Clarinet Facts
15 Interesting Facts About The Clarinet
For anyone interested in picking up a new musical instrument, the clarinet is an excellent choice. It is renowned worldwide for its exceptional musical versatility. You can play it in any genre and it will blend seamlessly. This is one of its main charms, but there’s more to it. Here are some additional facts about this iconic instrument that might surprise you!
1. Mozart loved the clarinet so much that he gave it its place in the orchestra.
After meeting the clarinettist Anton Stadler, Mozart loved the relatively new instrument so much that he wrote a lot of music for it. He was so enamoured at the rich tones coming from the instrument that he wanted to find a way to integrate it into his compositions seamlessly. The Clarinet Concerto in A major, Köchel 622 is an example.
2. The clarinet’s acoustics are unique compared to other woodwinds.
3. The inventor of the saxophone designed a type of clarinet.
Belgian musician and inventor Adolphe Sax, the creator of the equally iconic saxophone, can be credited with the design for the modern bass clarinet. He was the first to introduce the straight cylindrical design, as well as the multiple register vents and keys that we see today.
4. Compared to other instruments in the orchestra, the clarinet is very young.
You can trace the clarinet’s origins to the early 18th Century. Historians believe that the inventor was the German instrument maker Johann Christoph Denner, basing its design on the already existing French chalumeau. That means the clarinet is only around 300 years old. In comparison, the flute (another wind instrument) is roughly 30,000 years old at the very least!
5. A clarinet is among the mere handful of instruments that can fade in and out of a note.
A lot of instruments can fade out of a note (i.e. just let a guitar string stop vibrating on its own). But also fade into a note? That’s one thing the clarinet can do that not every other instrument can.
6. The biggest clarinet ever made is merely a few inches shorter than history’s tallest man.
Known as the octocontrabass, it plays the lowest notes of the clarinet family. It was made by the LeBlanc company. It achieves that due to its size at 8 feet, 2 inches tall (2.48 metres). In comparison, the tallest man in history (Robert Wadlow) is 8 feet, 11 inches tall (2.7 metres). That is one tall instrument.
7. In comparison, the smallest clarinet in the world is a mere 14 inches (0.3 metres).
Called the Ab piccolo clarinet. It is pitched a minor 7th above the standard Bb, and is quite rare in the world. Though you can order it from LeBlanc, the same company that made the octocontrabass. At 14 inches, it’s tiny in comparison to its massive counterpart.