Contrabass clarinet
Woodwind instrument | |
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Classification | Single-reed |
Developed | 1808 |
Playing range | |
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Related instruments | |
Musicians | |
The contrabass clarinet (also pedal clarinet, after the pedals of pipe organs) and contra-alto clarinet are the two largest members of the clarinet family that are in common usage.[1][2] Modern contrabass clarinets are transposing instruments pitched in B♭, sounding two octaves lower than the common B♭ soprano clarinet and one octave below the bass clarinet.[1] Some contrabass clarinet models have extra keys to extend the range down to low written E♭3, D3 or C3. This gives a tessitura written range, notated in treble clef, of C3 – F6, which sounds B♭0 – E♭4.[3] Some early instruments were pitched in C; Arnold Schoenberg's Fünf Orchesterstücke specifies a contrabass clarinet in A,[4] but there is no evidence such an instrument has ever existed.[5]
The smaller E♭ contra-alto clarinet is sometimes referred to as the "E♭ contrabass clarinet" and is pitched one octave lower than the E♭ alto clarinet.[1]
Two models of subcontrabass clarinet (the octocontralto and octocontrabass), lower in pitch than the B♭ contrabass, were built as prototypes by Leblanc in the 1930s and survive only as museum items.[6]
History
Contrabass
The earliest known contrabass clarinet was the contre-basse guerrière invented in 1808 by a goldsmith named Dumas of Sommières; little else is known of this instrument. The batyphone (also spelled bathyphone, Ger. and Fr. batyphon) was a contrabass clarinet which was the outcome of
A batyphone bearing the name of its inventors formed part of the Snoeck collection which was acquired for Berlin's collection of ancient musical instruments at the
In 1889,
Contra-alto
The contra-alto clarinet is higher-pitched than the contrabass and is pitched in the key of E♭ rather than B♭. The unhyphenated form "contra alto clarinet" is also sometimes used, as is "contralto clarinet", but the latter is confusing since the instrument's range is much lower than the contralto vocal range; the more correct term "contra-alto" is meant to convey, by analogy with "contrabass", that the instrument plays an octave lower than the alto clarinet. It is also referred to as the E♭ contrabass clarinet. It is the second-largest member of the clarinet family in regular use, larger than the more common bass clarinet but not as large as the B♭ contrabass clarinet.
Like other clarinets, the contra-alto clarinet is a
The earliest contra-alto clarinets were developed in the first half of the nineteenth century; these were usually pitched in F and were called contrabasset horns, being an octave lower than the basset horn. Albert (probably E. J. Albert, son of Eugène Albert) built an instrument in F around 1890.[9] In the late 19th and early 20th century contra-alto clarinets in E♭ finally attained some degree of popularity.
The contra-alto clarinet is used mostly in
Subcontrabass
In 1935, Belgian instrument maker
Houvenaghel also built two slightly smaller prototype octocontralto clarinets in E♭ for Leblanc in the 1930s, pitched a fifth below the B♭ contrabass and one octave below the E♭ contra-alto clarinet.[13] Only one was ever finished with key work, in 1971 to low C (sounding E♭0).[6] This instrument was restored to playable condition in 2011 by Cyrille Mercadier, and is also on permanent exhibit in the Leblanc museum.[14]
Although these enormous "octo" clarinets are mentioned in some texts (e.g. Baines, 1991) neither were manufactured by Leblanc beyond the prototype stage.[15] There are some contemporary efforts to recreate them using modern plastics and 3D printing technology.[16] In 2023, German instrument maker Foag Klarinetten developed a fully working all-metal B♭ octocontrabass clarinet, with range to low C0.[17]
At least three pieces of music have been written specifically for octocontrabass by Norwegian composer Terje Lerstad (Trisonata, Op. 28; De Profundis, Op. 139; and Mirrors in Ebony for clarinet choir, Op. 144). There are no known recordings of these pieces.[18]
Manufacturers
France:
- Henri Selmer Paris
- Contrabass (Model 41- pictured in the info box above) to low C in bass clarinet-shape with rosewood body.
- Contra-alto (Model 40) to low E♭ in bass clarinet-shape with rosewood body.
- grenadillabody in bass clarinet-shape, pictured in the info box above.
USA:
- Conn-Selmer has one model of each of the two clarinets under its brand Leblanc.
- Contrabass: Leblanc L7182, to low E-flat, ABS body.
- Contra-alto: Leblanc L7181, to low E-flat, ABS body.
Germany:
- Benedikt Eppelsheim Blasinstrumente produce the already presented metal contrabass clarinet with Boehm or German system fingering.
- Fritz Wurlitzer contrabass clarinet with German system
Italy:
- Ripa Musical Instruments distributes a double bass clarinet made of metal in paperclip form.
China:
- Tianjin Frater Musical Instrument Co. produces a double bass clarinet made of metal in paperclip form.
Development
Since 2012, a research team led by Ernesto Molinari (professor at the Bern University of the Arts), Jochen Seggelke (clarinet maker) and Daniel Debrunner (mechatronics engineer) has been developing various prototypes of a new double bass clarinet called CLEX' (Contrabass Clarinet Extended) as a mechatronic solution.[19][20] The motorised keys are remotely controlled by the musician's fingers via keys equipped with electronic sensors. This type of instrument opens up new musical perspectives for instrumentalists and composers. The positioning of the holes on the clarinet body is completely free of traditional mechanical constraints.[21]
In June 2016, Molinari presented the first of three working prototypes at two concert events.
Performers
Probably the best-known musician who has made significant use of the contrabass clarinet as a solo instrument is
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
- ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
- ^ Adler 2016, p. 230.
- ^ Arnold Schoenberg, Five Orchestral Pieces (Courier Dover, 1999)
- ^ Baines 1991, p. 131.
- ^ a b c Newton, Bret (6 November 2018). The True History of the Octo-Contra Clarinets? (video). Retrieved 11 October 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ This description of the batyphone is quoted, with minor revisions, from Schlesinger, Kathleen (1911). . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 535. This in turn derived its description mainly from a manuscript treatise on instrumentation by Wieprecht, in 1909 in the possession of Herr Otto Lessmann (Berlin), and reproduced by Capt. C.R. Day, in Descriptive Catalogue of the Musical Instruments of the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 (London, 1891), p. 124.
- ^ This description of the Besson pedal clarinet is condensed from Schlesinger (1911) Pedal Clarinet. The date of 1889 is from Rendall.
- ^ Schlesinger, Kathleen (1911). . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 21 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 36.
- ^ McGann, John. "Deep Secrets of Clef Reading and Transposition". John McGann. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ "Octocontrabass clarinet in Bb – Leblanc". La Couture-Boussey, France: Le Musée des instruments à vent. Retrieved 12 October 2022 – via Google Arts & Culture.
- ^ Leblanc mentioned the instrument in a 1960 advertisement (“Leblanc...nenowned leader in clarinet inventions and improvements: Through continuous research and development, Leblanc has made the Complete Clarinet Choir a reality. From their famed technical laboratories have come the Bb Contrabass Clarinet, the Bb Octo-Contrabass...”): Music Educators Journal 46:6 (June-July 1960), 39.
- ^ "Clarinets comparison". La Couture-Boussey, France: Le Musée des instruments à vent. Retrieved 11 October 2022 – via Google Arts & Culture.
- ^ Mercadier, Cyrille (27 September 2011). Octocontralto & Contrabass Clarinet Duet: Humorous scherzo, Sergei Profofiev (video). Faure, Olivier (octocontralto clarinet); Mercadier, Cyrille (contrabass clarinet). Retrieved 11 October 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ Baines 1991, p. 125.
- ^ De Leon, Jared (2 December 2018). Octocontrabass Project Update: More Keys + Tone Improvements (video). Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ Foag Klarinetten (19 August 2023). Hier ist der Beweis: vom tiefen C bis zum F3 klingt jeder Ton [Here's the proof: from low C to F3, every note sounds] (video clip) (in German). Retrieved 19 August 2023 – via Facebook.
- ^ "Octocontrabass & Octocontralto Clarinets". Contrabass Compendium. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ Contrabass clarinet Extended project
- ^ The large family of clarinet instruments
- ^ La clarinette contrebasse CLEX
Sources
- Adler, Samuel (2016). The Study of Orchestration (4th ed.). New York: Wikidata Q115258889.
- Baines, Anthony (1991). Woodwind Instruments and their History (3rd ed.). New York: Wikidata Q115155619.
- Rendall, F. Geoffrey (1971). The Clarinet: Some notes upon its history and construction (3rd ed.). New York: Wikidata Q115259125.
External links
- Contrabass clarinet page at contrabass.com.
- Photos and audio example of a Leblanc paper clip model instrument.
- CLEX in action