the history of the clarinet

7/29/2019 The History of the Clarinet

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The History of the Clarinet

David Wolfswinkel

Gr.

9e2



Table of Contents

Introduction: Reed instruments in ancient culture

The Chalumeau

Birth of the Clarinet

Further developments

Famous clarinet compositions

Conclusion



Introduction: Reed Instruments in Ancient Culture

In around 2700BC, the Egyptians created an instrument called the

Zummara, and the Zummara was a single reed instrument. The

Zummara also had two pipes parallel to each other, so that with

each finger the player covered two holes, one on each pipe. But,

despite the Egyptians best efforts, the pipes were said to be out of

tune with each other, and therefore produced a very dissonant

sound.

In India, a similar type of instrument existed called the Pungi,

however, the left-hand pipe played the accompaniment, and the

right-hand pipe played the melody.

Reed instruments of the same kind have been found in many ancientcultures around the world, and since ancient times have only

developed further into the many reed instruments that appear in

the symphony orchestra today; such as the clarinet.

The Chalumeau

Although there are no candidates for the direct ancestral instrument of the

clarinet, it most likely developed from an instrument played in the Resistance era

– the chalumeau. The Chalumeau (pronounced Shaloomoh) was originally

considered a shepherd’s instrument played widely in Europe. It had 8 finger holes

and 2 keys so that the 2 highest notes could be played.

The chalumeau had a limited range, only about one and a half octaves, of what is

now considered the lower register of the clarinet – ranging from an E an octave

below middle C, to G just above middle C. This disposition made it uninteresting to

composers and very little music was composed for the chalumeau.

However, not one chalumeau survived this era, the instrument to the right is a

box-clarinet, the closest we can get to an original chalumeau.

Through-out the baroque and classical era, the chalumeau gradually disappeared,

until at the turn of the 18th

century, instrument makers began experimenting with

the chalumeau and it slowly began reappearing, although still disliked by

composers, until…



Birth of the Clarinet

In 1690, a German instrument maker Johann Christoph Denner and his son Jacob Denner,

decided to tackle the chalumeau. They added a few keys to expand the chalumeau’s range and

invented a register key. The register key gave the instrument the ability to access a higher

register, by jumping, not an octave, similer to other woodwind instruments, but a twelfth. This

gave the clarinet an advantage of a very large range and a new, truly unique sound that would

make it stand the test of time.

Further

Developments

Ever since the firstClarinet, it has

undergone immense

development and

change: More keys were

added to further increase

the range – the clarinet

now has five registers.

The mechanics of the

mouthpiece and reed has

been perfected to allow

the player playing ease.

The actual cylindrical

bore and barrel have also

been experimented on

and were made of

several different

materials – leading to theinvention of the

Saxophone. It is now

made of either wood or

plastic.

The German text on the description of 1740 says: "Clarinetto, that is a

wooden wind instrument invented by a Nuremberger at the beginning of

this century. It is not unlike a long oboe, except that it has a wide

mouthpiece. This instruments sounds from afar rather alike a trumpet and

it reaches from the Tenor f up to the 2-dashed a, at times up to 3-dashed c.



Famous Clarinet Compositions

Along with this new and unique instrument also came a burst of new compositions. Here is a

list of a few famous clarinet compositions:

Clarinet Concerto in A major – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Premier Rhapsody – Claude Debussy (see previous page)

Phantasiestücke (3 Fantasy Pieces) for clarinet – Robert Schumann

Trio for clarinet , cello & piano in A minor – Johannes Brahms Conclusion

The clarinet has definitely been a milestone in musical development. It has brought about many

composers and performers, in not only classical, but also jazz, blues and contemporary music

genera’s. It has definitely been an instrument that has stood the test of time, and will also beremembered for many years, and compositions, to come.

History of the Clarinet(online) Bibliography

http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/Clarinet.htm

Clarinet/History

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Clarinet/History

The Clarinet – History

http://www.the-clarinets.net/english/clarinet-history.html










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