.jpg|Iwan Müller clarinet with 13 keys and leather pads, developed in 1809.
Albert-Klarinette.jpg|Albert clarinet designed {{Circa|1850}} by Eugène Albert, intermediate between the Müller and Oehler clarinets. 
Baermann-System.jpg|Baermann clarinet, {{Circa|1870}}, intermediate between the Müller and Oehler clarinets.
Leitner+Kraus 320 b.jpg|Oehler clarinet with a cover on the middle tone hole of the lower joint, dev. 1905 by Oscar Oehler, and with bell mechanism added later to improve deep E and F
Yamaha Clarinet YCL-457II-22 (8K).jpg|Standard German clarinet without cover or bell mechanism.
BC E13 .jpg|French Clarinet (Original Boehm with 17 keys and 6 rings). Developed {{Circa|1843}} by Hyacinthe Klosé and Louis Auguste Buffet.
Patricola CL4.jpg|Full Boehm clarinet with 21 keys and 7 rings developed {{Circa|1870}}.
Wurlitzer RefBoehm 185.jpg|Reform Boehm clarinet with 19 keys and 7 rings, developed {{Circa|1949}} by  [[Fritz Wurlitzer]].
</gallery> </div>
|width=90%|align=center}}
{{clear}}

==Acoustics==
The clarinet's [[cylinder (geometry)|cylindrical]] bore is the main reason for its distinctive [[timbre]], which varies between the three main [[register (music)|registers]] (the ''chalumeau'', ''clarion'', and ''altissimo''). The A and B{{music|flat}} clarinets have nearly the same bore and nearly identical tonal quality, although the A typically has a slightly warmer sound.{{Sfn|Pino|1998|pp=26–28}} The tone of the [[E-flat clarinet|E{{music|flat}} clarinet]] is brighter and can be heard through loud orchestral textures.{{sfn|Black|Gerou|2005|p=66}} The [[bass clarinet]] has a characteristically deep, mellow sound, and the [[alto clarinet]] sounds similar to the bass, though not as dark.{{sfn|Black|Gerou|2005|p=50}}
[[File:Sound wave propagation in the soprano clarinet.jpg|thumb|Sound wave propagation in the soprano clarinet]]

The production of sound by a clarinet follows these steps:<ref name="physics">{{cite web|url=http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/clarinetacoustics.html |title=Acoustics of the clarinet|accessdate=27 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219095950/http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/clarinetacoustics.html#pipe |archive-date=19 February 2011 |publisher= University of New South Wales}}</ref><ref name=pipes>{{cite web|url=http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/flutes.v.clarinets.html|title=Open vs closed pipes (flutes vs clarinets)|publisher=University of New South Wales|accessdate=24 October 2022}}</ref>{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}}

# The mouthpiece and reed are surrounded by the player's lips, which put light, even pressure on the reed and form an airtight seal.{{sfn|Harris|1995b}} Air is blown past the reed and down the instrument. In the same way a flag flaps in the breeze, the air rushing past the reed causes it to vibrate. As air pressure from the mouth increases, the amount the reed vibrates increases until the reed hits the mouthpiece.<br />The reed stays pressed against the mouthpiece until either the springiness of the reed forces it to open or a returning pressure wave 'bumps' into the reed and opens it. Each time the reed opens, a puff of air goes through the gap, after which the reed swings shut again. When played loudly, the reed can spend up to 50% of the time shut.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Backus |first1=J |year=1961 |title=Vibrations of the reed and the air column in the clarinet |journal=The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America |volume=33 |issue=6 |pages=806–809 |doi=10.1121/1.1908803}}</ref> The 'puff of air' or [[compression wave]] (at around 3% greater pressure than the surrounding air<ref name="physics"/>) travels down the cylindrical tube and escapes at the point where the tube opens out. This is either at the closest open hole or at the end of the tube (see diagram: image 1).
# More than a 'neutral' amount of air escapes from the instrument, which creates a slight vacuum or [[rarefaction]] in the clarinet tube. This rarefaction wave travels back up the tube (image 2).
# The rarefaction is reflected off the sloping end wall of the clarinet mouthpiece. The opening between the reed and the mouthpiece makes very little difference to the reflection of the rarefaction wave. This is because the opening is very small compared to the size of the tube, so almost the entire wave is reflected back down the tube even if the reed is completely open at the time the wave hits (image 3).
# When the rarefaction wave reaches the other (open) end of the tube, air rushes in to fill the slight vacuum. A little more than a 'neutral' amount of air enters the tube and causes a compression wave to travel back up the tube (image 4). Once the compression wave reaches the mouthpiece end of the 'tube', it is reflected again back down the pipe. However at this point, either because the compression wave 'bumped' the reed or because of the natural vibration cycle of the reed, the gap opens and another 'puff' of air is sent down the pipe.
# The original compression wave, now greatly reinforced by the second 'puff' of air, sets off on another two trips down the pipe (travelling four pipe lengths in total) before the cycle is repeated again.<ref name=physics/>

In addition to this primary compression wave, other waves, known as [[harmonics]], are created. Harmonics are caused by factors including the imperfect wobbling and shaking of the reed, the reed sealing the mouthpiece opening for part of the wave cycle (which creates a flattened section of the sound wave), and imperfections (bumps and holes) in the bore. A wide variety of compression waves are created, but only some (primarily the odd harmonics) are reinforced.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Barthet |first1=M. |last2=Guillemain |first2=P. |last3=Kronland-Martinet |first3=R. |last4=Ystad |first4=S. |year=2010 |title=From clarinet control to timbre perception |journal=Acta Acustica United with Acustica |volume=96 |issue=4 |pages=678–689 |doi=10.3813/AAA.918322}}</ref>{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}} This in combination with the cut-off frequency (where a significant drop in resonance occurs) results in the characteristic tone of the clarinet.{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}}

The [[Bore (wind instruments)|bore]] is [[Cylinder|cylindrical]] for most of the tube with an inner bore diameter between {{convert|0.575|and|0.585|in|mm}}, but there is a subtle [[hourglass]] shape, with the thinnest part below the junction between the upper and lower joint.{{sfn|Pino|1998|p=24}} This hourglass shape, although invisible to the naked eye, helps to correct the pitch and responsiveness of the instrument.{{sfn|Pino|1998|p=24}} The diameter of the bore affects the instrument's sound characteristics.{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}} The bell at the bottom of the clarinet flares out to improve the tone and tuning of the lowest notes.<ref name="physics"/> Modern standard clarinets are [[musical tuning|tuned]] to 440 to 442 [[hertz|Hz]]&mdash;[[concert pitch]] is 440&nbsp;Hz&mdash;but adjusting the length of the bore can alter tuning, for example to match the pitch of a larger ensemble. Other factors that impact tuning include temperature and [[dynamics (music)|dynamics]].{{sfn|Ellsworth|2015|p=31}}{{sfn|Coppenbarger|2015|p=36}}{{sfn|Pino|1998|p=116}}

Most modern clarinets have "undercut" [[tone hole]]s that improve intonation and sound. Undercutting means [[chamfer]]ing the bottom edge of tone holes inside the bore. Acoustically, this makes the tone hole function as if it were larger, but its main function is to allow the air column to follow the curve up through the tone hole (surface tension) instead of "blowing past" it under the increasingly directional frequencies of the upper registers.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gibson |first1=Lee |year=1968 |title=Fundamentals of acoustical design of the soprano clarinet |doi=10.2307/3391282 |journal=Music Educators Journal |volume=54 |issue=6 |pages=113–115 |jstor=3391282 }}</ref> Covering or uncovering the tone holes varies the length of the pipe, changing the [[acoustic resonance|resonant frequencies]] of the enclosed air column and hence the [[Pitch (music)|pitch]]. The player moves between the chalumeau and clarion registers through use of the [[register key]]. The open register key stops the fundamental frequency from being reinforced, making the reed vibrate at three times the frequency, which produces a note a twelfth above the original note.<ref name="physics" />

The fixed reed and fairly uniform diameter of the clarinet result in an acoustical performance approximating that of a cylindrical [[stopped pipe]].<ref name="physics"/> [[Recorder (musical instrument)|Recorders]] use a tapered internal bore to [[Overblowing|overblow]] at the [[octave]] when the thumb/register hole is pinched open, while the clarinet, with its cylindrical bore, overblows at the [[Twelfth (interval)|twelfth]].<ref name="physics"/>  The low chalumeau register plays fundamentals, but the clarion (second) register plays the third harmonics, a perfect twelfth higher than the fundamentals.<ref name="physics" /><ref name=pipes/> The first several notes of the altissimo (third) range, aided by the register key and venting with the first left-hand hole, play the fifth harmonics, a perfect twelfth plus a major sixth above the fundamentals.<ref name=physics/>{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}} The fifth and seventh harmonics are also available, sounding a further [[Interval (music)|sixth]] and [[Fourth (interval)|fourth]] (a flat, diminished fifth) higher respectively; these are the notes of the altissimo register.<ref name="physics" />

The lip position and pressure, shaping of the vocal tract, choice of reed and mouthpiece, amount of air pressure created, and evenness of the airflow account for most of the player's ability to control the tone of a clarinet.<ref>{{cite conference|last1=Almeida|first1= A|last2= Lemare|first2= J|last3= Sheahan|first3= M|last4=Judge|first4= J|last5= Auvray|first5= R|last6= Dang|first6= K|last7=Wolfe|first7= J|year=2010|url=http://newt.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/reprints/clarinetcartography.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303163646/http://newt.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/reprints/clarinetcartography.pdf |archivedate=3 March 2011 |url-status=live |title=Clarinet parameter cartography: automatic mapping of the sound produced as a function of blowing pressure and reed force|conference=International Symposium on Music Acoustics}}</ref> Their vocal tract will be shaped to resonate at frequencies associated with the tone being produced.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pàmies-Vilà |first1=Montserrat |last2=Hofmann |first2=Alex |last3=Chatziioannou |first3=Vasileios |year=2020 |title=The influence of the vocal tract on the attack transients in clarinet playing |journal=[[Journal of New Music Research]] |volume=49 |issue=2 |pages=126–135 |doi=10.1080/09298215.2019.1708412|pmid=32256677 |pmc=7077444 }}</ref>

[[Vibrato]], a pulsating change of pitch, is rare in classical literature; however, certain performers, such as [[Richard Stoltzman]], use vibrato in classical music.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|date=16 August 1992|last=Blum|first=David|title=Teaching the clarinet to speak with his voice|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/16/arts/classical-music-teaching-the-clarinet-to-speak-with-his-voice.html}}</ref> Other effects are [[glissando]], [[growling]], trumpet sounds, double tongue, [[flutter tongue]] and [[circular breathing]]. Special lip-bending may be used to play [[Microtonal music|microtonal]] intervals.{{sfn|Heaton|1995}} There have also been efforts to create a [[quarter tone clarinet]].<ref name="jl">{{cite web |last=Zakian |first=Lee |title=The clarinet history |url=http://www.jlpublishing.com/ClarinetHistory.htm |publisher=JL Publishing |accessdate=2 July 2009 |archive-date=14 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414122314/http://www.jlpublishing.com/ClarinetHistory.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Richards |first=E. Michael |work=The Clarinet of the Twenty-First Century |url=http://userpages.umbc.edu/~emrich/chapter2-5.html |title= Single sounds |accessdate=9 October 2012 |archive-date=11 December 2012 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20121211103401/http://userpages.umbc.edu/~emrich/chapter2-5.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Construction==

===Materials===

[[File:Mouthpiece with conical ring ligatur.png|thumb|upright=0.5|left|Mouthpiece with conical ring ligature, made from hard rubber, holding the reed in place]]

Clarinet bodies have been made from a variety of materials including wood, plastic, hard rubber or [[Ebonite]], metal, and [[ivory]].{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|pp=4, 65, 293}} The vast majority of wooden clarinets are made from [[African blackwood]] (grenadilla), or, more uncommonly, [[Rosewood (timber)|Honduran rosewood]] or [[cocobolo]].{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|p=4}}<ref>{{Cite report |last=Jenkins |first=Martin |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265495248 |title=International Trade in African Blackwood |last2=Oldfield |first2=Sara |last3=Aylett |first3=Tiffany |publisher=Fauna & Flora International |year=2002 |isbn=1-903703-05-0 |page=21}}</ref> Historically other woods, particularly [[Buxus|boxwood]] and [[ebony]], were used.{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|p=4}} Since the mid-20th century, clarinets (particularly student or band models) are also made from plastics, such as [[acrylonitrile butadiene styrene]] (ABS).{{sfn|Coppenbarger|2015|p=20}}{{Sfn|Ellsworth|2015|p=5}} One of the first such blends of plastic was Resonite, a term originally trademarked by [[Henri Selmer Paris|Selmer]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Saunders |first=Scott J. |date=1 January 1952 |title=Music-making plastics |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1290821116 |journal=Music Journal |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=22–23, 48–51 |id={{ProQuest|1290821116}}}}</ref>{{Sfn|Ellsworth|2015|p=94}} The Greenline model by [[Buffet Crampon]] is made from a [[composite material|composite]] of resin and the African blackwood powder left over from the manufacture of wooden clarinets.{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|p=368}}{{Sfn|Ellsworth|2015|p=7}}
Metal soprano clarinets were popular in the late 19th century, particularly for military use. Metal is still used for the bodies of some contra-alto and contrabass clarinets and the necks and bells of nearly all alto and larger clarinets.{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|pp=293–294}}{{Sfn|Harris|1995a|p=74}}

[[Mouthpiece (woodwind)|Mouthpieces]] are generally made of hard rubber, although some inexpensive mouthpieces may be made of plastic. Other materials such as glass, wood, ivory, and metal have also been used.{{Sfn|Pino|1998|p=10}} [[Ligature (musical instrument)|Ligatures]] are often made of metal and tightened using one or more adjustment screws; other materials include plastic, string, or fabric.{{sfn|Pino|1998|p=21}}

===Reed===
The clarinet uses a single [[reed (instrument)|reed]] made from the cane of ''[[Arundo donax]]''.{{sfn|Pino|1998|p=154}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Obataya E |author2=Norimoto M. |date=August 1999 |title=Acoustic properties of a reed (''Arundo donax'' L.) used for the vibrating plate of a clarinet |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/243524477 |journal=[[The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America]] |volume=106 |issue=2 |pages=1106–1110 |doi=10.1121/1.427118 |accessdate=12 May 2015}}</ref> Reeds may also be manufactured from synthetic materials.{{sfn|Lowry|1985|p=30}} The [[ligature (musical instrument)|ligature]] fastens the reed to the mouthpiece. When air is blown through the opening between the reed and the mouthpiece facing, the reed vibrates and produces the clarinet's sound.{{Sfn|Pino|1998|p=19}}

Most players buy manufactured reeds, although many make adjustments to these reeds, and some make their own reeds from cane "blanks".<ref name="intravaia">{{cite journal |doi=10.2307/3344436 |last=Intravaia |first=Lawrence J |author2=Robert S. Resnick |date=Spring 1968 |title=A research study of a technique for adjusting clarinet reeds |journal=Journal of Research in Music Education |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=45–58 |jstor=3344436 }}</ref> Reeds come in varying degrees of hardness, generally indicated on a scale from one (soft) through five (hard). This numbering system is not standardized—reeds with the same number often vary in hardness across manufacturers and models. Reed and mouthpiece characteristics work together to determine ease of playability and tonal characteristics.{{sfn|Pino|1998|pp=153–156}}

===Components===
[[File:Parts of clarinet 1.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.3|The construction of a [[Böhm system (clarinet)|Boehm system]] clarinet]]
The reed is attached to the mouthpiece by the ligature, and the top half-inch or so of this assembly is held in the player's mouth. In the past, string was used to bind the reed to the mouthpiece. The formation of the mouth around the mouthpiece and reed is called the [[embouchure]]. The reed is on the underside of the mouthpiece, pressing against the player's lower lip, while the top teeth normally contact the top of the mouthpiece (some players roll the upper lip under the top teeth to form what is called a 'double-lip' embouchure).{{Sfn|Pino|1998|pp=21, 54–59}} Adjustments in the strength and shape of the embouchure change the tone and intonation. Players sometimes relieve the pressure on the upper teeth and inner lower lip by attaching a pad to the top of the mouthpiece or putting temporary cushioning on the lower teeth.{{Sfn|Pino|1998|p=38}}

The mouthpiece attaches to the barrel. Tuning can be adjusted by using barrels of varying lengths or by pulling out the barrel to increase the instrument's length.{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}}{{sfn|Pino|1998|pp=39–41}} On basset horns and lower clarinets, there is a curved metal neck instead of a barrel.{{Sfn|Dobrée|1995}}

The main body of most clarinets has an upper joint, whose mechanism is mostly operated by the left hand, and a lower joint, mostly operated by the right hand.{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}} Some clarinets have a one-piece body.{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}} The modern soprano clarinet has numerous [[tone hole]]s—seven are covered with the fingertips and the rest are operated using a set of 17 keys.{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}} The most common system of keys was named the [[Böhm system|Boehm system]] by its designer [[Hyacinthe Klosé]] after flute designer [[Theobald Böhm|Theobald Boehm]], but it is not the same as the [[Böhm system|Boehm system]] used on flutes.<ref name="ridley">{{cite journal |last=Ridley |first=E.A.K. |date=September 1986 |title=Birth of the 'Böhm' clarinet |journal=[[The Galpin Society Journal]] |volume=39 |pages=68–76 |doi=10.2307/842134 |jstor=842134}}</ref> The other main key system is the [[Oehler system]], which is used mostly in Germany and Austria.{{Sfn|Shackleton|1995}} The related [[Albert system]] is used by some [[jazz]], [[klezmer]], and eastern European folk musicians.{{Sfn|Shackleton|1995}} The Albert and Oehler systems are both based on the early [[Ivan Mueller|Mueller system]].{{Sfn|Shackleton|1995}}

The cluster of keys at the bottom of the upper joint (protruding slightly beyond the cork of the joint) are known as the trill keys and are operated by the right hand.{{sfn|Pinksterboer|2001|pp=5–6}} The entire weight of the smaller clarinets is supported by the right thumb behind the lower joint on what is called the [[thumb rest]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Horvath |first=Janet |date=September 2001 |title=An orchestra musician's perspective on 20 years of performing arts medicine |journal=Medical Problems of Performing Artists |volume=16 |issue=3 |page=102 |doi=10.21091/mppa.2001.3018 }}</ref> Larger clarinets are supported with a neck strap or a floor peg.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Corley |first=Paula |date=June 2020 |title=Not like the others: playing strategies for A, E-flat and bass clarinet |url=https://clarinet.org/pedagogy-corner-not-like-others-playing-strategies-e-flat-bass-clarinet/ |journal=The Clarinet |volume=47 |issue=3}}</ref>

Below the main body is a flared end known as the bell. The bell does not amplify the sound but improves the uniformity of the instrument's tone for the lowest notes in each register.<ref name="physics"/> For the other notes, the sound is produced almost entirely at the tone holes, and the bell is irrelevant.<ref name="physics"/> On [[Basset-horn|basset horns]] and larger clarinets, the bell curves up and forward and is usually made of metal.{{Sfn|Dobrée|1995}}

In the 1930s, some clarinets were manufactured with (filled) plateau keys,{{sfn|Pagliaro|2024}} but they were expensive and had issues with sound quality. They were designed for use in cold weather (allowing gloves to be worn), for saxophone or flute players, and for players with certain physical requirements.<ref>{{cite web |title=Plateau Mechanism: Covered holes |url=https://www.clarinet.dk/content/show_content.php?id=101&cont=eu&lang=en&instr=cla |publisher=Lohff & Pfeiffer |access-date=3 January 2025}}</ref>

==Clarinet family and ranges==
{{Main|Clarinet family}}
Clarinets have the largest pitch [[Range (music)|range]] of common woodwinds.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Reed|first= Alfred |date=September 1961 |title=The composer and the college band |journal=[[Music Educators Journal]] |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=51–53 |doi=10.2307/3389717 |jstor=3389717 }}</ref> The range of a clarinet is usually divided into three registers. The low [[chalumeau]] register extends from the notated E3 (C3 if available) to the notated B{{music|flat}}4. The middle clarion register covers a little more than an octave (from the written B4 to C5). The high [[altissimo]] register consists of the notes above it.{{sfn|Pino|1998|p=29}} The three registers have characteristically different sounds: the chalumeau is full and dark, the clarion register is brighter and sweet, like a high trumpet from a distance, and the altissimo can be piercing and sometimes shrill.{{Sfn|Pino|1998|p=200}}{{sfn|Miller|2015|p=176}}

Initially only C clarinets were available, but soon clarinets in B{{music|flat}} and A and the basset horn in F and G were developed. From the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, an extensive family of clarinets developed, from high A{{music|flat}} to subcontrabass. Apart from the clarinets tuned in C (C soprano clarinet and basset clarinet in C), all clarinets are transposing instruments. The instruments above the C clarinet sound higher than notated, such as the aforementioned  A{{music|flat}}  clarinet a sixth higher, the longer instruments sound lower, such as the B{{music|flat}} clarinet by one tone and the B{{music|flat}} contrabass clarinet by two octaves and one tone.

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name !! Key !! Commentary !! Range (written)!! Range<br>(sounding) !! Sound examples <br/>played by [[Richard Haynes (musician)|Richard Haynes]]
|-
| [[A-flat clarinet|A{{Flat}} clarinet]] (Piccolo clarinet in A{{music|flat}})
| A{{music|flat}}
| The A-flat (A♭) clarinet is the highest-pitched clarinet still manufactured.{{sfn|Tschaikov|1995}} Due to its small size it is usually constructed with a one-piece body that combines the separate upper and lower joints and the barrel found on larger clarinets.{{Sfn|Rendall|Bate|1971|p=120}} It first appeared in the early 19th century and was mainly adopted by European wind bands, particularly in Spain and Italy, though it is now rare.{{sfn|Tschaikov|1995}} It found some use in the on-stage ''[[Banda (opera)|banda]]'' of 19th-century Italian opera, and is occasionally called for in [[20th-century classical music|20th-century]] and contemporary orchestral and chamber works.{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|pp=285&ndash;286}}{{sfn|Tschaikov|1995}}
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
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    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 e4 \glissando 
        \ottava #1 g'''
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</score>}}
E3 - G6

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C4 - E{{music|flat}}7 
|[[File:As-Klarinettte Bartok Scherzo.ogg|thumb|[[Béla Bartók|Bartók]], ''Scherzo for Piano and Orchestra'' (1905)]]
|-
| [[E-flat clarinet|E{{music|b}} clarinet]] (Sopranino or piccolo clarinet in E{{music|flat}})
| E{{music|flat}}
| The E-flat (E{{music|flat}}) clarinet is smaller than the more common [[Soprano clarinet|B{{music|flat}} clarinet]]. It has a characteristic "hard and biting" tone and is used in the orchestra when a brighter, or sometimes more comical, sound is called for.{{sfn|Tschaikov|1995}}  It is used in orchestras, concert bands, and marching bands, and plays a central role in clarinet choirs, carrying melodies that would be uncomfortably high for the B♭ clarinet.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}} Solo repertoire is limited, but composers from Berlioz to Mahler have used it extensively as a solo instrument in orchestral contexts.{{sfn|Tschaikov|1995}} 
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E3 - A6 
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G3 - C7 
|[[File:Es-Klarinette, Ravel Bolero.ogg|thumb|[[Maurice Ravel|Ravel]], ''[[Boléro]]'' (1928)]]
|-
| [[D clarinet]]
| D
|This type of clarinet was largely replaced by the E{{music|flat}} clarinet. It was used in concerti by [[Johann Melchior Molter]], in operas by [[Richard Wagner]], and in ''[[Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks|Till Eulenspiegel]]'' by [[Richard Strauss]].{{sfn|Koechlin|1954|p=322}} [[Stravinsky]] used both the D and E{{music|flat}} clarinets in ''[[Le Sacre du Printemps]]''.{{sfn|Tschaikov|1995}}
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    \relative c {
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        \ottava #1 a'''
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E3 - A6 
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Fis3 - B6 
|-
| [[Soprano clarinet|C clarinet]] (Soprano clarinet in C)
| C
| This clarinet was very common in the instrument's earliest period but its use dwindled, and by the end of the 1920s it had become practically obsolete. From the time of [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], many composers began to prefer the mellower lower-pitched instruments, and the timbre of the C instrument may have been considered too bright.{{sfn|Lawson|1995c}} To avoid having to carry an extra instrument that required another reed and mouthpiece, orchestral players preferred to play parts for this instrument on B{{music|flat}} clarinets, transposing up a tone.{{Sfn|Pino|1998|p=218}}
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
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    \relative c {
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E3 - B6 
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E3 - B6 
|[[File:C-Klarinette, Barbier v Sevillia.ogg|thumb|[[Gioachino Rossini|Rossini]], ''[[The Barber of Seville]]'' (1816)]]
|-
| [[Clarinet family|B{{music|flat}} clarinet]] (Soprano clarinet in B{{music|flat}})
| [[B♭ (musical note)|B♭]]
| The B{{music|flat}} clarinet is the most common type.{{sfn|Lawson|1995b}} Usually, the term "clarinet" on its own refers to this instrument.{{Sfn|Raasakka|2010|p=53}}
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E3 - C7 
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D3 - B6 
|[[File:B-Klarinette, Beeth 8.III.ogg|thumb|[[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Symphony No. 8 (Beethoven)|Symphony No. 8]] (1812)]]
|-
| [[Clarinet family|A clarinet]] (Soprano clarinet in A)
| A
| The A clarinet is frequently used in orchestral and chamber music, especially of the nineteenth century.{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}}
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
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    \relative c {
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        \ottava #-1 e4 \glissando
        \ottava #1 d''''
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E3 - D7
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
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        \ottava #-1 cis4 \glissando 
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Cis3 - B6 
|[[File:A-Klarinette, Rachmaninov 2 II.ogg|thumb|[[Sergei Rachmaninoff|Rachmaninoff]], [[Symphony No. 2 (Rachmaninoff)|Symphony No. 2]] (1907)]]
|-
| [[Basset clarinet]]
| A, C, G or B{{music|b}}
| The basset clarinet is typically tuned in A, though basset clarinets in C, G and B{{music|b}} also exist.{{sfn|Shackleton|Rice|2015c}}{{sfn|Dearling|2001}} It is used primarily to play Classical-era music.{{sfn|Shackleton|1995}} Mozart's [[Clarinet Concerto (Mozart)|Clarinet Concerto]] was written for this instrument, though the [[autograph]] was lost and the work was rewritten by publishers for the standard clarinet.{{sfn|Shackleton|Rice|2015c}}<ref>{{cite journal|title=The basset clarinet of Anton Stadler|journal=College Music Symposium|last=Poulin|first=Pamela|date=1982|pages=67&ndash;82|volume=22|issue=2}}</ref> Basset clarinets with modern keywork have been built beginning in 1951, initially for the performance of the Mozart concerto.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Basset clarinet|last=Shackleton|first=Nicholas|date=2001|encyclopedia=Grove Music Online|doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.40001}}</ref> Today, both the edited version for A clarinet and reconstructions of the lost autograph for basset clarinet are performed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://clarinet.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Koons-Mozart-Editions.pdf|work=ClarinetFest|date=1998|last=Koons|first=Keith|title=Comparing Published Editions of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, K. 622 }}</ref> A well known{{citation needed|date=April 2025}} composition for B{{music|b}} basset clarinet is Mozart's opera ''[[La Clemenza di Tito]]'' No. 9, aria from Sesto, "Parto, parto, ma tu ben mio".
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C3 - D7 (instrument in A)
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
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A2 - B6 (instrument in A)
|[[File:G-Klar d'amore Mayr, Gloria Patri.ogg|thumb|[[Simon Mayr|Mayr]], ''Gloria Patri'' (played on a basset clarinet in G)]]
|-
| [[Basset horn]]
| F or G
| Similar in appearance to the alto, the basset horn is typically pitched in F, with a narrower bore on most models. Mozart's Clarinet Concerto was originally sketched out as a concerto for basset horn in G (K. 584b/621b); his ''Requiem'' is "a cornerstone of the basset horn repertoire", and he also wrote numerous opera parts and [[chamber music|chamber]] pieces for the instrument. Little other material for basset horn has been published.{{sfn|Dobrée|1995}}<ref name=hacker/>
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
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        \ottava #-1 c4 \glissando \ottava #1 d''''
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C3 - D7 (instrument in F)
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        \ottava #-1 f,4 \glissando \ottava #1 g''''
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F2 - G6 (instrument in F)
|[[File:F-Bassetthorn, Mozart Requiem.ogg|thumb|[[Mozart]], [[Requiem (Mozart)|Requiem]] (1791)]]
|-
| [[Alto clarinet]]
| E{{music|flat}} or F
| Sometimes referred to as the tenor clarinet in Europe, the alto clarinet is used in military and concert bands and occasionally, if rarely, in orchestras.{{Sfn|Baines|1991|p=129}}{{sfn|Pino|1998|p=219}}{{sfn|Shackleton|Rice|2015a}} The alto clarinet in F was used in military bands during the early 19th century and was a favorite instrument of [[Iwan Müller]]. It later fell out of use.{{sfn|Rice|2009|p=84}} If called for, it is commonly substituted with the basset horn.{{sfn|Rice|2009|p=84}} The alto clarinet usually reaches down to low E,{{sfn|Rice|2009b|p=10}} but can be extended lower.{{Sfn|Rehfeldt|1994|p=3}}
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
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E3 - D7 (extended range)
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A2 - F6 (extended range)
|-
| [[Bass clarinet]]
| B{{music|flat}}
| Developed in the late 18th century, the bass clarinet began featuring in orchestral music in the 1830s after its redesign by [[Adolphe Sax]].{{sfn|Shackleton|Rice|2015b}} It has since become a mainstay of the modern orchestra.{{sfn|Harris|1995a}} It is also used in concert bands and enjoys (along with the B{{Music|flat}} clarinet) a considerable role in jazz, especially through jazz musician [[Eric Dolphy]].{{sfn|Miller|2015|p=385}}{{sfn|Brown|1995}} The bass clarinet in A, which had a vogue among certain composers from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries, is now so rare as to usually be considered obsolete.{{Sfn|Pino|1998|p=219}} The bass clarinet is also available in a version reaching down to low E flat instead of low C.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.selmer.fr/en/products/clarinette-basse-privilege?variant=42969781600425|publisher=Selmer|accessdate=14 April 2025|title=Privilege Bass}}</ref>
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
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C3 - E7 (standard)
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{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \clef bass
        \ottava #0 bes,4 \glissando \ottava #2 d''''     
    }
}
</score>}}
B{{music|flat}}1 - D6 (standard)
|[[File:R. Strauss Don Qixote.ogg|thumb| [[Richard Strauss|Strauss]], ''[[Don Quixote (Strauss)|Don Quixote]]'' (1897)]]
|-
| [[Contra-alto clarinet]] (also ''contralto'' or ''E♭ contrabass'' clarinet)
| EE{{music|flat}}
| The first contra-alto clarinets were made in the first half of the 18th century.{{sfn|Rice|2009b|p=324}} Modern instruments ([[Boehm system|Boehm]] and [[Oehler system|Oehler]]) have developed since the 1950s.{{sfn|Rice|2009b|p=338}} The contra-alto clarinet is used in wind ensembles and occasionally in cinematic scores.{{sfn|Harris|1995a}}

| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4 \clef treble
        \magnifyMusic 0.7 { ees4 }
        e4
        \glissando
        a'''
    }
}
</score>}}
E♭3 - A6{{Sfn|Blatter|1997|pp=106-107}}
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \clef bass
        \magnifyMusic 0.7 { ges,4 }
        g4 \glissando c'''
    }
}
</score>}}
G♭1 - C5
|[[File:Kontraaltklarinette, Boneh, Municipal Shuffle.ogg|thumb|[[Oren Boneh]], ''Municipal Shuffle'' (2023)]]
|-
| [[Contrabass clarinet]] (also ''double-bass'' clarinet)
| BB{{music|flat}}
| The BB{{music|flat}} contrabass is used in clarinet ensembles, concert bands, and sometimes in orchestras.{{sfn|Harris|1995a}} [[Arnold Schoenberg]] calls for a contrabass clarinet in A in his ''[[Five Pieces for Orchestra]]'', but no such instrument ever existed.{{sfn|Raasakka|2010|p=82}}

| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4 \clef treble
        c4
        \glissando
        a''''
    }
}
</score>}}
C3 - A6{{Sfn|Blatter|1997|pp=106-107}}
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \clef bass
        \ottava #-1 bes,,4 \glissando \ottava #0 g''''
    }
}
</score>}}
B♭0 - G4
|[[File:Kontrabassklarinette, Mahler 9 IV.ogg|thumb|[[Mahler]], [[Symphony No. 9 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 9]] (1909){{efn|This work is originally scored for standard bass clarinet.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mahlerfoundation.org/mahler/compositions/symphony-no-9/symphony-no-9-orchestration/|accessdate=5 April 2025|title=Orchestration Symphony No. 9|publisher=Mahler Foundation}}</ref>}}]]
|-
|[[Subcontrabass clarinet]] (also called octocontrabass clarinet)
|BBB{{music|flat}}
|The subcontrabass clarinet (in B♭) sounds one octave lower than the contrabass clarinet. Until early April 2025, only a single instrument of this kind existed worldwide: a clarinet built by Leblanc in 1939 ,{{Sfn|Ellsworth|2015|p=79}}{{Sfn|Baines|1991|p=131}} written down to D and sounding down to subcontra C (C0). This instrument is housed in a museum and is nearly unplayable due to its wide bore.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} In 2025, following five years of development, the company Foag Klarinettenbau introduced a newly designed octocontrabass clarinet. Like the Leblanc model, it uses the Boehm system, but it extends the range down to written C, sounding as low as sub-subcontra B{{music|flat}} (B{{music|flat}}-1)—below the threshold of human hearing. It is the largest and most expensive wind instrument, and the lowest-pitched musical instrument ever constructed.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
|<score> { \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    c2 \glissando \ottava #1 a''''2 }
</score>
C3 - A7 
|<score> { \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \clef bass
  \ottava #-1 bes,,,,2  \glissando  g2 }
</score>
B{{music|flat}}-1 - G4 
|-
|}
<gallery mode = "packed" heights = "300">
10 clarinets.jpg|Clarinets in A{{music|flat}}, E{{music|flat}} and B{{music|flat}}, [[basset clarinet]] in A, [[alto clarinet]] range to low E{{music|flat}}, [[basset horn]], [[bass clarinet]] range to low E{{music|flat}}, bass clarinet range to low C, [[contra alto clarinet]] and [[contrabass clarinet]]
Subkontrabassklarinetten Leblanc (1939) und Foag (2025).jpg|Subcontrabass clarinets by Leblanc 1939 and Foag 2025 </gallery>
{{clear}}

==Performance practice==

The modern orchestra frequently includes two clarinetists, each usually equipped with a B{{music|flat}} and an A clarinet, and clarinet parts commonly alternate between the instruments.{{sfn|Lawson|1995b}} The standard of using soprano clarinets in B{{music|flat}} and A has to do partly with the history of the instrument and partly with acoustics and aesthetics.{{sfn|Lawson|1995b}} Before about 1800, due to the lack of airtight pads, practical woodwinds could have only a few keys.{{sfn|Shackleton|1995}} The low (chalumeau) register of the clarinet spans a twelfth (an octave plus a perfect fifth) before overblowing, so the clarinet needs keys/holes to produce all nineteen notes in this range. This involves more keywork than on instruments that "overblow" at the octave—[[oboe]]s, flutes, [[bassoon]]s, and saxophones need only twelve notes before overblowing. Since clarinets with few keys cannot play chromatically, they are limited to playing in closely related keys.<ref name="longyear">{{cite journal |last1=Longyear |first1=RM |year=1983 |title=Clarinet sonorities in early Romantic music |jstor=962035 |url=http://jeremywoodwindsresourcefile.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/8/2/23826031/clarinet_sonorities_in_early_romantic_music.pdf |journal=The Musical Times |volume=124 |issue=1682 |pages=224–226 |doi=10.2307/962035  }}</ref> With the advent of airtight pads and improved key technology, more keys were added to woodwinds and the need for clarinets in multiple keys was reduced.{{sfn|Shackleton|1995}} The use of instruments in C, B{{music|flat}}, and A persisted, with each used as specified by the composer.{{sfn|Lawson|1995c}}

The lower-pitched clarinets sound "mellower" (less bright), and the C clarinet—the highest and brightest sounding of these three—fell out of favor as the other two could cover its range and their sound was considered better.<ref name="longyear"/> While the clarinet in C began to fall out of general use around 1850, some composers continued to write C parts. Others employed many different clarinets, including the E{{music|flat}} or D soprano clarinets, [[Basset-horn|basset horn]], [[bass clarinet]], and [[contrabass clarinet]]. The practice of using different clarinets to achieve tonal variety was common in [[20th-century classical music]].{{sfn|Tschaikov|1995}}{{sfn|Harris|1995a}}{{sfn|Lawson|1995b}} While technical improvements and an equal-tempered scale reduced the need for two clarinets, the technical difficulty of playing in remote keys persisted, and the A has remained a standard orchestral instrument.{{sfn|Shackleton|1995}}

Common combinations involving clarinet in [[chamber music]] are:
* Clarinet and piano.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Burnet C. |last=Tuthill |title=Sonatas for clarinet and piano: annotated listings |journal=Journal of Research in Music Education |volume=20 |issue=3 |year=1972 |pages=308–328 |jstor=3343885 |doi=10.2307/3343885}}</ref>
* [[Clarinet trio]]: clarinet, piano, and another instrument (for example, a [[string instrument]]).{{sfn|Rees-Davies|1995}}
* [[Clarinet choir|Clarinet quartet]]: three B{{music|flat}} clarinets and [[bass clarinet]]; two B{{music|flat}} clarinets, [[alto clarinet]], and bass; two B{{music|flat}}, an E{{music|flat}} alto clarinet, and a B{{music|flat}} bass clarinet; sometimes four B{{music|flat}} sopranos; and other possibilities such as the use of a [[basset horn]], especially in European classical works.<ref name=choir>{{cite journal |doi=10.2307/3343790 |last=Weerts |first=Richard K. |date=Autumn 1964 |title=The clarinet choir |journal=Journal of Research in Music Education |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=227–230 |jstor=3343790  }}</ref>{{sfn|Dobrée|1995}}<ref>{{cite journal |last=Seay |first=Albert E. |date=September–October 1948 |title=Modern composers and the wind ensemble |journal=Music Educators Journal |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=27–28 |doi=10.2307/3386973 |jstor=3386973 |doi-access=}}</ref>
* [[Clarinet quintet]]: a clarinet plus a [[string quartet]] or, in more contemporary music, a configuration of five clarinets.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1093/jrma/42.1.89 |last=Street |first=Oscar W. |title=The clarinet and its music |journal=Journal of the Royal Musical Association |year=1915 |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=89–115 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1431795 }}</ref>{{Sfn|Ellsworth|2015|p=28}}
* [[Wind quintet]]: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and [[French horn|horn]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |year=2013 |title=Wind quintet |encyclopedia=The Oxford Dictionary of Music |editor-last1=Kennedy |editor-first1=Joyce |edition=6th |isbn=978-0-1917-4451-8 |editor-last2=Kennedy |editor-first2=Michael |editor-last3=Rutherford-Johnson |editor-first3=Tim}}</ref>

The A{{music|flat}} clarinet, B{{music|flat}} clarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, and contra-alto/contrabass clarinet are commonly used in [[concert band]]s, which generally have multiple B{{music|flat}} clarinets; there are commonly three or even four B{{music|flat}} clarinet parts with two to three players per part.{{sfn|Miller|2015|p=385}} The clarinet is also used in [[military band]]s; author Eric Hoeprich suggests that "it was the role of the clarinet in the military band... that ultimately provided the key to its future popularity", since it was particularly suited to the ensemble.{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|p=298}}

[[Clarinet choir]] contains many clarinets playing together, usually including several members of the clarinet family. This ensemble first emerged in 1927. The homogeneity of tone across the different members of the clarinet family produces an effect with some similarities to a human [[choir]]. Parts for non-clarinets, such as voice or French horn, are sometimes included in the repertoire.<ref name="choir2">{{cite journal |last=Weerts |first=Richard K. |date=Autumn 1964 |title=The clarinet choir |journal=Journal of Research in Music Education |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=227–230 |doi=10.2307/3343790 |jstor=3343790}}</ref>

==Repertoire==
=== Classical ===
{{main|Clarinet concerto|Clarinet sonata}}

The clarinet evolved later than other orchestral woodwind instruments, leaving solo repertoire from the [[Classical music era|Classical]] period onward, but few works from the [[Baroque music|Baroque]] era.{{sfn|Rees-Davies|1995}} Examples of the first uses of clarinets include [[Antonio Vivaldi|Vivaldi]]'s 1716 oratorio ''[[Juditha triumphans]]'' with two C clarinets,{{sfn|Rice|1992b|pp=81&ndash;82}} and [[Handel]]'s 1740 ''Ouverture'' for two clarinets and horn.{{sfn|Lawson|2009|pp=75&ndash;77}} In the 1750s, clarinets were introduced in the orchestra of La Pouplinière in Paris.{{sfn|Ellsworth|2022}} [[Johann Stamitz]] composed the first known concerto for B{{flat}} clarinet for the principal clarinetist of this orchestra.{{sfn|Rice|2022}} [[Johann Melchior Molter]] wrote six clarinet concertos for clarinet in D, the first dated to around 1742.{{sfn|Rice|2022}}

Clarinets appeared in the [[Mannheim orchestra]] under Stamitz and in other orchestras from 1758,{{sfn|Rice|2022}} but were not commonly used before the 19th century.{{sfn|Ellsworth|2022}} ''[[Harmonie]]'' wind ensembles including clarinets were common from the mid-18th century.{{sfn|Rice|2022}} Classical composers of solo or duo concertos for this instrument included [[Karl Stamitz]] and [[František Xaver Pokorný]].{{sfn|Rees-Davies|1995}} The first [[clarinet sonata]] was written in 1770 by the Neapolitan composer Gregorio Sciroli.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://clarinet.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Thrasher-Italy.pdf|last=Thraser|first=Michael|work=ClarinetFest|date=2006|title=The clarinetist-composers of nineteenth-century Italy: an examination of style, repertoire and pedagogy}}</ref> 
[[File:Mozart Quintett Bassettklarinette Larghetto.ogg|thumb|Larghetto from the Mozart Quintet; Vlad Weverbergh on a replica of the Stadler clarinet]]
[[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] first used the clarinet in 1771 in his Divertimento K. 113 and later in the ''[[Paris Symphony]]'' of 1778.{{sfn|Candé|1983|p=119}} From ''[[Idomeneo]]'' onward, the clarinet appeared in all his operas, as well as in his symphonies and [[Piano concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|piano concerto]]s.{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|p=75}} His chamber works for clarinet include the ''[[Gran Partita]]'', the [[Clarinet Quintet (Mozart)|Clarinet Quintet]], and the [[Kegelstatt Trio]]. The latter two works were written for his friend, virtuoso [[Anton Stadler]], as was his [[Clarinet Concerto (Mozart)|Clarinet Concerto]].{{sfn|Lott|2022}} [[Beethoven]]'s chamber music highlights the instrument, particularly in the Quintet Op. 16, the Septet Op. 20 and Trio Op. 38.{{sfn|Rees-Davies|1995}}

While the Classical period often used the clarinet, the [[Romantic era]] incorporated it more as an integral part of the orchestra.{{sfn|Rushton|2022}} The clarinet became a staple, with composers such as [[Schubert]], [[Mendelssohn]], [[Berlioz]], [[Dvořák]], [[Smetana]], [[Brahms]], [[Tchaikovsky]], and [[Rimsky-Korsakov]] writing prominent clarinet passages in their orchestral works.{{sfn|Ellsworth|2022}} In Romantic opera orchestration, the clarinet frequently takes on expressive, lyrical roles.{{sfn|Rushton|2022}} The clarinet section expanded to three or more players, with some performing on auxiliary instruments such as the [[bass clarinet]].{{sfn|Rushton|2022}} Certain operas, such as Strauss's ''[[Elektra (opera)|Elektra]]'', require up to eight players.{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|p=225}}

Chamber music featuring the clarinet became increasingly diverse. The instrument appears in the works of [[Franz Schubert]] ([[Octet (Schubert)|Octet]]), [[Felix Mendelssohn]] (sonata with piano), [[Robert Schumann]] (''Phantasiestücke'' for clarinet and piano, ''[[Märchenerzählungen (Schumann)|Märchenerzählungen]]'' with piano and viola), and [[Johannes Brahms]] (two sonatas, the Trio with cello and piano and the [[Clarinet Quintet (Brahms)|Clarinet Quintet]] for Clarinet in A and [[string quartet]]).{{sfn|Rees-Davies|1995}} [[Carl Maria von Weber]] wrote several major works for the clarinet, including the [[Clarinet Concerto No. 1 (Weber)|Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor]], the [[Clarinet Concerto No. 2 (Weber)|Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E flat major]], and the Grand Duo Concertant for clarinet and piano.{{sfn|Rice|2010|pp=172&ndash;174, 189}} However, from 1830 until 1900 "no major composer wrote a clarinet concerto, and the few concertos written for the instrument in this time period have not found a secure place in the repertoire".{{sfn|Schneider|2022}}

The clarinet is used frequently in [[20th-century classical music|20th-]] and [[21st-century classical music]]. It embodies the cat in ''[[Peter and the Wolf]]'' by [[Sergei Prokofiev]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/552/peter-and-the-wolf#|publisher=Los Angeles Philharmonic|last=Howard|first=Orrin|title=Peter and the Wolf|accessdate=12 April 2025}}</ref> and the symphonies of [[Shostakovich]] "provide a veritable compendium of writing for all members of the orchestral clarinet family; for him the instruments provided a toolkit for the expression of the deepest tragedy as well as the sharpest satire".{{sfn|Ellsworth|2022}} Significant pieces for unaccompanied clarinet include ''Three Pieces'' (1919) by [[Igor Stravinsky]]{{sfn|Rees-Davies|1995}} and "L'abîme des oiseaux" from the ''[[Quatuor pour la fin du temps]]'' (1941) by [[Olivier Messiaen]].{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|p=222}} Concertos with orchestral accompaniment from this period include those by [[Carl Nielsen]] and [[Aaron Copland]].{{sfn|Rees-Davies|1995}} Sonatas were composed by [[Felix Draeseke]], [[Max Reger]], [[Arnold Bax]], [[John Ireland (composer)|John Ireland]], [[Francis Poulenc]], [[Leonard Bernstein]], and [[Paul Hindemith]].{{sfn|Rees-Davies|1995}} Notable chamber works include ''Four Pieces'' by [[Alban Berg]], ''Contrastes'' with violin and piano by [[Béla Bartók]], ''[[The Soldier's Tale]]'' by Stravinsky, and the Suite for clarinet, violin and piano by [[Darius Milhaud]].{{sfn|Rees-Davies|1995}}

===Jazz===
{{Listen|filename=US Marine Band Rhapsody in Blue.oga|title=''Rhapsody in Blue''|description=The [[United States Marine Band]]'s 2018 performance of the 1924 jazz band version, opening with the clarinet glissando}}

The clarinet was a central instrument in jazz, beginning with early jazz players in the 1910s. It remained a signature instrument of the genre through much of the [[big band]] era into the 1940s.{{sfn|Brown|1995}} One of the most recognizable clarinet excerpts is the virtuoso [[glissando]] that introduces the 1924 ''[[Rhapsody in Blue]]'' by [[George Gershwin]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Levy|first=Aidan|title=''Rhapsody in Blue'' at 90|magazine=[[JazzTimes]]|date=27 April 2014|url=https://jazztimes.com/features/columns/rhapsody-in-blue-at-90}}</ref> Swing performers such as [[Benny Goodman]] and [[Artie Shaw]] rose to prominence in the late 1930s.{{sfn|Brown|1995}}

Beginning in the 1940s, the clarinet faded from its prominent position in jazz.{{sfn|Pino|1998|p=222}}{{sfn|Brown|1995}} By that time, an interest in [[Dixieland]], a revival of traditional New Orleans jazz, had begun. [[Pete Fountain]] was one of the best known performers in this genre.{{sfn|Pino|1998|p=222}}{{sfn|Suhor|2001|p=150}} The clarinet's place in the jazz ensemble was usurped by the saxophone, which projects a more powerful sound and uses a less complicated fingering system.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/05/arts/john-carter-s-case-for-the-clarinet.html |title=John Carter's case for the clarinet |first=Robert |last=Palmer |date=5 July 1981 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |archive-date=30 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090930014315/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/05/arts/john-carter-s-case-for-the-clarinet.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The clarinet did not entirely disappear from jazz—prominent players since the 1950s include [[Stan Hasselgård]], [[Jimmy Giuffre]], [[Eric Dolphy]] (on bass clarinet), [[Perry Robinson]], and [[John Carter (jazz musician)|John Carter]]. In the US, the prominent players on the instrument since the 1980s have included [[Eddie Daniels]], [[Don Byron]], [[Marty Ehrlich]], [[Ken Peplowski]], and others playing in both traditional and contemporary styles.{{Sfn|Brown|1995}}

===Other genres===
The clarinet is uncommon, but not unheard of, in rock music. [[Jerry Martini]] played clarinet on [[Sly and the Family Stone]]'s 1968 hit, "[[Dance to the Music (song)|Dance to the Music]]".<ref>{{cite news|website=Kamloops This Week|title=Founding the Family Stone|url=https://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/entertainment/founding-the-family-stone-4373236|date=3 August 2018|last=Bass|first=Dale}}</ref> [[The Beatles]] included a trio of clarinets in "[[When I'm Sixty-Four]]" from their ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' album.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Reeks |first=John |date=June 2018 |title=Rock 'n' roll clarinets?! The Beatles' use of clarinets on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band |url=https://clarinet.org/rock-n-roll-clarinets-the-beatles-use-of-clarinets-on-sgt-peppers-lonely-hearts-club-band/ |journal=The Clarinet |volume=45 |issue=3 }}</ref> A clarinet is prominently featured in what a ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' reviewer termed a "Benny Goodman-flavored clarinet solo" in "[[Breakfast in America (song)|Breakfast in America]]", the title song from the [[Supertramp]] [[Breakfast in America|album of the same name]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Farrell |first=David |date=31 March 1979 |title=Closeup: Supertramp—Breakfast In America |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-03-31.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710195001/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-03-31.pdf |archivedate=10 July 2020 |url-status=live |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=166}}</ref>

The clarinet has a significant role in [[vernacular music]] in many parts of the world.{{sfn|Starr|2022}} Clarinets feature prominently in [[klezmer]] music, which employs a distinctive style of playing.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.2307/768201 |last=Slobin |first=Mark |year=1984 |title=Klezmer music: an American ethnic genre |journal=[[Yearbook for Traditional Music]] |volume=16 |pages=34–41 |jstor=768201 }}</ref> The popular Brazilian music style of [[choro]] uses the clarinet,{{sfn|Shahriari|2015|p=89}} as does Albanian ''saze'' and Greek ''kompania'' folk music,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Brandl|first=Rudolf|title=The 'Yiftoi' and the music of Greece: role and function|journal=The World of Music|volume=38|issue=1|pages=7–32|jstor=41699070|year=1996}}</ref> and [[Bulgarian wedding music]].{{sfn|Starr|2022}} In [[Turkish folk music]], the Albert system clarinet in G is often used, commonly called a "Turkish clarinet".{{sfn|Starr|2022}}{{sfn|Değirmenci|2013|page=76}}

==See also==
* List of [[Clarinet concerto|clarinet concerti]]
* [[List of clarinetists]]
* [[List of clarinet makers]]
* [[Double clarinet]]
* [[International Clarinet Association]]

==Notes==

{{notelist}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Cited sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Baines |date=1991 |first=Anthony |title=Woodwind Instruments and Their History |url=https://archive.org/details/woodwindinstrume00bain |url-access=registration |publisher=Dover Books |isbn=978-0-486268-85-9}}
* {{cite book |last1=Black |first1=Dave |last2=Gerou |first2=Tom |date=2005 |title=Essential Dictionary of Orchestration |publisher=Alfred Music |isbn=978-1-4574-1299-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Blatter|first=Alfred|year=1997|title=Instrumentation and Orchestration|edition=2nd|publisher=Schirmer|isbn= 978-0-02-864570-4}}
* {{cite book | last=Candé | first=Roland de | title=Nouveau dictionnaire de la musique | publisher=Éditions du Seuil| date=1983 | isbn=2-02-006575-4 | language=fr }}
* {{cite book |last=Coppenbarger |first=Brent |date=2015 |title=Fine-Tuning the Clarinet Section: A Handbook for the Band Director |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4758-2077-5}}
*{{cite book|last=Dearling|first=Robert|date=2001|title=Woodwind & brass instruments|publisher=Chelsea House Publishers}}
* {{Cite book |last=Değirmenci |first=Koray |date=2013 |title=Creating Global Music in Turkey |publisher=[[Lexington Books]] |isbn=978-0-7391-7546-0 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Ellsworth |first=Jane |date=2015 |title=A Dictionary for the Modern Clarinetist |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-8108-8648-3}}
* {{cite book |date=2022 |editor-last=Ellsworth |editor-first=Jane |title=The Clarinet |publisher=Boydell & Brewer |isbn=9781800103504|ref=none}}
**{{harvc|in=Ellsworth|year=2022|last=Rice |first=Albert|chapter=The Chalumeau and Clarinet before Mozart|pages=38–68}}
**{{harvc|in=Ellsworth|year=2022|last=Ellsworth |first=Jane|chapter=From 'Little Trumpet' to Unique Voice: The Clarinet in the Concert Orchestra|pages=69–92}}
**{{harvc|in=Ellsworth|year=2022|last=Rushton |first=Julian|chapter=The Clarinet in Nineteenth-Century Opera|pages=120–145}}
**{{harvc|in=Ellsworth|year=2022|last=Schneider |first=David|chapter=Innovation and Convention in the Golden Age of the Clarinet Concerto, ca. 1800–1830 |pages=146–177}}
**{{harvc|in=Ellsworth|year=2022|last=Lott |first=Marie Sumner|chapter=Joining the Conversation: The Clarinet Quintet in Classical and Romantic Chamber Music|pages=178–207}}
**{{harvc|in=Ellsworth|year=2022|last=Starr |first=S. Frederick|chapter= The clarinet in vernacular music  |pages=255–289}}
* {{cite book |last=Hoeprich |first=Eric |date=2008 |title=The Clarinet |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-10282-6}}
* {{cite book|language=fr|first=Charles|last=Koechlin|title=Traité de l'orchestration|volume=1|publisher=Éditions Durand-Salabert-Eschig|date=1954}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Lawson |editor-first=Colin |date=1995 |title=The Cambridge Companion to the Clarinet |url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgecompani00prof |url-access=registration |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-47668-3 }}
** {{harvc |in=Lawson |year=1995 |last=Brown |first=John Robert |chapter=The clarinet in jazz |pages=184–198 }}
** {{harvc |in=Lawson |year=1995 |last=Dobrée |first=Georgina |chapter=The basset horn |pages=57–65 }}
** {{harvc |in=Lawson |year=1995 |anchor-year=1995a |last=Harris |first=Michael |chapter=The bass clarinet |pages=66–74 }}
** {{harvc |in=Lawson |year=1995 |anchor-year=1995b |last=Harris |first=Paul |chapter=Teaching the clarinet |pages=123–133 }}
** {{harvc |in=Lawson |year=1995 |last=Heaton |first=Roger |chapter=The contemporary clarinet |pages=163–183 }}
** {{harvc |in=Lawson |year=1995 |anchor-year=1995a |last=Lawson |first=Colin |chapter=Single reeds before 1750 |pages=1–15 }}
** {{harvc |in=Lawson |year=1995 |anchor-year=1995b |last=Lawson |first=Colin |chapter=The clarinet family |pages=33–37 }}
** {{harvc |in=Lawson |year=1995 |anchor-year=1995c |last=Lawson |first=Colin |chapter=The C clarinet |pages=38–42 }}
** {{harvc |in=Lawson |year=1995 |last=Rees-Davies |first=Jo |chapter=The development of the clarinet repertoire |pages=75–91 }}
** {{harvc |in=Lawson |year=1995 |last=Shackleton |first=Nicholas |chapter=The development of the clarinet |pages=16–32 }}
** {{harvc |in=Lawson |year=1995 |last=Tschaikov |first=Basil |chapter=The high clarinets |pages=43–56 }}
*{{cite book|last=Lawson|first=Colin|date=2009|isbn=9780511481840|publisher=Cambridge University Press|title=The early clarinet: a practical guide}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Libin |editor-first=Laurence |date=2015 |title=The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments |edition=2nd |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-1997-4340-7 }}
** {{harvc |id= {{harvid|Page et al.|2015}} |last=Page |first=Janet K. |last2=Gourlay |first2=K. A. |last3=Blench |first3=Roger |last4=Shackleton |first4=Nicholas |last5=Rice |first5=Albert |year=2015 |in= Libin |c= Clarinet}}
** {{harvc |last1=Shackleton |first1=Nicholas |last2=Rice |first2=Albert |anchor-year=2015a |in=Libin |year=2015 |c=Alto clarinet}}
** {{harvc |last1=Shackleton |first1=Nicholas |last2=Rice |first2=Albert |anchor-year=2015b |in=Libin |year=2015   |c=Bass clarinet}}
** {{harvc |last1=Shackleton |first1=Nicholas |last2=Rice |first2=Albert |anchor-year=2015c |in=Libin |year=2015 |c=Basset clarinet}}
* {{cite book |last=Lowry |first=Robert |date=1985|title=Practical Hints on Playing the B-Flat Clarinet |isbn=978-0-7692-2409-1 |publisher=Alfred Publishing }}
* {{cite book |last=Miller |first=R. J. |date=2015 |title=Contemporary Orchestration |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-3178-0625-7}}
*{{cite book |last1=Pagliaro |first1=Michael J. |title=The clarinet, how it works: a practical guide to clarinet ownership |date=2024 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-5381-9082-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Pinksterboer |first=Hugo |date=2001 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |title=Tipbook: Clarinet |isbn=978-90-761-9246-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Pino |first=David |date=1998 |title=The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing |publisher=Dover Books |isbn=978-0-486-40270-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/clarinetclarinet00pino |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Raasakka |first=Mikko |date=2010 |title=Exploring the Clarinet: A Guide to Clarinet Technique and Finnish Clarinet Music |publisher=Fennica Gehrman |isbn=978-952-5489-09-5}}
* {{Cite book   |last=Rehfeldt |first=Phillip |date=1994 |title=New Directions for Clarinet |edition=2nd|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-03379-5}}
* {{cite book |last1=Rendall |last2=Bate |first1=Geoffrey F. |first2=Philip |date=1971 |title=The Clarinet: Some Notes Upon Its History and Construction |edition=Third |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company Inc. |isbn=978-0-393-02164-6}}
* {{Cite book|first=Albert|last= Rice|title=The Baroque clarinet|publisher=Clarendon Press Oxford|date=1992b}}
*{{cite book|first=Albert|last=Rice|date=2010|isbn=9780199865666|publisher=Oxford University Press|title=The Clarinet in the Classical Period}}
* {{Cite book |last=Rice |first=Albert R. |date=2009 |title=From the Clarinet D'Amour to the Contra Bass: A History of Large Size Clarinets, 1740–1860 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-971117-8}}
* {{Cite book |last=Rice |first=Albert R. |date=2009b |title=From the Clarinet D'Amour to the Contra Bass: A History of Large Size Clarinets, 1740–1860 |publisher=Oxford Academic |edition=Online|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195343281.001.0001}}
* {{cite book |last=Shahriari |first=Andrew |date=2015 |title=Popular World Music |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-3173-4538-1}}
* {{Cite book |last=Suhor |first=Charles |date=2001 |url= |title=Jazz in New Orleans: The Postwar Years Through 1970 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-1-4616-6002-6}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |first=Nicholas |last=Bessaraboff |title=Ancient European Musical Instruments |publisher=Harvard University Press |year= 1941 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |first=Jack |last=Brymer |title=Clarinet |series=Yehudi Menuhin Music Guides |publisher=Kahn & Averill |year=1976 |isbn= 978-0-3560-8414-5|ref=none}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|display=Clarinet}}
* [http://www.clarinet.org/ The International Clarinet Association]

{{Clear}}
{{Clarinet}}
{{Single reeds}}

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[[Category:Clarinets| ]]
[[Category:Jazz instruments]]
[[Category:Orchestral instruments]]
[[Category:Concert band instruments]]