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The clarinet, a German invention of about
1700, is noted for its mellow tone. The instrument is made
in five separate parts: mouthpiece, barrel, upper joint, lower
joint, and bell. When assembled these pieces form a cylindrical
tube. At one end of this tube is a mouthpiece that holds a
reed, a thin strip of tapered cane. When air forces this strip
of cane to vibrate, the clarinet's distinctive sound is produced.
The clarinet's range spans three octaves and
a sixth and is divided into four distinct registers--the chalumeau,
throat, middle, and extreme high register. Throughout this
range the clarinet is known for its expressivity, its broad
and subtle range of dynamics, its fluidity of tone, and its
extreme flexibility.
Early clarinets, which had either two or three
keys, were used as early as the 1720s by Handel and Vivaldi,
among other composers. Rameau used the instrument in 1749
in his opera 'Zoroastre', and it was also encountered in Paris
in the concerts produced by Karl Stamitz. German symphonists
of the mid-18th century made regular use of the instrument,
and clarinets also were employed at the opera in Milan, where
Mozart made their acquaintance in 1771. Shortly before his
death in 1791, Mozart wrote a concerto for the clarinet that
is one of the repertoire's masterworks.
Weaknesses of this early clarinet--with its
faults of intonation and weak register--led to improvements
in the 19th century. The most effective of these--made by
Hyacinthe E. Klose and Auguste Buffet in Paris--produced an
instrument that had great brilliance of tone, improved intonation,
and ease of fingering. It is this instrument, modified and
refined through the years, that is the standard model used
today. Members of the family include clarinets pitched in
C, B flat, and A; the bass clarinet, pitched an octave below
the B-flat instrument; the high A-flat clarinet, found in
European military bands; the high E-flat clarinet; the basset
horn, an instrument similar to the bass clarinet; and the
contrabass clarinet.
Notable works for the clarinet include Johannes
Brahm's 'Quintet for Clarinet and Strings', a staple of the
chamber-music repertoire; Claude Debussy's 'Rhapsodie for
Clarinet'; and Carl Nielsen's 'Clarinet
Concerto'. In the opening measures of George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody
in Blue', the clarinet is featured.
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From Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia © 1999 The
Learning Company, Inc.
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