The History and

Development of the Clarinet

Devin Geraghty Music Seminar

3/31/16

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As a relatively young instrument, the clarinet has played an important role in

music since the eighteenth century and its versatility has allowed its impact to touch

many different genres. This paper will examine the development of the clarinet through

performance venue, reed position, and physical aspects.

Performance venue and how the clarinet was used played a large role in how the

clarinet developed. In his book, “The Clarinet,” published by Yale University Press in

2008, Eric Hoeprich discusses the chalumeau, the first instrument to resemble a clarinet.

Hoeprich speculates that the chalumeau came about at the start of the eighteenth century.

The range was limited to an octave and three notes, so four different types were made to

expand the range: the bass, tenor, alto, and soprano chalumeau. Due to the relatively new

use of the instrument, composers did not notate which chalumeau to play during a piece,

but rather left it up to the performer. Its earliest popularity is seen in the Hapsburg court

and with nobility, such as Emperor Joseph I who composed for soprano chalumeau. The

collection of instruments were used extensively by Giovanni and Antonio Maria

Bononcini in their operas often to double vocal lines or accompany the flutes and

recorders. By the nineteenth century, the chalumeau dies out and the clarinet is born.

Clarinets were being purchased by aristocratic figures and the clarinet was widely

introduced to the public through travelling virtuosi. Virtuosic players would travel town

to town and thus encourage town and church members to add the clarinet to their

repertoire of instruments. Rice states that the baroque clarinet was used extensively in

Europe during the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century, particularly in the

military band. The classical clarinet eventually replaced it in the mid nineteenth century.

In his article, “The clarinet in England during the 1760’s,” published in Early Music in

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2005, Albert R. Rice validates the necessity for multiple clarinets and discusses the

origins of clarinet playing. Rice traces clarinet playing back to the military band. One of

the first documented wind bands, the 1st Battalion Royal Artillery, is created in Germany

in 1762 by Lieutenant Colonel W. Phillips. Due to the lack of funding, the members of

this eight-man group were required to be proficient on multiple wind instruments. Rice

notes the increasing importance of the clarinet with William Herschel’s use of the clarinet

in his symphonies. One of the first uses of clarinet in opera was done by Johann Christian

Bach in his orione, o sia Diana vendicata in 1763. Rice notes that even though the use of

the clarinet increases, it still is not viewed as a stand-alone instrument and is particularly

used for added color and texture (Rice 55-56).

The position of the reed and mouthpiece was a very controversial subject between

two of the leading clarinet playing countries. In this article, “‘Regarding the clarinet’:

Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, 1808,” published in Early Music in 2009, Eric

Hoeprich addresses reed placement and its effect on the sound of the clarinet. The bulk of

Hoeprich’s paper compares the method of French playing to that of German playing. He

notes that while it was the norm to play with the reed above in France, the German’s

preferred playing with the reed below. Hoeprich observes that articulating with the reed

above is very difficult if not impossible because the tongue cannot be used to strike the

reed. He speculates that the French players may have “articulated less and slurred more”

because of this. Hoeprich also notes that playing with the reed below has significant

differences from reed above when looking at the angle the instrument is held. Playing

with the reed above forces the player to hold the clarinet at a much larger angle away

from the body in order to produce sound. One of the major disadvantages in the reed

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above playing is the inability to play softly (Hoeprich 89-93). Reed position, however, is

not the only factor in creating a good sound. Hoeprich quotes, “‘The most important thing

for the clarinetist is a good reed, for only this will enable him to form a good tone on his

instrument and to play certain passages with ease, which otherwise could not be played at

all, or only with great difficulty’” (Hoeprich 93).

The majority of development can be seen in the physical changes of the

instrument itself. The first semblance of the clarinet can be seen in the chalumeau, but

drastic changes have occurred over the years. Eric Hoeprich describes, “unlike the

Baroque clarinet, the chalumeau has two keys which cover tone holes drilled

diametrically to each other” (Hoeprich 45). He notes that there are also uncovered holes

spanning the length of the instrument. Hoeprich notes that due to the lack of keys, the

intonation of the instrument was very flexible and thus very difficult to keep in tune.

Today there are only six surviving chalumeaus, so little can be inferred about the

instrument. In his book, “The Baroque Clarinet,” published by Oxford University Press in

1992, Albert R. Rice analyzes the physical aspects of the baroque clarinet and how it

spread so quickly through Europe. The baroque clarinet has three keys and approximately

a three-octave range. Rice notes that written works of the time period “exhibit a style of

writing characterized by repeated notes, incomplete arpeggios, fanfare motifs, a limited

range, and restricted use of the lower register” (Rice 79). Although advances were being

made in the design of the clarinet, intonation was still a large problem due to the lack of

keys. Rice notes that Caleb Gedney is one of the leading clarinet makers of the mid

eighteenth century. He speculates that Gedney’s clarinets had five keys although none of

his clarinets have survived in modern day collections. As composers began implementing

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“trills” into their music, the fingerings became increasingly difficult on the five key

clarinets. Thus in 1765, George Miller began working on a six key clarinet to make the

trilled intervals from A-B, Bb-C, and C-D obtainable. Rice acknowledges, “Thomas Arne

was the earliest British composer to write for the clarinet” (Rice 57). Arne’s quartet,

Thomas and Sally, adds to the necessity of a trill key with his trill from A-B. Rice

observes that because of the lack of keys in this period, a plethora of different keyed

clarinets are necessary. On a five-keyed Bb clarinet, Eb and Ab are almost impossible to

play in tune, so a clarinet in C must be used to play those pitches. In this period it is

evident that the clarinet was set back by its lack of keys. Not only would it have been

hard to achieve certain tones on a single instrument, but also the range of that instrument

is much smaller than what we see on a modern clarinet (Rice 56-63). It is impractical to

use multiple instruments on a single clarinet part but this was a necessity at the time. In

Albert R. Rice’s, “Müller’s Gamme De La Clarinette and the Development of the

Thirteen-key Clarinet,” the work of Iwan Müller is examined to get a better

understanding of the process and drive behind developing the clarinet. He argues that

Müller’s work sparked the development of a relatively limited instrument. He states,

“Müller had an enormous influence on later makers particularly in the design of pillar

mounting, the F/C key, salt-spoon key heads with stuffed pads, and the metal ligature”

(Rice 183). He also makes the point that Müller’s clarinet is the product of a need for

functionality and efficiency. He reasons that Müller’s clarinet was “designed to be

‘omnitonic’” and it “increased the technical capabilities of the instrument so that the

player could dispense with a whole set of clarinets and play compositions in any tonality

on one instrument” (Rice 182). Rice examines Müller’s design and compares it to the

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subsequent clarinet makers of the time, spanning as far as the twentieth century. He

concludes “the Müller clarinet was a model for several German and Austrian firms, such

as Stengel, Mollenhauer, Kruspe, and Oehler, which developed a distinctive clarinet”

(Rice 183). Rice’s main source of evidence is a fingering chart discovered at the

Bibliothéque Nationale (Figure 1). This chart gives insight into the specifications of

Müller’s clarinet and how his revolutionary omnitonic tonality is achieved. Although this

chart is indeed Müller’s, Rice can only speculate on the date of its creation. Rice says,

“The chart could date from 1811 to 1814, but 1812 is a more likely date for use in his

presentation” (Rice 181). Rice also states, “no instruments survive with Müller’s mark, so

it seems likely that he employed others to make instruments that he designed” (Rice 182).

Hoeprich further delves into the subject of multiple keyed clarinets. Müller’s thirteen-

keyed clarinet had rendered multiple different keyed clarinets obsolete. Hoeprich notes

that the continued use of these different keyed clarinets were due to aesthetics rather then

practical reasons. Hoeprich analyzes other aspects of the German clarinet when he states,

“In comparison with the French instruments, the bore is relatively narrow, with little

conicity at the lower end, aiding in producing a dark, velvety sound with plenty of

resistance’” (Hoeprich 98). Hoeprich also comments on the differing designs of

mouthpieces. He states that they preferred “a slightly narrow profile, while it was the

French who preferred wider mouthpieces” (Hoeprich 98). The comparison between the

French and German style is an interesting one that gives insight into the origins of the

modern day clarinet. While the modern day clarinet is surely comprised of combinations

of both, we are able to gain a better understanding of why things were done differently in

different areas of the world and can trace back modern practice to isolated events. In

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“The Physics of a New Clarinet Design,” published in The Galpin Society Journal in

1996, Arthur H Benade and Douglas H. Keefe explore the physics behind what makes up

the best sounding clarinet and how to achieve that. Benade and Keefe first delve into the

tuning of a clarinet. They state, “The overall tuning of a clarinet is influenced by both the

open and closed tone holes, the cross-sectional area of the main bore of the clarinet, the

position of the register hole, and the design of the bell. It is also influenced by the

player’s embouchure and the reed/mouthpiece design” (Benade, Keefe 114). They

observed that in order for a clarinet to “sound pleasing,” the tuning error per note should

not exceed 10 cents. When calculating the elongation factor,

𝐸 = 1+𝐷!2

where

𝐷! = ( !!

)! !!!

,

2𝑠 = 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑎 = 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏 = 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒

they discovered that a cylindrical bore yields a 3:1 ratio while a conical bore yields a 2:1

ratio. This means that a conical bore will be slightly more out of tune than a cylindrical

bore as lower notes are achieved. They discover that most notes in the chalumeau

register are off by no more than 10 cents, but the throat tones are often off by more than

20 cents. Benade and Keefe note that musicians often adapt to their instruments and

“‘think’ a note sharp or flat relative to equal temperament” (Benade, Keefe 122). They

state that although this change in lip tension creates a note that is more in tune, it takes

away from the best tone that note could have. Their intentions of designing a new clarinet

are so that every note is as in tune as possible, thus taking as little away from the tone of

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the note as possible. They note that this process is difficult because there are three

different registers to take into account. “If one were concerned only with the clarion

register, it could be of any shape that was even vaguely cylindrical, and the scale could be

brought into tune by the selection of tone-hole positions and sizes” (124). Figure 2 gives

a comparison in intonation between the NX (hypothetical clarinet) and the leading

clarinets of the late twentieth century. When looking further into what disturbs sound,

Benade and Keefe discover that “the linearized conservation-of-momentum equation

states that the time-derivative of the particle velocity is proportional to the space

derivative !"!"

of pressure, and this governs the scale of the complicated flow term. This

then means that complex flow effects the “immediate neighborhood of the tone-hole

entrance into the bore, the exit of the tone hole into the room and, quite significantly, the

region under a pad that has been opened” (126). Thus the spacing between holes and the

size of the hole is very important in creating a clear and beautiful sound. This also meant

that the use of pads should be limited so as not to disturb the sound. Although the modern

day clarinet has a “flaring” bell, Benade and Keefe speculate that a conical bell would

create an extra “good note” with the addition of pseudo-hole. They state, “It is a familiar

fact that in the modern clarinet the notes E and B have a tendency to blare if players do

not control their embouchure” (130). This “blaring” can be reduced if not eradicated by

the use of a conical bell. Although there are many different ways to construct a clarinet,

this article gives an argument for the construction of the best sounding clarinet; a careful

balance between pitch and sound (Benade, Keefe 113-37).

Although the clarinet has only been around for about 300 years, a very small

amount of time compared to the majority of instruments, it has undergone many changes.

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The evolution from a piece of cane with holes drilled through it to the perfected

instrument that we have today was a long and tedious process.

Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A major, K.622, played an important role in the

history of the clarinet as it was the first major piece featuring the clarinet. The piece was

written for virtuosic basset clarinet player Anton Stadler. Stadler was the second chair

clarinetists in the Viennese imperial court orchestra, not due to a lack of playing ability

but rather because he preferred playing the lower tones in the second part. Mozart chose

to write the piece for the rare basset clarinet instead of the conventional A clarinet of the

time because Stadler was a good friend of his and one of the best players in the area.

After the piece was completed in 1791, Stadler debuted the piece in the Prague Theatre.

Shortly after the performance Stadler lost the piece, leaving us without a manuscript

copy. In 1802, one of Mozart’s friends recreated the piece but for the A clarinet.

Musicologists and experts on Mozart have used the recreated piece along with previous

original manuscripts from his Basset Horn Concerto in G, K.621 to reconstruct the basset

clarinet part (Lawson 492).

Mozart’s clarinet concerto is a three-movement work consisting of Allegro,

Adagio, and Rondo Allegro sections. The opening movement, Allegro, is in a 4/4 meter

and is in sonata allegro from. It opens with the orchestra in A major, the tonic of the

piece. The first theme, as seen below, doesn’t come until the clarinet’s entrance in

measure 57.

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There is a modulation to E major, the dominant, before the development section. It is

interesting to note that instead of a notated cadenza, Mozart simply writes a fermata over

a dominant chord, allowing the performer to either play a cadenza or continue the piece

without one. In the recapitulation, the piece returns to the tonic and concludes with a

codetta.

The second movement, Adagio, is in a slow 3/4 and is in rounded binary form

(ABA). The opening A theme, as seen below, is in D major, the subdominant.

The B section has greater rhythmic intensity and ends with a dominant fermata. The final

A section concludes in D major.

The third movement is entitled Rondo Allegro and is in rondo form (ABACA).

The returning A theme is in A major and can be seen below.

Each time the main theme returns, it does not return in its entirety. In the C section, there

is a modulation to F# minor that eventually returns to A major in the closing A section. A

performance of the piece can be viewed below.

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Figure 1

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Figure 2

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Bibliography

Benade, Arthur and Keefe, Douglas. “The Physics of a New Clarinet Design.” The

Galpin Society Journal, 49 (March 1996): 113-142.

Hoeprich, Eric. “'Regarding the clarinet': "Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung", 1808.”

Early Music, 37, no. 1 (February 2009): 89-99.

Hoeprich, Eric. The Clarinet. Great Britain: Yale University Press, 2008.

Lawson, Colin. "The Basset Clarinet Revived." Early Music, 1987., 487 - 499, JSTOR

Journals, EBSCOhost Rice, Albert. “Müller’s Gamme De La Clarinette and the Development of the Thirteen-

key Clarinet.” The Galpin Society Journal, 56 (June 2003): 181-184 Rice, Albert. The Baroque Clarinet. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.

Rice, Albert. “The Clarinet in England during the 1760s.” Early Music, 33, no. 1

(February 2005): 55-63.