the clarinet family

The Clarinet Family

Bb, Eb, alto, bass, and contrabass

Bb Clarinet

Origin- Early 18th century- Made in Germany- Designer: Johann Christoph Denner- Evolved from Chalumeau - To increase the instrument range, improve

the mouthpiece and bell - Woodwind Family

Bb Clarinet Material- African Blackwood- Good Quality Plastic

Range₋ From E one octave below middle C

to G three octaves above middle C₋ Treble Clef₋ 3 ½ - 4 octaves₋ Extended: beyond A (experienced

players)Written Range

Bb ClarinetTone- Varies a lot over the big range- Chalumeau (low register): rich and dark- Clarino and Altissimo (higher registers): clear, direct

sound, impressive- Extreme Upper Register: shrill, piercing tone

Technique- Embouchure (lower lip over the teeth of

lower jaw, pull the lower lip tightly as “smile”, avoid pressing the mouthpiece onto the lower lip too hard but firmly against the upper teeth)

- Attack and Articulation (“TA ” or “DA”)- Fingering

Bb Clarinet

Ensemble Playing- Voice: Soprano- Other Setting: Jazz, contemporary, chamber music

Bb ClarinetPrimary Solo Composers- Brahms and Mozart* Mozart loved the clarinet, and brought it into popularity in orchestral music.

Professional Musician- Famous jazz clarinet player Benny

Goodman

Brahms

Benny Goodman

Mozart

Well-Known Repertoires- Ensemble Based: Capriccio Espagnol

clarinet (Rimsky-Korsakov)- Solo: Carnival of Venice- Solo: Clarinet Concerto (Mozart)

Eb Clarinet

Background- Smallest of the standard clarinet known as

the baby clarinet- A third shorter than the Bb or A clarinet. - Took over the role of F clarinet beginning in

the late 18th century.- Constructed in early days to replace the high

trumpet or cornet.- Woodwind family

Eb Clarinet Material- African Blackwood- Plastic or resin- Mixtrure of resin and wood

Range₋ From E one octave below middle C

to D two octaves above middle C₋ Treble Clef₋ 3 and half octave

Eb ClarinetTone- Exaggeration of the soprano clarinet- Perky, bright, and blatant that is agile and assertive- Can be shrill at loud dynamics- Similar to the sound of the piccolo- Resembling a trumpet

Ensemble playing- Adds a bright clean tone- Cut above the clamor of the brass section- Garnish instrument along with the piccolo

and/or flute

Eb Clarinet

Technique- Correct Embouchure- Breathing and blowing properly- Fingering- Attack or articulation

Eb ClarinetProfessional Musicians- Laurence Liberson- Pascual Martinez Forteza

Composer- Hector Berkuiz- Albert. Heinrich- Anton Webern

Hector Berkuiz

Albert Heinrich

Eb ClarinetSolo Repertoire Note: Solo pieces for the sopranino clarinet are very rare, and there are currently no professional clarinetists who play this instrument only.

• Rondo Caprice• Tre Pezzi• Suite of Four Dances

Ensemble Repertoire• Symphonie Gantastique • Bolero• The Rite of Spring

Alto ClarinetOrigin- Early 19th century- First in the key of F- Germany and France- Designers:

Cuvillier and Simiot (France)Grenser and Wiesner (Germany)

- It served to enrich the sound produced from the clarinet family

- Evolved from bass clarinet, similar to alto saxophone

- Woodwind Family

Alto ClarinetDetails- hard rubber, plastic, Grenadilla or any other kind of wood- upturned metal bell, arched neck, two-piece body- Good full tone, warm, dark, blends well, one octave lower than Eb clarinet. * No difficulty in balancing other modern instruments- 3 octaves- Treble clef- Range:

chalumeau, clarino, altissimo register

Alto Clarinet

MTSU Clarinet Choir

Alto ClarinetEnsemble Playing- a regular constituent of American concert

bands, but little used in the orchestra, and is no longer included in British Army bands.

- fits between soprano and bass clarinet- is mostly used to replace or complement the

3rd part of a quartet or the alto saxophone section

- voice is tenor; In high registry: alto- Other setting: Military bands (past)- Other types: Contra alto, selmer alto clarinet

Alto ClarinetTechniques- tone holes covered by plates instead of

directly by the fingers- NOT EASY!- Larger bite- Lot of air- Avoid too much embouchure adjustment- A strap or foot peg is needed

Clarification- Is also called “tenor clarinet”- Different than basset horn: lower pitch, wider bore than the basset horn

Alto ClarinetComposers

Franz Schubert

Wolfgang Amadeus Molzart

Elliott SchwartzFritz Renold

Alto ClarinetEnsemble Repertoires

- Air and Gigue (Handel) - Allegro (J.C. Bach) - Allegro Rococo (Koepke) - An Der Wiege (Grieg) - Ballad (Rimsky-Korsakov) - Blue Twilight (Walters) - Theme from Christmas Oratorio- Menuetto (Mozart)

Solo Repertoires- A Waltz Dream (Oscar Strauss/Harris)- Allegro Spiritoso (J.B. Senaille/Gee) - Praeludium (Schmutz) - Solfeggieto (Carl P. E. Bach)

Professional Musicians- Kiyoshi Arai- Mark Wolbers

Bibliography

http://www.1st-clarinet-music.com/Articles/e-flat-clarinet.htm

http://soundcloud.com/robbieellis/three-sibilants

http://musiced.about.com/od/beginnersguide/a/clarinettypes.htm

http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/E-flat+Clarinets

http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/thesoundexchange/the_orchestra/instruments/clarinet/range/

http://wiki.youngcomposers.com/Clarinet

http://www.vsl.co.at/en/70/3161/3173/3175/5583.vsl

Bb and Eb:

Bibliography

http://the-clarinets.net/english/clarinet-family.html

http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/texta/Altoclarinet.html

http://hem.passagen.se/eriahl/clarinet.htm

http://www.sfoxclarinets.com/Basset_Horn.html

http://www.usefulweb.org/clarinet/types.html

http://www.altoclarinet.org/

http://wiki.youngcomposers.com/Clarinet#Eb_alto_clarinet

http://www.penders.com/index.php/2032/class-uil-alto-clar-solos?cPath=2032

Alto:

How Much You Know About the

Clarinets

READY?

How Much You Know About the

ClarinetsLEVEL 11) Who invented the clarinet? - Johann Denner

2) Which continent does the wood to make clarinet come from?

- Africa

3) What is the lowest the note on a Bb Clarinet (how many octave(s) below Central C)?

- Low E (one octave below Central C)

4) From what Renaissance instrument did the clarinet develop?

- Chalumeau

How Much You Know About the

ClarinetsLEVEL 2 (a little thinking)5) What is the highest sounding clarinet (CAREFUL)? - Sopranino Clarinet

6) Is violin very closely related to the clarinet?

- No, they have no relation. Well, the only way they can be related is that they are both instruments played in orchestras ;)

7) Is the French horn related to the clarinet in any way?

- Yes, they are both aerophones /wind instruments, HAHA

8) What is the firmest, hence most difficult reed (of those named)?

- 4.5 (most general); if you answer “5”, that’s okay too.

How Much You Know About the

ClarinetsLEVEL 3 (knowledge is critical)

9) What part of the clarinet holds the reed in place? - Ligature

10) What fingering system is currently used on clarinets?

- Boehm System

11) This composer wrote a piece for clarinet just before his death in 1791. Give the name of this composer and this piece.

- Mozart, Clarinet Concerto in A (basset clarinet)

How Much You Know About the

Clarinets*bonas*

Or, if you want, call it the HAGAN CHALLENGE

Finally, roughly what does the word “clarinet” mean? (It’ll be great if you can also come up

with the Italian word)

“LITTLE TRUMPET”

Italian Word: Clarinetto, derived from the word “clarino”, which is a kind of trumpet that is loud and clear!

Is this the answer you expected?

THE END

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