Clarinet: Underrated Musical Instruments

The clarinet is perhaps the most underrated musical instrument. It was introduced to the orchestra during the classical period1. Since then it has been a very integral part of modern music such as jazz and can produce tones rapidly and has a wide range of dynamics and tone color2. The clarinet does not have direct ancestry to any other instrument. Though the chalumeau; the earliest European single reed instrument is the closest one3. Clarinet’s roots can be traced back to ancient Egypt, but the instrument maker Johan Christian Denner invented the modern day clarinet in 1700 in the German city of Nurnberg4 by adding a register key to the chalumeau.
It is a single reed instrument of the woodwind family and consists of a closed tube with a single beating reed5. The clarinet is of essentially a cylindrical bore and is made in a variety of sizes and tonalities. The soprano clarinet is tuned in B flat, with the “Boehm system” of keywork and fingering6. It is also a transposing woodwind instrument,
and most common clarinets are Bb, Eb and A7.
Most of today’s clarinets are made out of boxwood, but some surviving instruments are made from fruitwood or entirely with ivory. The pigmentation of the clarinet is dark brown and sometimes black giving it an appearance that it is made out of ebony. Occasionally rings of ivory, bone or metal are fitted to the sockets and the rim of the bell. A little opening where the player opens the thumb key, designated ‘speaker’ key or ‘register’ key, is fitted with a metal tube to prevent blockage by condensation8.
Though the clarinet was introduced to the orchestra as a permanent instrument during the classical period, still classical period composers used it sparingly.
The earliest known soloist was a military musician by the name of Charles Hoffman from Philadelphia in 1769 and the first female clarinetist to appear in America was Margaret Knittel9. Notable music composed for the clarinet in orchestral works includes Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Copeland’s Appalachian Spring and Salon El Mexico10. Handel too composed twice for the clarinet; The Overture in D and also he used chalumeaux in the opera Ricardo Primo11. Mozart did not use the clarinet till 1780 and even after that he did not include it in many of his compositions. This comes as a surprise because of Mozart’s remark in a letter to his father saying ‘Alas, if only we also had clarinets’. Mozart’s Idomeneo requires clarinets, Kegelstatt Trio’ k498, the Quintet k581 and the Concerto k622 used
clarinets12.
The most important American clarinet makers in the 19th century were Asa Hopkins (Litchfield, Connecticut), William Whiteley (Utica, New York), Samuel Graves (Winchester, New Hampshire) and Firth, Hall & Pond (New York City. The modern day popular clarinet manufacturers include Buffet-Crampon (France), Selmer (US and France), LeBlanc (US and France) and Yamaha (US and Japan)13.
In addition to the evolution of the clarinet and other important history, clarinetists require a lot of complicated breathing techniques and training. According to a research done in Germany, 15 skilled clarinetists were invited to measure expiratory PO(2) and PCO(2) (a measurement used in determining the partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide in arterial blood gas14) in gas drawn out from a modified clarinet barrel while performing Robert Schumann's "Phantasiestücke" Op. 73 for clarinet and piano with increasing difficulty form movement 1 to movement 3 and the blood gases were measured in arterialized ear lobe blood at end of each movement15. The conclusions of this test were advanced players adapt their ventilation to the requirements of the composition and sustain expiration during difficult parts of the composition and the less trained players tend to hyperventilate or breath shallow16. Also mean heart rates were so high that it represented of someone doing physical labor. Generally professional clarinetists impose great strain on ventilation and circulation17.
It is a vibrant instrument that brings out the sensuality of a composition, but at times it is underrepresented and forgotten. The clarinet has tones that are vibrant and colorful. It has a limited history, but requires a great deal of skill and technique to play. Since the chalumeaux and Denner’s clarinet, it has come a long way, especially in the jazz scene and continues to produce beautiful music.

Notes
1.Kamien, Roger. Music: An Appreciation. 8th ed. Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill Education, 2014, 157.
2.Ibid., 17
3.Brymer, Jack. Clarinet. New York: Schirmer Books, 1977, 15.
4.Ibid., 16.
5. Page, "Clarinet," in Grove's Music Online.
6.Ibid.,
7."Clarinet," in In Musical Terms, Symbols, Par 3
8. Hoeprich, Eric. The Clarinet. New Haven [Conn.]: Yale University Press, 2008.,23-24.
9. Rice, "Clarinet," in Grove Music Online. Oxford, Par 6.
10.Ibid., Par 9
11. Page, “Clarinet,” in Grove’s Music Online.
12. Ibid.
13. Rice, “Clarinet,” in Grove Music Online. Oxford, Par 4-5.
14. "ABG(Arterial Blood Gas)," brooksidepress.org.
15. Hahnengress and Böning, "Cardiopulmonary Changes during Clarinet," abstract.
16. Ibid.
17. Ibid. Bibliography
"ABG(Arterial Blood Gas)." brooksidepress.org. Accessed March 13, 2016. http://www.brooksidepress.org/Products/Military_OBGYN/Lab/ABG.htm. Brymer, Jack. Clarinet. New York: Schirmer Books, 1977. "Clarinet." In In Musical Terms, Symbols, and Theory: An Illustrated Dictionary. N.p.: McFarland & Company, 2012. Accessed March 10, 2016. http://search.credoreference.com.libproxy.volstate.edu/content/entry/mcfmusic/clarinet/0?searchId=c6272a40-e730-11e5-bc7a-12c1f5c39a71&result=5&PHPSESSID=7uudhs2u8b9fdl2kv9sqcmsoq7. Hahnengress, Maria L., and Dieter Böning. "Cardiopulmonary Changes during Clarinet Playing." European Journal of Applied Physiology 110, no. 6 (December 2012). Abstract in PubMed. Hoeprich, Eric. The Clarinet. New Haven [Conn.]: Yale University Press, 2008. Kamien, Roger. Music: An Appreciation. 8th ed. Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill Education, 2014. Page, Janet K. "Clarinet." In Grove's Music Online. Accessed March 2, 2016. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article_citations/grove/music/52768?q=clarinet&search=quick&source=omo_gmo&pos=1&_start=1. Rice, Albert R. "Clarinet." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 2nd ed. N.p.: Oxford University Press, n.d. Accessed March 10, 2016. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.libproxy.volstate.edu/subscriber/article_citations/grove/music/A2240511?q=clarinet&search=quick&source=omo_gmo&pos=2&_start=1.