Introduction
General
If you are a composer and/or arranger and will be writing/scoring for clarinet, you might be wondering which clarinet or clarinets to choose, which clarinets to form a clarinet section or which clarinets to combine with other instruments. As you surely already know, there are many different kinds of clarinets to choose from — some with varying degrees of availability — so how does one choose which one/s to write for? This guide aims to help you decide which clarinet — or constellation of clarinets — is right for your new composition or arrangement.
It's important to note at this stage that a lot of the information contained in this article is generalised. An attempt has been made to remain as objective as possible — even though describing the sound of instruments is very much a subjective practice — so as to not favour one clarinet or the other. The descriptions are based on existing repertoire and my experience of the sound of the instrument. There are so many aspects to each and every instrument just as there are manifold considerations for every composition/arrangement. The information is intended to give you more insight into the nature of each clarinet.
If you happen to be reading this because you are writing for me, I play Boehm-system clarinets, often called French system. Most of the clarinettists on the planet play this system. Oehler-system, or more commonly German system is played predominantly in Germany and Austria, and then relegated mostly to orchestras. The following descriptions of the sound of each instrument can be applied to both Boehm and Oehler-system instruments. When it comes to extended techniques — especially multiphonics — there are quite large differences between the two systems, as you may already know. For Boehm-clarinets, there are well-known books by Bartolozzi, Farmer, Rehfeldt, Richards and Sparnaay that all deal with extended techniques, so you can feel free to use these as a reference. If you need a text for Oehler-system, Krassnitzer’s Masters Thesis is worth a look. If you are looking for extended techniques for a more rare instrument, for which there is not yet a dedicated book, you can adopt techniques for eg. B-flat or bass clarinet and apply them to 'nearby' clarinets, bearing in mind that the results may vary. Here’s an overview:
A-flat, E-flat, C, B-flat, A clarinets — charts for any high clarinet
clarinet d’amore — mostly high clarinet charts, some aspects of bass clarinet charts
basset horn/alto clarinet — mostly bass clarinet charts, some aspects of high clarinet charts
bass clarinet — charts for bass clarinet
contralto, contrabass clarinets — dedicated charts for these instruments
It's extremely important to check anything from these books/charts with the player for whom you are writing and on the specific instrument in mind!
Clarinets come in many sizes and transpositions and were developed for different contexts such as salon, chamber, folk, military and orchestral music. The individual sonic characteristics of each clarinet can bestow your music with a unique sound, particularly when used in inventive instrumental combinations.
Transposition
Almost all clarinets are transposing instruments, which means that the player reads from a part, or a score that is transposed according to the instrument being played. The term "in C" means that an instrument is a non-transposing instrument, or transposes at the octave (eg. piccolo, contrabassoon). The preposition "in" does not imply that an instrument is pitched in any type of key (eg. C major, B-flat major etc.) it simply denotes the nominal pitch of the instrument, which means that when the instrument plays a C4 (c’) (or in any other octave…), the resulting pitch is the same as the nominal pitch of the instrument (see illustration above). When the B-flat clarinet plays a C4, it sounds as a B♭3 (b♭). The nominal pitch is the most objective descriptor of the instrument as it gives us little to no information about the sound of the instrument. It’s just a label, however it’s an important label because it tells us how it transposes and thus how one scores for it.
A simple example of transposition occurs at the beginning of every rehearsal and concert with the tuning note A4 (a’): because the B-flat clarinet is pitched one whole tone lower than C, it needs to play one whole tone higher than A4 (a’) in order to tune, which is a B4 (b’). The clarinet in A however, being pitched a minor third lower than C, needs to play the A4 a minor third higher in order to be in unison and so plays a C5 (c’’). The basset horn is pitched in F, a perfect fifth lower than C, so it must play the A4 a perfect fifth higher, an E5 (e’’).
If you know the instrument well and have no trouble reading transposing scores, it can be worthwhile to compose/arrange directly to a transposing score. Using a C score and transposing later (the "transpose" button) can lead to some problems because the visual representation of the music is not where it lies on the instrument. A particularly high or low passage may not end up being in the high or low register of the instrument once it’s transposed, just to name one example. As all clarinets have a relatively similar transposed range, you can train yourself to know what the resulting pitches are whilst working with a transposed score, and you will know at all times which register of the instrument is being used. (More on register later…)
One final thing to note about transposition and computer notation software is this: if you are writing atonal/experimental music and don’t specify that your work is atonal in the program, then it will add a key signature to transposed parts, which isn’t very helpful for atonal/experimental music. This can be very irritating for performers and can slow down the process of learning your music. Please pay attention to this whenever you are writing for transposing instruments.
Register
All clarinets exhibit a division into three main registers: chalumeau, clarion and altissimo. These registers are determined by fundamental physical characteristics of the instrument that dictate that the clarinet overblows at a perfect 12th and then a major 6th. To be thorough, there are further register breaks within the altissimo but as these become more frequent and arguably less consequential for the sound, they are grouped here into one register.
The illustration of the transposed clarinet registers shows the three registers and their notional lowest and highest pitches. On instruments with a basset extension (clarinet d’amore, basset horn, bass clarinet and contrabass clarinet) the lowest chalumeau pitch is C3 (c), a major third lower than shown here. Most alto and contralto clarinets have a lowest note of E♭3 (e♭), a semitone lower than shown here. Please keep this in mind. Also, it is possible to blur the boundaries of the register breaks with unconventional fingerings. In doing this, the chalumeau can extend up to C5 (c’’), the clarion up to about F6 or F♯6 (f/f♯’’’), but this is very context-dependent. Instruments with a basset extension can extend the clarion register down almost to a G4 (g’) but the intonation of these pitches differs greatly from instrument to instrument and so the regular fingerings are recommended. Even though these register breaks are the same on each clarinet, the ramifications of each break can vary: Larger clarinets will have more noticeable register breaks due to the — very generally speaking — change in the amount and size of open and closed tone-holes as well as a more complicated register mechanism. Smaller clarinets are more fluid in this regard.
The highest possible (transposed) pitch of the altissimo register is quite variable (denoted by the “+” next to the highest notional pitches). A good rule of thumb is this: for the highest clarinet (piccolo clarinet in A-flat) don’t write above G6 (g’’’) without asking the player you’re writing for. For the lowest clarinet (contrabass clarinet) don’t write above G7 (g’’’’) without asking the player you’re writing for. All the clarinets in between have reliable highest notes somewhere within this octave from G6 (g’’’) to G7 (g’’’’). This is shown in more detail later on.
Nearby and distant range / tone colour pairings
Within each clarinets’ description you will notice two short indicative lists of both nearby and distant instrumental pairings. First of all, these are purely suggestions and based on my experiences in ensembles and orchestras as well as general knowledge of range and tone colour. The second thing to note here is that the perception of tone colour can be influenced by the audible presence of other instruments, especially when the musical texture is relatively transparent. The third thing to remember is that the effect on the combined sound depends on if the instrument (or instruments) is playing in a strong, weak, comfortable or extreme area of their range. Here’s some food for thought:
high-range clarinets: These instruments are often used as solo instruments, regardless of instrumentation (chamber, large ensemble, orchestra etc.). What might be gained by having a high clarinet play the lowest part of the harmony? Would this work in a louder or softer dynamic? Which instruments would be suited to playing the upper voices, in order to balance with a high clarinet in its lowest register?
mid-range clarinets: Often called — for good reason — harmony clarinets, these instruments are known to fill out the harmony as needed, but of course, they can do much more than this. If one were to take these instruments out of their usual orchestrational context, where would they go? Delicately woven meanderings within a brass chorale? A high unison passage with the 1st violins? A prominent melody accompanied by a team of oboes?
low-range clarinets: The bass department of the clarinet family likes it low, but they like to — pardon the pun — get high, too. How could the altissimo registers of the bass, contralto or contrabass clarinets be infused with the seductive sound of flutes in their lowest register? How might a low clarinet extend the resonance of tuned percussion, harp or piano? How large is the shared range of a low clarinet, soprano saxophone and violin, and how might they best blend (unison, dissonant/consonant harmonies)?
There are countless ways in which instruments can be combined and my hope in including these suggestions is that you might think about interesting pairings/groupings. The listings below (within the description of each clarinet) are not exhaustive, do not guarantee good music and other combinations may be more successful within the musical context. Perhaps one of the most important things to bear in mind, especially when using unconventional pairings/groupings is balance: is any one instrument going to be naturally dominant over the others and spoil your imaginative combination? Can this be rectified by the use of different dynamic markings? Are extreme dynamics going to be reliable on certain instruments? All of these questions can be answered by experimentation and experience. Your notation software is not necessarily going to balance instrumental sounds in a realistic way.
High-range clarinets (piccolo clarinets in A-flat and E-flat, clarinets in C, B-flat and A)
For the purposes of this document I am dividing the clarinet family into three groups: high, mid, low. The high-range clarinets can also be divided into two sub-groups: clarinets & piccolo clarinets. To my mind, these subgroups differ considerably in timbre, whilst still both being in the "highest" area of the clarinet family’s range.
Piccolo clarinets
These highest and smallest (hence: piccolo) of all clarinets come in at least 4 different nominal pitches: D, E-flat, G and A-flat, at least these are the most common types and even then — except for the E-flat clarinet — they’re quite rare. They are the upward extension of the sound of the clarinet family and can pierce the sound of a tutti orchestra with ease, when played in the high register. There are very few limits to the technical virtuosity possible on these instruments and when played softly, they can sound magical and seductive. Multiphonics on piccolo clarinets can be more difficult to produce than on the other high clarinets (C, B-flat, A) so be sure to always check them with someone. All other extended techniques work well.
Clarinets in C, B-flat and A
These three clarinets appear most often in orchestral writing and formed the core of the clarinet section before the higher and lower types of clarinets began to appear. During the time in which clarinets had only very few keys, a clarinet with a different nominal pitch, or transposition, could turn a "difficult" key into an "easy" key. For example, an overture in D major would call for clarinets in B-flat to play in E major, which having four sharps for a clarinet with as little as 5 keys (the mechanical kind) would have been quite a challenge, depending on the music. Playing the overture in D major on a clarinet in A would mean the clarinettist could play in F major, which having only one flat is much easier. Today, in part due to the fully chromatic keywork of modern clarinets, the necessity to change between B-flat and A clarinets on account of key signature has been minimised, even though one could still consider composing/arranging taking into account that key signatures of six or seven sharps or flats are still tricky, depending on the music. The individual sonic qualities of B-flat and A clarinets and the slightly larger range of the A clarinet are not to be underestimated in their ability to impact your music.
Clarinets in C appeared perhaps least often however they were quite noticeable because of their considerably brighter timbre. Clarinettists could use the same mouthpiece on a C clarinet so this was minimal inconvenience. C clarinets were used regularly in orchestral music from the mid 18th through to the early 20th century but their popularity has diminished since modern Bb and A clarinets now cover the full range of technical requirements needed, and so many — but not all — players have been transposing C clarinet parts at sight on B-flat clarinet for a century or so. The use of C clarinets today is something vaguely akin to historical performance practice: they are being used to get closer to the sound that composers wanted and there are some very good examples for this, particularly in the works of Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler.
Bass clef
Bass clef has been used when writing for clarinets capable of producing notes in the basset range of the instrument (Eb3 to C3 or e♭ to c). As basset clarinets, today’s clarinet d’amore, basset horn and one make of German alto clarinet fall into this category, a brief excursus into the use of bass clef is necessary at this point. Almost all music for clarinet is written in treble clef due to the practice of playing the clarinet as a transposing instrument, i.e. a written middle C4 (c’) always sounds different depending on the clarinet played (see instrument ranges above) and in the case of 8 out of the 10 clarinets, it sounds lower than written. Earlier examples of music for clarinet show us that sometimes bass clef was used to delineate the context of musical material in the lowest register of the instrument (chalumeau) in contrast to higher passages in eg. the clarion register, that were written in treble clef. Ensemble or orchestral works in which the clarinet part essentially played the role of a bass or tenor voice for the duration, may have been written entirely in bass clef. Over time various conventions evolved that any low clarinet player must be able to navigate. The most common of these are French, German and Italian:
French notation: if bass clef is used at all, this transposes at the major second; treble clef at the major ninth (as per the above example)
German notation: bass clef and treble clef both transpose at the major second
Italian notation: bass clef and treble clef both transpose at the major ninth
Basset clarinets in B-flat and A
The basset extension of the clarinet involves building an instrument with four extra chromatic pitches. It’s referred to as an “extension” because the notion of a basset clarinet “extends” the idea of the range of the instrument downwards. An extension does not mean that these low notes can be applied at will. The instrument (or at least the lower joint of the instrument) has to be build like this from the outset. The term “basset” comes from Italian: bassetto being the diminutive of basso and therefore meaning “small bass”. Indeed any kind of basset clarinet could be the bass voice of a small ensemble.
Mid-range clarinets (clarinet d’amore, basset horn and alto clarinet)
The group of mid-range clarinets is less well-known when compared to the high- and low-range instruments but I am particularly fond of them. The definitions of and boundaries between mid-range clarinets were for a time unclear but today, these have crystallised into a trio of instruments each with a nominal pitch one whole tone lower than the other, and each with unique sonic qualities: clarinet d’amore in G, basset horn in F and alto clarinet in E-flat. At the time that instrument makers began experimenting with lower/alto clarinets, a trend was set in motion by the oboe family to do with bell shapes. The oboe d’amore had come about around 1717 and was used widely in masses and cantatas particularly in combination with plaintive, mournful music. The covered (=less rich in overtones) sound of the instrument has inspired composers to write for it, from Graupner and Bach through to Ravel and Debussy. Clarinet makers around 1740 began experimenting with bell shapes and found that the same kind of sound was attainable. Whilst the clarinet d’amore and its gentle sound didn’t enjoy the same success as the oboe d’amore, the instrument was employed in various guises until the mid-19th century.
The mid-range clarinets are the highest clarinets that exhibit slight bends over the course of the instrument on account of their size. The clarinet d’amore was the first instrument to exhibit a bend in the form of a curved metallic (mostly) or wooden (rarely) neck. The earliest basset horns however were first built in a completely curved form (much like the oboe da caccia) ending in a box — in which the bore makes several final curves — and a metal bell. The box enabled a range to low written C3 (c) (also known as the basset range, lit. small bass) and the metallic bell/horn was directly inspired by the oboe da caccia and brass instruments, earning the instrument the name basset horn. The modern alto clarinet is considered to have developed after the d’amore and basset horn, even though low clarinets with flared bells in the 18th century were generally named alto clarinets. The alto clarinet was built in G, F and E, however developments in the regions now known as France and southern Belgium helped the instrument to migrate to its final nominal pitch of E-flat. Both the basset horn and alto clarinet have curved metallic necks and small, saxophone-like bells. A clarinet d’amore (Schwenk & Seggelke) and an alto clarinet (Dietz Klarinetten) both with basset range to low C were invented in the 21st century and so the future is bright for mid-range clarinets.
Low-range clarinets (bass, contralto and contrabass clarinet)
The group of low-range instruments is most commonly represented by the bass and contrabass clarinets, as well as their less well-known sibling the contralto clarinet. There were however more instruments created that today spend their lives in museums. Bass clarinets in C and A were manufactured for some time and a total of three octocontralto clarinets and one octocontrabass clarinet were made. Rising costs of materials and labour may explain the fate of these now obsolete instruments, but also streamlining in the way composers wrote for low instruments. Parts for bass clarinet in C and A became virtually non-existent after World War I. The emergence of the bass clarinet in B-flat as a solo instrument as early as 1928 (Othmar Schoeck — Sonata op. 41) piqued widespread interest and thus this instrument underwent a period of constant improvement during the 20th century. Today’s bass clarinets are masterpieces of technical ingenuity with improvements still being made.
Whilst the bass clarinet enjoyed a shining career in the symphony orchestra, the contralto and contrabass clarinets were relegated to the wind symphony, even though some works for orchestra with contrabass clarinet do exist. Nonetheless both of these instruments possess great potential as solo instruments, as already proven in some cases, and are a great asset to any kind of small to large ensemble. Makes of these instruments differ wildly to the extent that some solo pieces are written for a particular model and performances on other models have to be "adapted". The way multiphonics behave is also quite different.
Essentially all three instruments (bass, contralto, contrabass) offer strong bass voices, a wide variety of spectral, fingered and dyadic multiphonics and all other extended techniques. The character of the sound of each instrument should be investigated up close to determine which instrument is right for you. Please refer to the earlier section on bass clef as this is applicable to these instruments.
