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The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing by David Pino Chapter 14: A Look at the Life
Story of the Clarinet (pg. 206-220) The clarinet changed over three periods of development: 1. The first quarter of the century, in which the “simple systems” of woodwind mechanism were developed. Although these key systems are considered simple compared to those of woodwinds today, they made playing the instruments much easier than before. 2. The second quarter of the century, when key systems were developed. These systems are still in use today. 3. The last half of the century, when instrument makers found improved ways of using machines to make instruments. The industrial revolution made the production of instruments easier, and many modifications were made to the clarinet during this period. The Early 1800s § In the early 1800s, the clarinet still physically resembled the ancient instruments; only its six keys set it apart from the recorder. § In 1806, Ivan Muller began to make improvements to the instrument’s mechanism so that clarinetists could meet increasingly difficult musical demands. § Muller made the following changes to the clarinet: 1. He invented key pads as we know them today. These pads were made of leather and stuffed with wool to make them pliable and flexible. Unlike the older version of key pads that were just old pieces of felt or leather glued to the inner side of the keys, Muller pad’s were thicker and glued inside pad cups, much like they are today. 2. Muller also invented the metal thumb-rest and the screw-type ligature that holds the reed on the mouthpiece. 3. Muller’s plan to
improve the mechanism resulted in the thirteen key clarinet,
which Muller presented to a committee of § During this time, two different types of reeds were used, one had a very thin tip, and the other a thicker tip (sometimes an entire millimeter thick). Muller wrote that the thin-tipped reeds were preferred to the thicker reeds and it is assumed that the great players of the time used the thin-tipped reeds because they gave an instantaneous, clean response. §
Solo wind music was becoming increasingly
popular in § Thomas L. Willman, an English clarinetist rated second only to Barmann, played on Muller’s thirteen key clarinet. He played with the reed on top of the mouthpiece instead of on the lower side. The French also played with the reed above, but the Germans usually played with the reed below, as it is today. § “Roller keys” were introduced by C. Janssen in 1823. These keys made it easier to pass from one key to another using the same finger instead of sliding the finger from one key to the other. The Mid-1800s § Two significant mechanical developments were made in the 1830s: 1. Boehm’s development of the “long axle” for flute keys (1832). 2. Buffet’s development of “needle spring” mounted posts screwed directly into the body of the clarinet (1837). § Although there is some confusion as to how these changes came about, they both led to the development of the modern clarinet. § Clarinetist H.E. Klose, teacher at the Paris Conservatory, was unsatisfied with the clarinet mechanism and planned to create an entirely new clarinet key system based upon the principles of the Boehm flute. § Klose worked closely with Buffet to develop the “clarinet with moveable rings.” In this model, the tone holes were surrounded with metal rings that were pushed down as the player’s finger covered the tone hole. Each ring was connected to a “long axle,” which caused another hole, somewhere else on the body of the instrument, to be covered by a padded key. This new system became known as the “Boehm-system clarinet” even though Boehm did not invent this instrument directly. § The Klose-Buffet clarinet, or the Boem-system clarinet, developed in 1843, is known universally today and has remained almost completely unchanged. The Boehm-system clarinet is not the only key system in existence, but it is the most widespread. Unfortunately, there are no remaining examples of the early Boehm clarinets. § As large sections of wind instruments began to replace the usual string sections in some compositions, the modern symphonic band began to develop. One composition by Hector Berlioz included thirty-three clarinets: five E-flat clarinets, fourteen first B-flat clarinets, twelve second clarinets, and two bass clarinets. § In addition to the introduction of the Boehm-system clarinet, several other improvements were made during the mid-1800s. Wooden bores were reshaped, and the sizes of the various clarinets were made standard. The instruments were commonly made from boxwood or ebony with brass or silver keys. The Late 1800s §
During the 1870s, the Boehm-system clarinet
was used in §
In the late 1800s, the clarinet shifted from
being primarily a solo instrument to an orchestral instrument. The composition of solo concertos came to
an end and clarinets were given more solos in symphonic writing of the
1800s. Weber, Beethoven, Schubert and
Berlioz each used the clarinet extensively in their symphonic compositions. §
As the technical demands on clarinetists grew,
some attempts were made to create the “perfect” clarinet. Most of these attempts were made using
simple system clarinets descended from Muller’s instrument of 1812. Players were generally satisfied with the
Boehm-system clarinet so few changes were made. §
During the 1800s, clarinetists were bothered
by the fact they were required to switch between the B-flat and A clarinets, and sometimes even the C clarinet. Because of this, they tried to develop
“combination” clarinets that would play in all keys. In 1. The mouthpiece and the barrel joint were connected by screw threads so that the instrument could change form B-flat to A. 2. A slide joint was used in the middle joint of the instrument. When extended, this joint lowered the instrument from B-flat to A. § Later, more complex combination clarinets were developed. Buffet created a clarinet with two separate metal tubes inside the bore, and the usual one set of keys. The player would turn the bell joint so that the keys and tone holes would line up with either the B-flat or the A bore. In the early 1900s, someone attempted to create a combination clarinet by running a 15-inch string through the bore of the instrument. The result was a B-flat clarinet that played so flat that it was actually pitched in A. §
In the early 1900s, attempts were made to make
clarinets that would play in quarter tones.
A § In addition to the Boehm-system clarinet, the were three other systems in use at the time: 1. The Albert system is the best known
non-Boehm system clarinet, although very few
Albert-system clarinets are in use in 2. The Clinton-model clarinet, developed in 3. “Full German models” – there were three types of clarinets in this category, the most successful being the Oehler model. Oehler was a highly respected clarinetist who became so interested in the mechanism of the clarinet that he stopped his performing career to dedicate his time to making clarinets. He developed Muller’s model into an instrument using twenty-two keys, five rings, and one full finger plate. Various Sizes of Clarinets § The B-flat, A, E-flat, and D clarinets are called “soprano” clarinets. The A-flat clarinet is even smaller and used only in Italian military bands. § The alto clarinet is pitched a perfect fifth lower than the B-flat clarinet – an E-flat instrument one octave lower than the E-flat soprano clarinet. The alto clarinet is bent at the barrel and the bell, and these two joints are made of metal. Although alto clarinet parts are often played by saxophones and horns in wind ensembles, the instrument is a good substitute for the basset horn in F. § The bass clarinet is pitched in B-flat, a perfect fourth lower than the alto clarinet. During the Romantic era, bass clarinet parts were written in A. § The two sizes of contrabass clarinets are pitched in E-flat and B-flat. The E-flat contrabass is usually preferred because it can be made of plastic – the B-flat contrabass is so large that it is made of metal. |
