The Clarinet Family

1. The Clarinet Family Bb, Eb, alto, bass, and contrabass

2. Bb Clarinet Origin Early 18th century Made in Germany Designer: Johann ChristophDenner Evolved from Chalumeau To increase the instrument range, improve the mouthpiece and bell Woodwind Family

3. Bb Clarinet Material • African Blackwood • Good Quality Plastic • Range • From E one octave below middle C to G three octaves above middle C • Treble Clef • 3 ½ - 4 octaves • Extended: beyond A (experienced players) Written Range

4. Bb Clarinet Tone • Varies a lot over the big range • Chalumeau (low register): rich and dark • Clarino and Altissimo (higher registers): clear, direct sound, impressive • Extreme Upper Register: shrill, piercing tone • Technique • Embouchure (lower lip over the teeth of lower jaw, pull the lower lip tightly as “smile”, avoid pressing the mouthpiece onto the lower lip too hard but firmly against the upper teeth) • Attack and Articulation (“TA ” or “DA”) • Fingering

5. Bb Clarinet Ensemble Playing • Voice: Soprano • Other Setting: Jazz, contemporary, chamber music

6. Bb Clarinet Primary Solo Composers • Brahms and Mozart * Mozart loved the clarinet, and brought it into popularity in orchestral music. Professional Musician • Famous jazz clarinet player Benny Goodman Brahms Mozart • Well-Known Repertoires • Ensemble Based: Capriccio Espagnolclarinet (Rimsky-Korsakov) • Solo: Carnival of Venice • Solo: Clarinet Concerto (Mozart) Benny Goodman

7. Eb Clarinet Background • Smallest of the standard clarinet known as the baby clarinet • A third shorter than the Bb or A clarinet. • Took over the role of F clarinet beginning in the late 18th century. • Constructed in early days to replace the high trumpet or cornet. • Woodwind family

8. Eb Clarinet Material • African Blackwood • Plastic or resin • Mixtrure of resin and wood • Range • From E one octave below middle C to D two octaves above middle C • Treble Clef • 3 and half octave

9. Eb Clarinet Tone • Exaggeration of the soprano clarinet • Perky, bright, and blatant that is agile and assertive • Can be shrill at loud dynamics • Similar to the sound of the piccolo • Resembling a trumpet • Ensemble playing • Adds a bright clean tone • Cut above the clamor of the brass section • Garnish instrument along with the piccolo and/or flute

10. Eb Clarinet Technique • Correct Embouchure • Breathing and blowing properly • Fingering • Attack or articulation

11. Eb Clarinet Professional Musicians • Laurence Liberson • Pascual Martinez Forteza Composer • Hector Berkuiz • Albert. Heinrich • Anton Webern Hector Berkuiz Albert Heinrich

12. Eb Clarinet Solo Repertoire Note: Solo pieces for the sopranino clarinet are very rare, and there are currently no professional clarinetists who play this instrument only. • Rondo Caprice • TrePezzi • Suite of Four Dances Ensemble Repertoire • SymphonieGantastique • Bolero • The Rite of Spring

13. Alto Clarinet Origin Early 19th century First in the key of F Germany and France Designers: Cuvillier and Simiot (France) Grenser and Wiesner (Germany) It served to enrich the sound produced from the clarinet family Evolved from bass clarinet, similar to alto saxophone Woodwind Family

14. Alto Clarinet Details • hard rubber, plastic, Grenadilla or any other kind of wood • upturned metal bell, arched neck, two-piece body • Good full tone, warm, dark, blends well, one octave lower than Eb clarinet. * No difficulty in balancing other modern instruments • 3 octaves • Treble clef • Range: chalumeau, clarino, altissimo register

15. Alto Clarinet MTSU Clarinet Choir

16. Alto Clarinet Ensemble Playing a regular constituent of American concert bands, but little used in the orchestra, and is no longer included in British Army bands. fits between soprano and bass clarinet is mostly used to replace or complement the 3rd part of a quartet or the alto saxophone section voice is tenor; In high registry: alto Other setting: Military bands (past) Other types: Contra alto, selmer alto clarinet

17. Alto Clarinet Techniques tone holes covered by plates instead of directly by the fingers NOT EASY! Larger bite Lot of air Avoid too much embouchure adjustment A strap or foot peg is needed Clarification Is also called “tenor clarinet” Different than basset horn: lower pitch, wider bore than the basset horn

18. Alto Clarinet Composers Wolfgang Amadeus Molzart Franz Schubert Elliott Schwartz Fritz Renold

19. Alto Clarinet Ensemble Repertoires • Air and Gigue (Handel) • Allegro (J.C. Bach) • Allegro Rococo (Koepke) • An Der Wiege (Grieg) • Ballad (Rimsky-Korsakov) • Blue Twilight (Walters) • Theme from Christmas Oratorio • Menuetto (Mozart) Solo Repertoires • A Waltz Dream  (Oscar Strauss/Harris) • Allegro Spiritoso (J.B. Senaille/Gee) • Praeludium (Schmutz)   • Solfeggieto (Carl P. E. Bach) Professional Musicians • Kiyoshi Arai • Mark Wolbers

20. Bibliography Bb and Eb: http://www.1st-clarinet-music.com/Articles/e-flat-clarinet.htm http://soundcloud.com/robbieellis/three-sibilants http://musiced.about.com/od/beginnersguide/a/clarinettypes.htm http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/E-flat+Clarinets http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/thesoundexchange/the_orchestra/instruments/clarinet/range/ http://wiki.youngcomposers.com/Clarinet http://www.vsl.co.at/en/70/3161/3173/3175/5583.vsl

21. Bibliography Alto: http://the-clarinets.net/english/clarinet-family.html http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/texta/Altoclarinet.html http://hem.passagen.se/eriahl/clarinet.htm http://www.sfoxclarinets.com/Basset_Horn.html http://www.usefulweb.org/clarinet/types.html http://www.altoclarinet.org/ http://wiki.youngcomposers.com/Clarinet#Eb_alto_clarinet http://www.penders.com/index.php/2032/class-uil-alto-clar-solos?cPath=2032

22. How Much You Know About the Clarinets READY?

23. How Much You Know About the Clarinets LEVEL 1 Who invented the clarinet? - Johann Denner Which continent does the wood to make clarinet come from? - Africa What is the lowest the note on a Bb Clarinet (how many octave(s) below Central C)? - Low E (one octave below Central C) 4) From what Renaissance instrument did the clarinet develop? - Chalumeau

24. How Much You Know About the Clarinets LEVEL 2 (a little thinking) 5) What is the highest sounding clarinet (CAREFUL)? - Sopranino Clarinet 6) Is violin very closely related to the clarinet? - No, they have no relation. Well, the only way they can be related is that they are both instruments played in orchestras ;) 7) Is the French horn related to the clarinet in any way? - Yes, they are both aerophones /wind instruments, HAHA  8) What is the firmest, hence most difficult reed (of those named)? - 4.5 (most general); if you answer “5”, that’s okay too.

25. How Much You Know About the Clarinets LEVEL 3 (knowledge is critical) 9) What part of the clarinet holds the reed in place? - Ligature 10) What fingering system is currently used on clarinets? - Boehm System This composer wrote a piece for clarinet just before his death in 1791. Give the name of this composer and this piece. - Mozart, Clarinet Concerto in A (basset clarinet)

26. How Much You Know About the Clarinets *bonas* Or, if you want, call it the HAGAN CHALLENGE  Finally, roughly what does the word “clarinet” mean? (It’ll be great if you can also come up with the Italian word) “LITTLE TRUMPET” Italian Word: Clarinetto, derived from the word “clarino”, which is a kind of trumpet that is loud and clear! Is this the answer you expected?

27. THE ENDThanks for participating!