Editing Clarinet (section)

==Clarinet family and ranges==
{{Main|Clarinet family}}
Clarinets have the largest pitch [[Range (music)|range]] of common woodwinds.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Reed|first= Alfred |date=September 1961 |title=The composer and the college band |journal=[[Music Educators Journal]] |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=51–53 |doi=10.2307/3389717 |jstor=3389717 }}</ref> The range of a clarinet is usually divided into three registers. The low [[chalumeau]] register extends from the notated E3 (C3 if available) to the notated B{{music|flat}}4. The middle clarion register covers a little more than an octave (from the written B4 to C5). The high [[altissimo]] register consists of the notes above it.{{sfn|Pino|1998|p=29}} The three registers have characteristically different sounds: the chalumeau is full and dark, the clarion register is brighter and sweet, like a high trumpet from a distance, and the altissimo can be piercing and sometimes shrill.{{Sfn|Pino|1998|p=200}}{{sfn|Miller|2015|p=176}}

Initially only C clarinets were available, but soon clarinets in B{{music|flat}} and A and the basset horn in F and G were developed. From the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, an extensive family of clarinets developed, from high A{{music|flat}} to subcontrabass. Apart from the clarinets tuned in C (C soprano clarinet and basset clarinet in C), all clarinets are transposing instruments. The instruments above the C clarinet sound higher than notated, such as the aforementioned  A{{music|flat}}  clarinet a sixth higher, the longer instruments sound lower, such as the B{{music|flat}} clarinet by one tone and the B{{music|flat}} contrabass clarinet by two octaves and one tone.

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name !! Key !! Commentary !! Range (written)!! Range<br>(sounding) !! Sound examples <br/>played by [[Richard Haynes (musician)|Richard Haynes]]
|-
| [[A-flat clarinet|A{{Flat}} clarinet]] (Piccolo clarinet in A{{music|flat}})
| A{{music|flat}}
| The A-flat (A♭) clarinet is the highest-pitched clarinet still manufactured.{{sfn|Tschaikov|1995}} Due to its small size it is usually constructed with a one-piece body that combines the separate upper and lower joints and the barrel found on larger clarinets.{{Sfn|Rendall|Bate|1971|p=120}} It first appeared in the early 19th century and was mainly adopted by European wind bands, particularly in Spain and Italy, though it is now rare.{{sfn|Tschaikov|1995}} It found some use in the on-stage ''[[Banda (opera)|banda]]'' of 19th-century Italian opera, and is occasionally called for in [[20th-century classical music|20th-century]] and contemporary orchestral and chamber works.{{sfn|Hoeprich|2008|pp=285&ndash;286}}{{sfn|Tschaikov|1995}}
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 e4 \glissando 
        \ottava #1 g'''
    }
}
</score>}}
E3 - G6 

| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c' {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #0 c4 \glissando \ottava #1 es'''
    }
}
</score>}}
C4 - E{{music|flat}}7 
|[[File:As-Klarinettte Bartok Scherzo.ogg|thumb|[[Béla Bartók|Bartók]], ''Scherzo for Piano and Orchestra'' (1905)]]
|-
| [[E-flat clarinet|E{{music|b}} clarinet]] (Sopranino or piccolo clarinet in E{{music|flat}})
| E{{music|flat}}
| The E-flat (E{{music|flat}}) clarinet is smaller than the more common [[Soprano clarinet|B{{music|flat}} clarinet]]. It has a characteristic "hard and biting" tone and is used in the orchestra when a brighter, or sometimes more comical, sound is called for.{{sfn|Tschaikov|1995}}  It is used in orchestras, concert bands, and marching bands, and plays a central role in clarinet choirs, carrying melodies that would be uncomfortably high for the B♭ clarinet.{{cn|date=April 2025}} Solo repertoire is limited, but composers from Berlioz to Mahler have used it extensively as a solo instrument in orchestral contexts.{{sfn|Tschaikov|1995}} 
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 e4 \glissando 
        \ottava #1 a'''
    }
}
</score>}}
E3 - A6 
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c' {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #0 g4 \glissando 
        \ottava #1 c'''
    }
}
</score>}}
G3 - C7 
|[[File:Es-Klarinette, Ravel Bolero.ogg|thumb|[[Maurice Ravel|Ravel]], ''[[Boléro]]'' (1928)]]
|-
| [[D clarinet]]
| D
|This type of clarinet was largely replaced by the E{{music|flat}} clarinet. It was used in concerti by [[Johann Melchior Molter]], in operas by [[Richard Wagner]], and in ''[[Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks|Till Eulenspiegel]]'' by [[Richard Strauss]].{{sfn|Koechlin|1954|p=322}} [[Stravinsky]] used both the D and E{{music|flat}} clarinets in ''[[Le Sacre du Printemps]]''.{{sfn|Tschaikov|1995}}
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 e4 \glissando
        \ottava #1 a'''
    }
}
</score>}}
E3 - A6 
|{{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 fis4 \glissando 
        \ottava #1 b'''
    }
}
</score>}}
Fis3 - B6 
|-
| [[Soprano clarinet|C clarinet]] (Soprano clarinet in C)
| C
| This clarinet was very common in the instrument's earliest period but its use dwindled, and by the end of the 1920s it had become practically obsolete. From the time of [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], many composers began to prefer the mellower lower-pitched instruments, and the timbre of the C instrument may have been considered too bright.{{sfn|Lawson|1995c}} To avoid having to carry an extra instrument that required another reed and mouthpiece, orchestral players preferred to play parts for this instrument on B{{music|flat}} clarinets, transposing up a tone.{{Sfn|Pino|1998|p=218}}
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 e4 \glissando
        \ottava #1 bes''''
    }
}
</score>}}
E3 - B6 
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 e4 \glissando
        \ottava #1 bes''''
    }
}
</score>}}
E3 - B6 
|[[File:C-Klarinette, Barbier v Sevillia.ogg|thumb|[[Gioachino Rossini|Rossini]], ''[[The Barber of Seville]]'' (1816)]]
|-
| [[Clarinet family|B{{music|flat}} clarinet]] (Soprano clarinet in B{{music|flat}})
| [[B♭ (musical note)|B♭]]
| The B{{music|flat}} clarinet is the most common type.{{sfn|Lawson|1995b}} Usually, the term "clarinet" on its own refers to this instrument.{{Sfn|Raasakka|2010|p=53}}
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 e4 \glissando
        \ottava #1 c''''
    }
}
</score>}}
E3 - C7 
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 d4 \glissando 
        \ottava #1 bes''''
    }
}
</score>}}
D3 - B6 
|[[File:B-Klarinette, Beeth 8.III.ogg|thumb|[[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Symphony No. 8 (Beethoven)|Symphony No. 8]] (1812)]]
|-
| [[Clarinet family|A clarinet]] (Soprano clarinet in A)
| A
| The A clarinet is frequently used in orchestral and chamber music, especially of the nineteenth century.{{sfn|Page et al.|2015}}
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 e4 \glissando
        \ottava #1 d''''
    }
}
</score>}}
E3 - D7
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 cis4 \glissando 
        \ottava #1 b''''
    }
}
</score>}}
Cis3 - B6 
|[[File:A-Klarinette, Rachmaninov 2 II.ogg|thumb|[[Sergei Rachmaninoff|Rachmaninoff]], [[Symphony No. 2 (Rachmaninoff)|Symphony No. 2]] (1907)]]
|-
| [[Basset clarinet]]
| A, C, G or B{{music|b}}
| The basset clarinet is typically tuned in A, though basset clarinets in C, G and B{{music|b}} also exist.{{sfn|Shackleton|Rice|2015c}}{{sfn|Dearling|2001}} It is used primarily to play Classical-era music.{{sfn|Shackleton|1995}} Mozart's [[Clarinet Concerto (Mozart)|Clarinet Concerto]] was written for this instrument, though the [[autograph]] was lost and the work was rewritten by publishers for the standard clarinet.{{sfn|Shackleton|Rice|2015c}}<ref>{{cite journal|title=The basset clarinet of Anton Stadler|journal=College Music Symposium|last=Poulin|first=Pamela|date=1982|pages=67&ndash;82|volume=22|issue=2}}</ref> Basset clarinets with modern keywork have been built beginning in 1951, initially for the performance of the Mozart concerto.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Basset clarinet|last=Shackleton|first=Nicholas|date=2001|encyclopedia=Grove Music Online|doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.40001}}</ref> Today, both the edited version for A clarinet and reconstructions of the lost autograph for basset clarinet are performed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://clarinet.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Koons-Mozart-Editions.pdf|work=ClarinetFest|date=1998|last=Koons|first=Keith|title=Comparing Published Editions of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, K. 622 }}</ref> A well known{{cn|date=April 2025}} composition for B{{music|b}} basset clarinet is Mozart's opera ''[[La Clemenza di Tito]]'' No. 9, aria from Sesto, "Parto, parto, ma tu ben mio".
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 c4 \glissando
        \ottava #1 d''''
    }
}
</score>}}
C3 - D7 (instrument in A)
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 a4 \glissando
        \ottava #1 b''''
    }
}
</score>}}
A2 - B6 (instrument in A)
|[[File:G-Klar d'amore Mayr, Gloria Patri.ogg|thumb|[[Simon Mayr|Mayr]], ''Gloria Patri'' (played on a basset clarinet in G)]]
|-
| [[Basset horn]]
| F or G
| Similar in appearance to the alto, the basset horn is typically pitched in F, with a narrower bore on most models. Mozart's Clarinet Concerto was originally sketched out as a concerto for basset horn in G (K. 584b/621b); his ''Requiem'' is "a cornerstone of the basset horn repertoire", and he also wrote numerous opera parts and [[chamber music|chamber]] pieces for the instrument. Little other material for basset horn has been published.{{sfn|Dobrée|1995}}<ref name=hacker/>
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 c4 \glissando \ottava #1 d''''
    }
}
</score>}}
C3 - D7 (instrument in F)
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 f,4 \glissando \ottava #1 g''''
    }
}
</score>}}
F2 - G6 (instrument in F)
|[[File:F-Bassetthorn, Mozart Requiem.ogg|thumb|[[Mozart]], [[Requiem (Mozart)|Requiem]] (1791)]]
|-
| [[Alto clarinet]]
| E{{music|flat}} or F
| Sometimes referred to as the tenor clarinet in Europe, the alto clarinet is used in military and concert bands and occasionally, if rarely, in orchestras.{{Sfn|Baines|1991|p=129}}{{sfn|Pino|1998|p=219}}{{sfn|Shackleton|Rice|2015a}} The alto clarinet in F was used in military bands during the early 19th century and was a favorite instrument of [[Iwan Müller]]. It later fell out of use.{{sfn|Rice|2009|p=84}} If called for, it is commonly substituted with the basset horn.{{sfn|Rice|2009|p=84}} The alto clarinet usually reaches down to low E,{{sfn|Rice|2009b|p=10}} but can be extended lower.{{Sfn|Rehfeldt|1994|p=3}}
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 e4 \glissando \ottava #1 d''''
    }
}
</score>}}
E3 - D7 (extended range)
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 a4 \glissando \ottava #1 f''''
    }
}
</score>}}
A2 - F6 (extended range)
|-
| [[Bass clarinet]]
| B{{music|flat}}
| Developed in the late 18th century, the bass clarinet began featuring in orchestral music in the 1830s after its redesign by [[Adolphe Sax]].{{sfn|Shackleton|Rice|2015b}} It has since become a mainstay of the modern orchestra.{{sfn|Harris|1995a}} It is also used in concert bands and enjoys (along with the B{{Music|flat}} clarinet) a considerable role in jazz, especially through jazz musician [[Eric Dolphy]].{{sfn|Miller|2015|p=385}}{{sfn|Brown|1995}} The bass clarinet in A, which had a vogue among certain composers from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries, is now so rare as to usually be considered obsolete.{{Sfn|Pino|1998|p=219}} The bass clarinet is also available in a version reaching down to low E flat instead of low C.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.selmer.fr/en/products/clarinette-basse-privilege?variant=42969781600425|publisher=Selmer|accessdate=14 April 2025|title=Privilege Bass}}</ref>
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 c4 \glissando \ottava #1 e''''
    }
}
</score>}}
C3 - E7 (standard)
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \clef bass
        \ottava #0 bes,4 \glissando \ottava #2 d''''     
    }
}
</score>}}
B{{music|flat}}1 - D6 (standard)
|[[File:Bassklarinette, Schostakovich, Violinkonz 1 II.ogg|thumb| [[Shostakovich]], [[Violin Concerto No. 1 (Shostakovich)|Violin Concerto No. 1]] (1948)]]
|-
| [[Contra-alto clarinet]] (also ''contralto'' or ''E♭ contrabass'' clarinet)
| EE{{music|flat}}
| The first contra-alto clarinets were made in the first half of the 18th century.{{sfn|Rice|2009b|p=324}} Modern instruments ([[Boehm system|Boehm]] and [[Oehler system|Oehler]]) have developed since the 1950s.{{sfn|Rice|2009b|p=338}} The contra-alto clarinet is used in wind ensembles and occasionally in cinematic scores.{{sfn|Harris|1995a}}

| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4 \clef treble
        \magnifyMusic 0.7 { ees4 }
        e4
        \glissando
        a'''
    }
}
</score>}}
E♭3 - A6{{Sfn|Blatter|1997|pp=106-107}}
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \clef bass
        \magnifyMusic 0.7 { ges,4 }
        g4 \glissando c'''
    }
}
</score>}}
G♭1 - C5
|[[File:Kontraaltklarinette, Boneh, Municipal Shuffle.ogg|thumb|[[Oren Boneh]], ''Municipal Shuffle'' (2023)]]
|-
| [[Contrabass clarinet]] (also ''double-bass'' clarinet)
| BB{{music|flat}}
| The BB{{music|flat}} contrabass is used in clarinet ensembles, concert bands, and sometimes in orchestras.{{sfn|Harris|1995a}} [[Arnold Schoenberg]] calls for a contrabass clarinet in A in his ''[[Five Pieces for Orchestra]]'', but no such instrument ever existed.{{sfn|Raasakka|2010|p=82}}


| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4 \clef treble
        c4
        \glissando
        a''''
    }
}
</score>}}
C3 - A6{{Sfn|Blatter|1997|pp=106-107}}
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \clef bass
        \ottava #-1 bes,,4 \glissando \ottava #0 g''''
    }
}
</score>}}
B♭0 - G4
|[[File:Kontrabassklarinette, Mahler 9 IV.ogg|thumb|[[Mahler]], [[Symphony No. 9 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 9]] (1909){{efn|This work is originally scored for standard bass clarinet.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mahlerfoundation.org/mahler/compositions/symphony-no-9/symphony-no-9-orchestration/|accessdate=5 April 2025|title=Orchestration Symphony No. 9|publisher=Mahler Foundation}}</ref>}}]]
|-
|[[Subcontrabass clarinet]] (also called octocontralto clarinet or octocontrabass clarinet)
|EEE{{music|flat}} or BBB{{music|flat}}
|The subcontrabass clarinet is a largely experimental instrument with little repertoire. Three versions in EEE♭ (an octave below the contra-alto clarinet) were made, and a version in BBB{{Flat}} (an octave below the contrabass clarinet) was built by [[Leblanc (musical instrument manufacturer)|Leblanc]] in 1939.{{Sfn|Ellsworth|2015|p=79}}{{Sfn|Baines|1991|p=131}}
| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \ottava #-1 es4
        \glissando
        \ottava #1 g''''
    }
}
</score>}}
E{{music|flat}}3 - G7 

| {{center|<score lang="lilypond">
{
    \override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t
    \set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/8)
    \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
    \relative c {
        \time 2/4
        \clef bass
        \ottava #-2 des,,,4 \glissando 
        \ottava #-2 f''
    }
}
</score>}}
Des0 - F4 
|}
[[File:10 clarinets.jpg|thumb|center|600px|Clarinets in A{{music|flat}}, E{{music|flat}} and B{{music|flat}}, [[basset clarinet]] in A, [[alto clarinet]] range to low E{{music|flat}}, [[basset horn]], [[bass clarinet]] range to low E{{music|flat}}, bass clarinet range to low C, [[contra alto clarinet]] and [[contrabass clarinet]]]]