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Bethaney McCleary, age 11, of West Des Moines, Iowa, for her question:

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE CLARINET?

One of the most important instruments in the orchestra is the clarinet. It is also considered to be the most popular of the woodwinds and perhaps the easiest to play. It is a most versatile instrument and can easily be at home with its owner playing symphonic, popular or jazz music.

Even though the clarinet is one of the woodwind instruments  because not too long ago all of them were made out of wood  most of them these days are made of metal.

Inventor of the clarinet was 7ohann Christopher Denner who is said to have made the first one in Nuremberg in 1690. It quickly became one of the most important instruments and was popular because of its richness and variety of tone.

The instrument is a cylindrical tube which ends in a bell at the lower end and in a cone shaped mouthpiece at the upper end. The mouthpiece has a single reed laid at a flattened, longitudinal position. The reed is actually made from a slip of special grass. It is very thin at its upper end.

The table on which the clarinet reed is placed is slightly curved toward its point. With this system, a tiny aperture is formed between the upper part of the reed and the instrument's mouthpiece. The beating of the reed against the table actually causes the sound, the quality of which is greatly influenced by the inherent properties of the reed itself.

The clarinet's tube has along it a number of holes and keys which give a fundamental scale or register  called the chalumeau  of 19 semitones, from E in the bass stave to B flat in the treble.

Music written in extreme keys is very difficult to perform on the clarinet. However, there are a number of different types of clarinets, so orchestrations can utilize the different pitches that are possible.

The clarinet is not only a popular instrument in the symphony and jazz orchestras, it is also a favorite with military and marching bands. Also very popular is the bass clarinet which sounds as if it is an octave below the ordinary clarinet. It is used in both orchestras and military bands. And you'll also occasionally find one with an even deeper voice: the contrabass clarinet.

 

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