The history of the clarinet begins in 1690, Nuremberg, Germany, when a man by the name of Johann Christoph Denner, with the help of his son, Jacob, invented the clarinet. J.C. Denner was well-known and highly respected for the woodwind instruments that he made back in that time period. The clarinets that they were making/selling only had two keys and were mostly made from brass and the use of springs. The clarinets that we know and love today come from an instrument called the Chalumeau. After having experimented with chalumeaus for a long while, J.C. Denner managed to build an instrument, that would play both the higher and lower register without ruining the intonation (accuracy or pitch) . In order to do this, he added two other key holes. The other problems that arose with that, the player would be able to fix using his embouchure.
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The first clarinets were very simple and looked a lot like an over-sized recorder (Clarinet.net). The clarinets had two keys, which later on became three and this new and improved instrument already had a wider tone range than both oboes and trumpets in that time. Musicians now have the ability to play dramatically and loudly yet still be able to accomplish difficult jumps between notes and runs that no one had achieved yet, which would otherwise be impossible on any other instrument. Therefore the “clari” of that time, replaced the new high trumpets and later on was named the “clarinet”.
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The clarinet wasn’t known as just an improved Chalumeau anymore, the two keys that were added to it made it a new instrument altogether. The result of that addition was phenomenal and changed the music back then and now for the better.
The clarinet was heard in orchestras very soon after that and a composer by the name of Vivaldi, wrote/re-wrote three concerti grossi in 1740, and Händel composed an Overture in 1748, where he demanded there be clarinets in D (The Clarinet) . 2 years later, in 1750, Barthold Fritz added a fourth and fifth key,
In 1760, the famous Mannheim Orchestra already had two clarinet players and in 1778 more and more clarinettists started to appear. Soon after that, Mozart composed his famous music for the clarinet that are known to be extremely difficult and demanding. It is hard to believe that anyone could play his music, or any music at all, with those instruments, but it was possible, considering how fascinated everyone was with the abilities of the instrument.
Through many decades, more and more tweaks and changes were being made to the clarinet by different people. In 1812, Iwan Müller improved the key mechanics of the clarinet with revolutionized the instrument, he developed the spoon-key with leather pad and sunk-in holes with a conical ring, which you can also see in other modern instruments today. Müller's clarinet had 12 keys in total, along with the modification in keys, Müller changed the reed into roughly the same form we use today, and developed the ligature. Shortly after this, the German flute maker, Theobald Boehm, brought two major improvements to the instrument. On the one hand, he created a mathematical calculation for the perfect position of tone holes and he also invented the ring key. The ring key helps to cover the keys that are bigger than your finger. Frenchman Hyacinthe Klosé developed the "Boehm" clarinet model. In Germany, the Boehm system did not become standard, here, instrument makers improved the Müller Clarinet, which developed into what the clarinet is today. The actual German system is called "Oehler" and is basically as good as the current Boehm System.
The evolution to the clarinet changed orchestras and concert bands forever. Today, clarinets play a critical role in bands, symphony orchestras, jazz groups and small music groups. The sound that the clarinets are capable of vary from a classical-sounding clarinet to a jazz-sounding clarinet. In both styles, the sound can be beautiful and emotion-filled, yet the two styles sound completely different and that's what makes the clarinet such an important asset to music now a days. The clarinet has the ability to play a wide span and variety of notes and is a critical instrument to have because of how versatile it can be in the way it sounds. The clarinet also works very well as a solo instrument, which, with a lot of musical pieces, is a talent that will and has been, a very useful to conductors and composers.
The clarinet was heard in orchestras very soon after that and a composer by the name of Vivaldi, wrote/re-wrote three concerti grossi in 1740, and Händel composed an Overture in 1748, where he demanded there be clarinets in D (The Clarinet) . 2 years later, in 1750, Barthold Fritz added a fourth and fifth key,
In 1760, the famous Mannheim Orchestra already had two clarinet players and in 1778 more and more clarinettists started to appear. Soon after that, Mozart composed his famous music for the clarinet that are known to be extremely difficult and demanding. It is hard to believe that anyone could play his music, or any music at all, with those instruments, but it was possible, considering how fascinated everyone was with the abilities of the instrument.
Through many decades, more and more tweaks and changes were being made to the clarinet by different people. In 1812, Iwan Müller improved the key mechanics of the clarinet with revolutionized the instrument, he developed the spoon-key with leather pad and sunk-in holes with a conical ring, which you can also see in other modern instruments today. Müller's clarinet had 12 keys in total, along with the modification in keys, Müller changed the reed into roughly the same form we use today, and developed the ligature. Shortly after this, the German flute maker, Theobald Boehm, brought two major improvements to the instrument. On the one hand, he created a mathematical calculation for the perfect position of tone holes and he also invented the ring key. The ring key helps to cover the keys that are bigger than your finger. Frenchman Hyacinthe Klosé developed the "Boehm" clarinet model. In Germany, the Boehm system did not become standard, here, instrument makers improved the Müller Clarinet, which developed into what the clarinet is today. The actual German system is called "Oehler" and is basically as good as the current Boehm System.
The evolution to the clarinet changed orchestras and concert bands forever. Today, clarinets play a critical role in bands, symphony orchestras, jazz groups and small music groups. The sound that the clarinets are capable of vary from a classical-sounding clarinet to a jazz-sounding clarinet. In both styles, the sound can be beautiful and emotion-filled, yet the two styles sound completely different and that's what makes the clarinet such an important asset to music now a days. The clarinet has the ability to play a wide span and variety of notes and is a critical instrument to have because of how versatile it can be in the way it sounds. The clarinet also works very well as a solo instrument, which, with a lot of musical pieces, is a talent that will and has been, a very useful to conductors and composers.