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Clarinet interesting facts for kids. Clarinet - musical instrument - history, photo, video

Denisova Ksenia Sergeevna 844

The dates of the creation of the clarinet indicate different. Some report the first mention of the clarinet in 1710, others in 1690. A number of researchers point to the Nuremberg music master Johann Christopher Denner (1655-1707), who at that time was working on improving the chalumeau. This ancient wind instrument was called the French pipe. The clarinet was originally called the "improved chalumeau".

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The main innovation of Denner's work was the appearance of a valve on reverse side chalumeau. The thumb of the left hand controlled this valve. This helped to move into the second octave. The sound in this register of the clarinet resembled the timbre of the sound of a trumpet. The pipe was called "clarino" (clarino) for a clear sound, in lat. clarus - "clear". Clarino gave its name to the register and to the clarinet itself. At the beginning, the chalumeau and the clarinet were both in demand, but soon the chalumeau disappears from the world of music.

Work on improving the clarinet was continued by Denner's son Jacob (1681-1735).

Until now, Denner Jakob's instruments are in the museums of Nuremberg, as well as in the museums of Berlin and Brussels.

Denner Jacob's clarinets had two valves. These instruments with this design were common until the 19th century. But work on improving the clarinet continued. In 1760, the Austrian master Paur added a third to the two valves of the clarinet. Then the Belgian master Rottenburg added a fourth valve. Further in 1785, the Englishman John Hale is the fifth valve. In 1790, the sixth valve was invented by Jean-Xavier Lefebvre, the famous French composer and clarinetist.

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The clarinet has become a popular instrument classical music.

Work continues on improving the clarinet.

Ivan Muller changed the design of the mouthpiece, this affected the timbre. He expanded the range of the clarinet, simplified blowing.

Theobald Böhm invented the "annular valve system", which was used only on the flute. Hyacinthe Klose, a professor at the Paris Conservatoire, and Louis-Auguste Buffet, a musical master, adapted this system of annular valves to the clarinet, calling the instrument the Boehm clarinet.

Adolphe Sax and Eugène Albert contributed to the further improvement of clarinet design.

We changed the technology of creating the mouthpiece and reed of these clarinets. Johann Georg Ottensteiner (1815-1879) modified the valve system. These clarinets became known as "German" and "Austrian" clarinets.

Oskar Ehler in 1900 made small improvements to the "School of Playing the Clarinet", calling this system the "Ehler system". German system clarinets have been around the world for quite some time.

They differ from the French ones in that they give greater sound power and expressiveness, but are less suitable for virtuoso playing.

IN given time German clarinets are used mainly by Austrian, Dutch, German and some Russian clarinetists.

The location of the valves on the instrument may vary. The range of clarinets can be extended up an octave, but these instruments have not been widely used.

Fritz Schüller created the quarter-tone clarinet, which is designed for modern music.

Clarinets are divided into clarinets of different tunings. Antique clarinet C: low notes are dark, middle notes are weak and dull, high notes noble and poignant. In tuning B, notes sound lower than in tuning C, in tuning A higher.

The clarinet is the purest instrument in terms of purity and perfection of sounds.

IN symphony orchestra C and B clarinets are used in the amount of two in one system. The A-tuning clarinet and the bass clarinet are used as one in the same tuning.

Due to their sharp sound, C and D clarinets are used together mainly in the army in army bands.

The modern clarinet is a technically complex mechanism, consisting of many axles, springs, 20 valves, rods and screws. Manufacturers of wind musical instruments are working on the design of the clarinet, creating new models.

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One of the few musical instruments whose date of appearance can be more or less certain. Researchers agree that it was created in 1701 by the Nuremberg woodwind maker Johann Christoph Denner (1655-1707), who improved the old French chalumeau pipe.

Two fundamental differences allow us to talk about the birth of a new instrument: Firstly, Denner replaced the tube with a notched tongue with a reed plate - a cane attached to a wooden mouthpiece, and removed the chamber in which it was located ( characteristic instruments of the Renaissance), which made it possible, by changing the pressure of the performer's lips on the reed, to influence the quality of the resulting sound. Secondly, he introduced the doudecyma valve, which facilitated inflation, and thereby expanded the range of the new instrument. The sounds of the upper range of the clarinet reminded contemporaries of the timbre of a high trumpet - clarino (clar - light, clear), which gave the instrument its name - a diminutive Italian clarinetto.

By the middle of the eighteenth century, individual cases the use of a new instrument in orchestral scores, and in 1755 clarinets were introduced to all French military orchestras. Through the efforts of many musical masters, among whom Denner's son Jakob, Bertolt Fritz, Joseph Beer and Xavier Lefebvre should be mentioned, the clarinet was improved, and by the end of the century took a firm place in European orchestras. However, the fingering difficulties inherent in the clarinet constructively (see "a little physics") did not allow one to play freely in all keys.

Performers and craftsmen found a way out of this situation by creating instruments different size, sounding in one key or another, depending on their length. This problem has not been completely solved to this day, and modern professional clarinetists carry two instruments in their cases: "in B", transposing down by a major second, and "in A", transposing down by a minor third. Other varieties (see gallery) are used, rather, not for the convenience of playing, but because of their different timbre. (Although composers, starting with W.-A. Mozart, also use the difference in the timbres of the clarinets "in B" and "in A")

A LITTLE PHYSICS

The clarinet belongs to the family of woodwind instruments. Instruments are grouped together not on the basis of the material from which they are made, although most of them are really wooden, but on the basis of design features: the pitch is changed by opening and closing holes drilled in the barrel of the instrument. The group, in a modern orchestra, includes, in addition to the clarinet, flute, oboe, bassoon and saxophone (all with their own varieties). Also, according to the indicated feature, it can be attributed to a block flute and numerous folk instruments: pity, zurnu, nai, etc.
But among their fellow clarinets, there are several unique differences determined by the acoustic features of sound formation. The main, defining all the others, constructive difference is that the clarinet is an instrument that has a cylindrical rather than a conical bore drilling. (The flute, also a cylindrical instrument, has both open ends of the channel.) Due to this, the sound in the channel appears as in a "closed pipe", i.e. there is only one node and one antinode.

sound wave in an open pipe

sound wave in a closed tube

Only half of the sound wave fits along the length of the sounding part of the channel, the second half is formed by reflection from the closed end, so the clarinet sounds an octave lower than the "open pipe" of the same length (compare with the flute). The same acoustic feature determines that there are no even overtones in the clarinet sound spectrum, and the so-called “blowing” occurs not by an octave, as with other instruments, but by a duodecime. Therefore, the fingering of the clarinet, in comparison with other wooden ones, is complicated (additional valves were required to fill the “extra” fifth), and the range has almost four octaves (here, only a horn can argue with a clarinet made of wind instruments). For the same reason, the sound of the clarinet in different registers differs so much in timbre.

(ital. - clarinetto, French - clarinette,
German - clarinette, English - Clarinet,)

The clarinet consists of 6 main parts, below in the picture:

1) Mouthpiece and ligature
2) Cane
3) Barrel
4) Upper knee
5) Lower knee
6) Trumpet

It is made from wood. The sound in the clarinet is formed due to the tongue in the form of a cane beating in the air stream blown out by the musician.
The pitch of the sound depends on the size of the column of air inside the instrument.
The size of the column is regulated by the musician himself with the help of a complex valve mechanism. The game of this instrument can be heard in many concerts and musical works.
It can equally successfully perform jazz, folk and pop music, both in a solo version and in various concert compositions. This is facilitated by the great possibilities of this instrument and its soft warm sound.

Range and registers of the clarinet

High overtones play an important role in shaping the timbre, giving the clarinet a clear sound.
Orchestral range - from mi small octave to salt third octave.

Lower register with a cold-transparent sound in piano and a ringing metallic tint on forte

The middle register is characterized first by characterless, and then by crystalline soprano sounds.

The upper register takes on the character of sharp whistling sounds

This instrument was created in 1700. Its progenitor was "Chalumeau" - an old French wind instrument. The creator of this melodic instrument was I. H. Denner. He worked to improve vintage tool and the result was a clarinet. A significant difference between the clarinet and its progenitor was the presence of a valve on its reverse side, which allows you to switch to the second octave. Gradually, 5 more valves were added to the instrument. Each valve was added in turn, first by the creator's son Jacob, then by the Austrian master Pauer. The fourth valve was added by the Belgian master Rottenburg, the fifth valve was added by the English citizen D. Hale. A sixth valve was added by J.-K. Lefebvre, French musician and composer. Such a transformation of the instrument occurred in just one century. Ivan Muller also took part in the improvement of the clarinet. He changed the design of the mouthpiece, as a result of which he improved the timbre of the instrument, made it easier to play it and expanded the playing range of this instrument. However, this was not the limit to the improvement of the clarinet. On this moment There are two systemic types of clarinet: German (similar to Austrian) and French. The French clarinet is equipped with an annular valve system designed by Theobald Behm for the flute. This improvement was made by Hyacinth Klose and Louis-Auguste Buffet. In the future, Adolphe Sax and Eugene Albert were engaged in its improvement. Traditionally, the system of this clarinet is called the "Boehm system". The German clarinet differs from the French in the valve system, as well as in the design of the mouthpiece. It is not intended for fluent playing, but it produces more expressive and stronger sounds. It was improved by Johann Georg Ottensteiner, Karl Berman and Oskar Ehler. Traditionally, the system of this clarinet is called the "Ehler system". also in different time clarinets of the Albert and Mark systems were produced. But they didn't get along very well. Schüller's quarter-tone clarinet also existed. The modern clarinet has a very complex mechanism. Depending on the type of clarinet, the number of valves (there may be about 20), axles, rods, springs, and screws differ. Until now, clarinets are constantly being improved by different manufacturers.

At the moment, there are 4 most popular species clarinets of different keys.
1) Small clarinet. It is also called the piccolo clarinet. He plays in D and Es. The clarinet in Es is especially widespread. He can transpose sounds up a minor third. It has an incredibly piercing and bright sound. Basically, only one small clarinet participates in concerts, less often two.
2) Basset horn. He plays in F.
3) Bass clarinet. It exists in two versions: the German narrow Haeckel bass clarinet and the French one. The French bass clarinet is bent like a smoking pipe. The most popular is the bass clarinet, which plays in B tuning. It has the ability to transpose down a major non. Basically, his notes are written in the key of "Sol", but sometimes - in the key of "F". In this case, the instrument acquires the ability to transpose down by a major second. The remaining clarinets of this type in the system in A, in C are not very popular.
4) The clarinet with the deepest and lowest sounds is the contrabass clarinet. The most popular are clarinets playing in B, In A. Its sound is an octave lower than that of the bass clarinet.
Clarinets are very rare: sopranino (F, G, As), clarinet in C, alto (in Es) and contralto clarinet (in B). Main Feature of all clarinets is that, unlike the rest of the wind wooden tools they give duodecym when blowing. Those give only an octave. The very first participation popular instrument adopted in 1712-1715 in two collections of arias. And in 1716 he was included in the oratorio "Triumphant Judith" in his orchestra by A. Vivaldi. Her score included two instruments, which were designated clareni. It is assumed that they were clarinets. They were also included by him in the concert "Saint Lorenzo". Until the middle of the 18th century, this instrument practically did not take part in concerts. However, as is believed for the first time, somewhere in 1755, J. M. Molter wrote solo works for the clarinet. Further, clarinets have already played in concert ensembles, but so far playing a duplicating or replacing role instead of flutes and oboes. He played a major role in the development of this instrument. great Mozart. He first used it in the opera Idemonea, and then in many other subsequent operas. Sometimes he used it in symphonies, church music, piano and chamber concerts. The clarinet underwent significant changes in the era of romanticism. However, by this time the musical style had also changed, which contributed to its spread. Now Schubert, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Glinka, Schumann, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rubinstein began to include it in their musical works. In the 20th century, the instrument retained its popularity. Now almost no piece of music is complete without his participation. But, as in previous years, he always remains a "regular" in jazz music. He has been involved in jazz since the most early years this style. The most popular was made by Eric Dolphy, a saxophonist. Now the most popular in jazz is the bass clarinet, thanks to its romantic timbre.

Basic information

Acoustic properties of the clarinet

Among woodwind instruments The clarinet occupies a special place in terms of its acoustic properties.. Its sound channel is a closed cylinder, which gives it a number of differences from other similar instruments:

the lower notes available to the clarinet sound an octave lower than those of instruments with the same channel length - and;
in the formation of sound, especially in the lower register, almost exclusively odd harmonic consonances participate, which gives the timbre of the clarinet a specific color;
at the first blowing (increasing the strength of breathing), the sound jumps immediately to a duodecim, and not to an octave, as with other woodwinds.

It was the impossibility at first to fill the duodecime interval with a chromatic scale that slowed down the entry of the clarinet into the orchestra and led to the formation of a more complex valve system than on other woodwinds, as well as the diversity of the systems themselves and the differences between them.

The addition of new valves, rods, screws, and other elements of the movement helped expand the range of the clarinet, but made it difficult to play in some keys. To avoid difficulties, musicians use two main varieties of the clarinet - the in A clarinet and the in B clarinet.

Clarinet body in B (as well as in A, in C and small clarinets in D and in Es) is a long straight cylindrical tube (as opposed to, for example, from or , which have a conical body).

As a rule, the material for the case is the wood of a noble tree (ebony Dalbergia melanoxylon or rosewood). Some models (designed for educational purposes or for amateur music playing) are sometimes made of plastic. In the 1930s jazz musicians in search of new sounds, metal clarinets were used, but such instruments did not take root. At the same time, for example, in Turkish folk music the metal clarinet is one of the main instruments.

At the end of the 20th century, when the problem of depleting ebony stocks arose, some firms began to produce mixed-material clarinets, combining the advantages of wood and plastic instruments. For example, the company Buffet Crampon» since 1994 has been producing tools according to the technology green line made of 95% ebony powder and 5% carbon fiber material. With the same acoustic properties as ebony instruments, Green Line clarinets are much less sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity, which reduces the risk of damage to the instrument, in addition, they are lighter and cheaper.

The clarinet consists of five separate parts: mouthpiece, barrel, upper leg, lower leg and bell. A cane, the sound-producing element of the instrument, is purchased separately. The components of the clarinet are hermetically connected to each other, which is achieved using cork rings lightly lubricated with a special ointment. Sometimes the clarinet body can be solid, not divided at all, or only divided into two parts (especially for small clarinets).

The fully assembled soprano clarinet in B measures approximately 66 centimeters in length.

The main parts of the clarinet:

mouthpiece and ligature;
cane;
barrel;
upper knee (for the left hand);
lower knee (for the right hand);
trumpet.

Clarinet mouthpiece

The mouthpiece is the beak-shaped part of the clarinet into which the musician blows air. On the reverse side of the mouthpiece, on a flat surface, there is a hole, which is continuously closed and opened by a vibrating reed by a clarinet sound-producing element during the game. On either side of the hole are the so-called "rails" (rails), responsible for limiting the vibration of the cane.

The slight curve in their upper part away from the reed is called a "notch". The length of the notch, as well as the distance from the free end of the reed to the top of the mouthpiece (“openness” of the mouthpiece) are the main characteristics that distinguish the mouthpieces from each other and affect the timbre of the instrument as a whole.

The shape of the hole for the reed, the angle of inclination of the upper surface of the mouthpiece, the characteristics of the ebonite used, etc., may also differ. modern market Mouthpieces offer a wide range of models, among which the musician can choose the appropriate option for the desired purpose (solo, chamber, orchestral performance, jazz, etc.).

In the early stages of the history of the clarinet, the mouthpiece was not a separate part of the clarinet and went directly into the main body of the instrument, the material for which was wood (for example, pear). With the need to separate the mouthpiece from the rest of the clarinet, more durable materials began to be used for it: ivory, metals, etc.

The ebonite mouthpieces that appeared in the second half of the 19th century soon became the standard. They are most often used in music of all genres and provide ample control over the sound. There are also mouthpieces made of glass ("crystal"), which are relatively easy to use and give a more open sound, and plastic (having a lower price and less rich sound), usually used in training.

In Germany, hardwood mouthpieces are common. Regardless of the material from which the mouthpiece is made, its surface is usually ground and polished (except for the part to which the reed is attached).

Clarinet reed

Reed (tongue) - the sound-producing (vibrating) part of the instrument, which is a thin narrow plate, which is made from special types of reeds (Arundo donax) or (less often) reeds. The reed is attached to the mouthpiece using a ligature (in the jargon of musicians - "cars") - a special metal, leather or plastic collar with two screws (the latest models of ligatures may have one screw, giving bidirectional screwing).

The invention of the ligature is attributed to Ivan Müller and dates back to the first quarter of the 19th century. Until that time, the reed was tied to the mouthpiece with a special cord (on German and Austrian clarinet models, this method of attaching the reed is used to this day).

On the earliest models of clarinets, the reed was located on top of the mouthpiece and was controlled by the upper lip, but from the end of the 18th century, a transition began to performance on a reed located below the mouthpiece and controlled by the lower lip. Recommendations for this way of playing are contained in teaching aids a number of famous clarinetists of that time, in particular, Ivan Muller.

Nevertheless, many musicians, among whom was, for example, the famous English clarinetist Thomas Lindsay Willman, preferred the old way of playing almost to mid-nineteenth century, and at the Paris Conservatory, the official transition to teaching with a cane under the mouthpiece was announced only in 1831.

Reeds are sold in packages according to their "hardness" or, as musicians say, "weight", which depends on the thickness of the working surface of the reed. Some musicians use special tools to make reeds themselves or remake already purchased ones (before putting the production of reeds on the conveyor, all clarinetists did this). The "heaviness" of the reed and the characteristics of the mouthpiece are interrelated.

In the process of using the canes, they quickly fail due to the wear of the reed fibers. The service life of a cane depends on the strength of the blown air flow, the “heaviness” of the cane itself, the force of pressure on it, and other factors. With everyday practice for two hours a day, the cane wears out in about two weeks.

The clarinet reed is a fragile and delicate device. To protect it from accidental damage, a special metal or plastic cap is used, which is put on the mouthpiece if the instrument is not used for a long time.

Barrel

The barrel is the part of the clarinet responsible for its tuning. This element got its name from resemblance with a small barrel.

Slightly pushing the keg out of the body or pushing it back before playing, you can change the overall tuning of the clarinet within about a quarter of a tone.

As a rule, clarinet players stock up on several barrels of different lengths in order to be able to adapt to changing playing conditions (temperature, air humidity, etc.) and the range of the orchestra. The barrel length is adapted to the overall length of the tool body.

Upper and lower knee

These parts of the instrument are located between the barrel and the bell. They have sound holes, rings and valves. Behind the lower knee there is a special small stand resting on the thumb of the right hand, which thus supports the weight of the entire instrument. The remaining fingers open and close holes on the body of the instrument to produce sounds of different pitches.

Directly fingers close and open seven holes (six on the front side of the instrument and one on the back), valves are used for all the rest. The elements of the valve mechanism are interconnected by a complex system of axles, springs, rods and screws.

Trumpet

The invention of the bell is attributed to Jacob Denner (1720s). This part of the instrument allows you to play the lowest note (mi of the small octave) and improve the intonation of some other low notes, as well as achieve greater accuracy in the ratio between the low and middle registers. The bell and lower varieties of the clarinet are made of metal and curved.

High-pitched clarinet arrangement

Low varieties of clarinet(, bass and contrabass clarinets) differ in their design from the usual "straight" high-pitched clarinets.

In addition to the fact that these instruments have a large length (providing them with lower sounds), they have additional parts that are made of metal for compactness (the same materials are used as for brass instruments) and are bent: "glass" ( a small curved tube connecting the mouthpiece to the main body of the instrument) and a metal bell.

In the lowest varieties of the clarinet, the entire body may also be made of metal.

Bass clarinet models are equipped with a special small crutch, located under the curve of the bell. The crutch supports a massive instrument, preventing it from slipping or falling. Bass clarinets are usually played while seated.

Newer models of bass clarinets also come with additional valves to extend their range down to low C.

Outstanding clarinetists

Heinrich Joseph Berman- German virtuoso of the 19th century, the first performer of Weber's works;
Benny Goodman- the largest jazz clarinetist, "King of Swing";
Sergey Rozanov- the founder of the national school of playing the clarinet;
Vladimir Sokolov- one of the best Soviet clarinetists;
Anton Stadler- Austrian virtuoso of the XVIII-XIX centuries, the first performer of Mozart's works.

History, origin and development of the clarinet

Was invented in late XVII- the beginning of the XVIII century (some reference books indicate 1690 as the year of the invention of the clarinet, other researchers dispute this date and indicate that the first mention of the clarinet dates back to 1710) Nuremberg music master Johann Christoph Denner (1655-1707), who at that time was working on improving the design of the old French wind instrument - chalumeau.

This trumpet gave its name first to the register, and then to the entire instrument clarinetto (the Italian name for the clarinet) literally means "little clarino". For some time, chalumeau and clarinet were used on an equal footing, but already in the second quarter of the 18th century, chalumeau practically disappears from musical practice.

Denner's work was continued by his son Jakob (1681-1735), three instruments of his work are kept in the museums of Nuremberg, Berlin and Brussels. All of these clarinets had two valves. Instruments of this design were very common until the 19th century, but the Austrian musician Paur around 1760 added a third to the already existing two valves, the clarinetist from Brussels Rottenburg - the fourth, the Englishman John Hale in 1785 - the fifth, finally, the famous French clarinetist and composer Jean -Xavier Lefebvre around 1790 created the classic six-valve clarinet model.

By the end of the 18th century, the clarinet became a full-fledged instrument of classical music. There are virtuoso performers who improve not only the technique of playing the clarinet, but also its design. Among them, Ivan Muller should be noted, who changed the design of the mouthpiece, which significantly influenced the timbre, simplified blowing and expanded the range of the instrument, in fact, creating it new model. From this time begins the "golden age" of the clarinet.

Perfection of the clarinet

The improvement of the clarinet continued into the 19th century: professor at the Paris Conservatoire Hyacinthe Klose and music master Louis-Auguste Buffet (brother of the founder of Buffet-Crampon Denis Buffet) successfully adapted to the clarinet the system of ring valves invented by the flutist of the Munich Court Chapel Theobald Böhm and originally used flute only. This model was called the "Boehm clarinet" or "French clarinet".

Other eminent makers who took part in the further improvement of clarinet design include Adolphe Sax (inventor of the saxophone and wide-scale brass instruments) and Eugène Albert.

In Germany and Austria, the so-called "German" and "Austrian" clarinets became widespread, originating from an instrument with a valve system designed by Johann Georg Ottensteiner (1815-1879) together with clarinetist Karl Berman, who published the "Clarinet School" for this system.

In the 1900s, the Berlin master Oskar Ehler (1858-1936) made minor improvements to it. Traditionally, such a system is called the “Ehler system”. The mechanism of the German clarinet differs from the French one and is less suitable for fluent virtuoso playing. The mouthpieces and reeds of these clarinets are also made using a technology different from the French one. It is believed, however, that the instruments of the German system provide greater expressiveness and power of sound.

For quite a long period, German system clarinets were widely used throughout the world, but around the 1950s, musicians began to switch to French system clarinets, and now German clarinets are played mainly only by Austrian, German and Dutch, and also, maintaining tribute traditions - some Russian clarinetists.

In addition to the Boehm and Ehler systems, there are several more options for the location of the valves on the instrument, in particular, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Selmer company produced “Alber clarinets” (which resembled the instruments of the middle of the 19th century in structure), and in the 1960s and 70s - Mark's clarinets. The range of the latter could be extended up an octave. However, these tools are not widely used.

Among the experimental samples of various designers, one should note the quarter-tone clarinet by Fritz Schüller, intended for the performance of modern music.

The modern clarinet is a rather technically complex mechanism. The tool has about 20 valves, many axles, springs, rods and screws. Leading musical instrument manufacturers are constantly improving the design of the clarinet and creating new models.

Varieties of clarinets

The clarinet has an extensive family: in different years, about twenty of its varieties were created, some of which quickly fell into disuse (clarinet in H, clarinet d'amour), and some are still used today.

The main members of this family are clarinet in B(in line b flat; also sometimes called soprano or big clarinet) And clarinet in A(in line la).

In addition to these two basic instruments, the following are also sometimes used in music. varieties of clarinet:

sopranino clarinet;
small clarinet (clarinet-piccolo);
clarinet in C;
basset clarinet;
basset horn;
alto clarinet;
contralto clarinet;
bass clarinet;
contrabass clarinet.

sopranino clarinet

sopranino clarinet- a rare instrument that exists in the tunings F, G and As, and transposes, respectively, to a perfect fourth, a perfect fifth and a small sixth up relative to the written notes. The scope of the sopranino clarinet is limited: clarinets in G are used almost exclusively in wind and dance orchestras in Austria and southern Germany.

Clarinets in F were full members of military bands throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries (their parts can be found in a number of scores for brass band Beethoven and Mendelssohn), but then disappeared from musical practice.

Clarinet in As, which has existed since the beginning of the 19th century, was also originally an instrument of the military bands of Hungary and Italy, and in the 20th century, after improving the design, it began to occasionally fall into the scores of avant-garde composers and participate in ensembles consisting exclusively of clarinets.

Small clarinet (piccolo clarinet)

The small clarinet exists in two tunings:

1. in Es- was invented in early XIX century, used French composers(one of the first to introduce this instrument to the orchestra was Berlioz in the finale of the Fantastic Symphony), in the 20th century it was more widely used in the orchestra (works by Mahler, Ravel, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Messiaen). It sounds a small third above the written notes and a perfect fourth above the clarinet in B. It has a harsh, somewhat noisy timbre (especially in the upper register), as a solo instrument it is rarely used.

2. in D- almost does not differ from the small clarinet in Es, sounds half a step lower than it, is used quite rarely, mainly for the performance of Johann Molter's concertos, as well as in the orchestra (symphonic poem "Merry Tricks of Till Ulenspiegel" by R. Strauss, Stravinsky's ballets), like clarinet in A for sharp keys.

Clarinet in C was used on a par with clarinets in A and in B in the 18th-19th centuries, mainly in the orchestra (Beethoven - Symphony No. 1, overtures "Prometheus' Creations", "Wellington's Victory", etc., Berlioz - Fantastic Symphony, Liszt - Symphony " Faust", Smetana, the cycle of symphonic poems "My Motherland", Brahms Symphony No. 4, Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 2, R. Strauss - "The Rosenkavalier", etc.), subsequently, due to a rather inexpressive timbre, gave way to the clarinet in B, on which it is now customary to perform his parts.

Unlike other instruments of the family, it does not transpose, that is, it sounds exactly in accordance with the written notes. It is currently used only as a teaching tool.

basset clarinet

basset clarinet is used in the same tunings (in A and in B) as a regular instrument, but with the range extended downwards by a minor third.

In essence, representing a kind of basset horn, it is used quite rarely, as a rule, to perform parts in Mozart's operas " magical flute” and “The Mercy of Titus” (the latter contains the famous aria of Sextus with a solo basset clarinet) and his Quintet for clarinet and strings, in the original of which the performance of low sounds unattainable on an ordinary clarinet is required. Such instruments have been preserved in single copies since the 19th century, in 1951 a modern model was constructed on their basis.

basset horn

basset horn in the 18th and early 19th centuries, it was quite often introduced into the orchestra in order to expand the range of the usual clarinet down, and sometimes it was also used as a solo instrument. The basset horn existed in the tunings A, Es, G and F (the last variety was used most often).

Often in his works the basset horn used Mozart(Requiem, "Masonic Funeral Music"), his Clarinet Concerto was originally intended for the basset horn. Parts of the basset horn are also found in the works of romantic composers (Mendelssohn - two Concert pieces for clarinet, basset horn and piano, Massenet - the opera "Sid", R. Strauss - "Der Rosenkavalier", etc.), but gradually this instrument was forced out of use by the bass -clarinet.

A characteristic feature of basset horns is a narrow, in comparison with the alto clarinet of the same tuning, the cross-sectional diameter of the tube, which gives a specific "plaintive" timbre.

With a basset horn, the clarinet mouthpiece in B is usually used. At the same time, Selmer, LeBlanc, and others make basset horns with a tube diameter almost equal to that and with an alto clarinet mouthpiece. There is an opinion that these instruments are more correctly called "extended range alto clarinets". Their timbre differs significantly from the timbre of a basset horn with a "classic" narrow tube diameter. Currently used as an ensemble instrument, occasionally as a soloist.

Alto clarinet

Alto clarinet- an instrument somewhat reminiscent of a basset horn, but differing from it in a wider tube, tuning (almost all alto clarinets are built in Es, extremely rarely in E) and the absence of low notes - the range of the alto clarinet is limited from below to the note Fis (F-sharp of a large octave). Invented at the beginning of the 19th century in Germany, later improved by Adolf Sax.

Although the alto clarinet has a full, powerful, and even sound, it is rarely used in music, except in some American brass bands.

Contral clarinet

Contral clarinet- a rare instrument that sounds an octave below the alto clarinet and has, like it, the Es system. The scope of its application is ensembles consisting exclusively of clarinets, as well as - less often - brass bands.

bass clarinet

bass clarinet was designed Adolphe Sax in the 1830s on the basis of earlier models by other masters of the 1770s and was first used in the orchestra in Meyerbeer's opera Les Huguenots (1836), later used by other French composers, later also by German (from Wagner) and Russian (from Tchaikovsky).

The bass clarinet sounds an octave below the soprano clarinet, and is used almost exclusively in B. In practice, only the low register of the bass clarinet is usually used.

In the orchestra, the bass clarinet performs the function of amplifying bass voices, rarely performs solo episodes, usually of a tragic, gloomy, sinister nature. In the 20th century, some composers began to write solo literature for the bass clarinet.

contrabass clarinet

contrabass clarinet- the lowest sounding kind of clarinet, having a total length of almost 3 meters. Separate mentions of this instrument date back to 1808, but it is mainly used by modern authors to obtain specific low sounds, as well as in ensembles consisting only of clarinets.

It should also be noted that this instrument was used in the operas "Fervaal" by Vincent d'Andy, "Elena" by Camille Saint-Saens, Five Pieces for Orchestra by Arnold Schoenberg and some other works.

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Instrument of beautiful sounds of music

From the history of the clarinet.

The clarinet was invented at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century by the Nuremberg musical master Johann Christoph Denner (1655-1707), who at that time was working on improving the design of an ancient French wind instrument - the chalumeau.

The main innovation, which makes it possible to clearly distinguish between the chalumeau and the clarinet, was the valve on the back of the instrument, controlled with the thumb of the left hand and helping the transition to the second octave. In this register, the sound of the first samples of the new instrument (originally called simply “improved chalumeau”) resembled the timbre of the trumpet used at that time, called “clarinet”. This trumpet gave its name first to the register, and then to the entire instrument, clarinetto for some time, the chalumeau and the clarinet were used on an equal footing, but already in the second quarter of the 18th century, the chalumeau practically disappeared from musical practice. Denner's work was continued by his son Jakob, three instruments of his work are kept in the museums of Nuremberg, Berlin and Brussels. By the end of the 18th century, the clarinet became a full-fledged instrument of classical music.

There are virtuoso performers who improve not only the technique of playing the clarinet, but also its design. Among them, Ivan Muller should be noted, who changed the design of the mouthpiece, which significantly influenced the timbre, simplified blowing and expanded the range of the instrument, in fact, creating its new model. From this time begins the "golden age" of the clarinet. In the first half of the 18th century, the clarinet, being technically a very imperfect instrument with a small range and uneven sound, appeared in the orchestra only occasionally. Among such works are the mass of Jean-Casimir Fabre, the operas by Georg Friedrich Handel "Tamerlane" and "Richard the First", a number of works by Reinhard Kaiser. Clarinet solo performances have been known since the beginning of the second half of the 18th century. In the late 1740s, clarinets appeared in the orchestra of Alexandre La Pupliner in France. Among the clarinetists of this orchestra, Gaspard Proksch stood out for his skill, for whom, presumably, the Concerto by Johann Stamitz, who conducted this orchestra, was written. Stamitz's concerto was the first in history written for the "big" clarinet. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played a significant role in the development of the clarinet as a full-fledged instrument and the expansion of its repertoire. He was introduced to the clarinet, presumably in 1764, while working on the score of one of C. F. Abel's symphonies, and he himself used clarinets for the first time in 1771 in the Divertimento KV113, and then in two more in 1773. In these compositions, the clarinet parts are relatively uncomplicated. Only from the beginning of the 1780s did he begin to use this instrument more actively: all operas, starting with Idomeneo, involve the use of clarinets. The clarinet also appears in chamber music Mozart: in serenades for wind instruments. Trio with viola and piano. For Stadler, Mozart wrote the Clarinet Concerto and Orchestra; his last orchestral work, completed a few months before his death.

This concerto, considered one of the best in the clarinet's repertoire in its entire history, was first performed by Stadler on September 16, 1791 in Prague.

Mozart. Concerto for clarinet and orchestra.

The advent of the era of romanticism in music was marked not only by a change musical style, but also by improving the capabilities of musical instruments, including the clarinet. Composers turned their attention to the improved instrument and created a number of compositions that are still included in the repertoire of clarinetists. The timbre of the clarinet immediately attracted the attention of composers and became musical symbol romanticism. Clarinet solos are heard in the operas of Weber and Wagner, in the symphonies of Berlioz and Tchaikovsky, in symphonic poems List.

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