A Brief History of the Clarinet

The clarinet is a member of the woodwind family that made its first appearance in the late Baroque period, around 1690. It evolved from an instrument called the chalumeau, invented by instrument maker Johann Denner of Nurnberg, Germany, who also developed the clarinet. It took some time for composers to begin using the clarinet in their works, and it finally became a common instrument by the late 1700s.

After some adjustments to the instrument's bore size and mouthpiece, the clarinet produced a larger, more desirable sound. With the addition of several keys, the clarinet became more versatile. Today's clarinets are much like the final version produced in 1850.

The clarinet comes in a wide range of sizes, from the tiny Ab sopranino clarinet at only 14 inches long to the largest contrabass clarinet with a 10-foot long folded tube. This wide selection of ranges makes for a wonderful homogenous sound in a clarinet choir.

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