E-flat clarinet

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E♭ clarinet with Oehler system keywork.
E♭ clarinet with Oehler system keywork.

The E-flat clarinet is a member of the clarinet family. It is usually classed as a soprano clarinet, although some authors describe it as a "sopranino" or even "piccolo" clarinet. Smaller in size and higher in pitch than the more common B♭ clarinet, it is a transposing instrument in E♭, playing a minor third higher than the written notes. In Italian it sometimes referred to as a quartino, generally appearing in scores as quartino in Mi♭.[1]

The E♭ clarinet is used in orchestras, concert bands, marching bands, and clarinet choirs. It plays a particularly central role in clarinet choirs, carrying the high melodies that would be treacherous for the B♭ clarinet. Solo repertoire is limited. In many cases E♭ clarinet is doubled by a B♭ clarinetist.

The E♭ clarinet is required to play at the top of its range for much of the time to take advantage of its piercing quality. Fingerings in that register are more awkward than on the lower part of the instrument, making high, fast passages difficult.

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[edit] D clarinet

The slightly larger D clarinet is rare, although it was common in the early and mid-eighteenth century (see the Molter concertos below). From the end of that century to the present it has become less common than the clarinets in E♭, B♭, A, or even C. An Ouverture by Handel for two clarinets and horn was probably written for two D clarinets.[2] D clarinets were once commonly employed by some composers to be used by one player equipped with instruments in D and E♭. The works of some composers (e.g., Rimsky-Korsakov's Mlada) use the two instruments similarly to the way in which one player would be equipped with instruments in B♭ and A.[2] In modern performance (especially in North America and western Europe outside German speaking countries), it is normal to transpose D clarinet parts for E♭ clarinet.[2].

A composer's choice of E♭ vs. D clarinet is often hard to discern, and can seem perverse. The choice does not always put the music in the easiest key for the player. For instance, the original version of Arnold Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony no. 1 is for E♭ clarinet while the orchestral version is for D.[2]. Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe is scored for E♭ clarinet producing some very difficult passages in B major which can be played on a D clarinet in C major. Another famous example is the D clarinet part of Richard Strauss's Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche.

[edit] Use in concert and military bands

The high clarinets have been important members of military bands from at least the middle of the eighteenth century. At first, the D clarinet was the dominant high clarinet in bands. Towards the end of the eighteenth century the F clarinet took this role until the E♭ clarinet took over beginning sometime in the second decade of the 1800s.[2]

Although the E♭ is somewhat of a rarity in school bands, it is a staple instrument in college and other upper level ensembles. Unlike the B♭ soprano clarinet which has numerous musicians performing on each part, the E♭ clarinet part is usually played by only one musician in a typical concert band. This is partially because the E♭ clarinet has a bright, shrill sound very similar to the sound of the piccolo. It commonly plays the role of a garnish instrument along with the piccolo, and duo segments between the two instruments are quite common. Despite being a member of the clarinet family, the E♭ clarinet is often heard playing along with the flutes.

Important soloistic parts in standard band repertoire for the E♭ clarinet include the second movement of Gustav Holst's First Suite in E♭ for Military Band (for two E♭ clarinets), Paul Hindemith's Symphony in B♭, and Gordon Jacob's William Byrd Suite.

[edit] Use as children's clarinet

While most E♭ clarinets are built and marketed for professionals or advanced students, an inexpensive plastic E♭ clarinet dubbed the "Kinder-Klari" has been produced for beginning children's use. It has a simplified fingering system, lacking some of the trill keys and alternate fingerings.

[edit] Solo and chamber literature for the E♭ (or D) clarinet

Solo literature for these instruments is sparse. The following are notable:

[edit] Orchestral and operatic music using the E♭ (or D) clarinet

Orchestral compositions and operas with notable E♭ or D clarinet solos include:

Other orchestral compositions and operas making extensive use of E♭ or D clarinet include:

[edit] Recent usage

After 1950, works using E♭ clarinet are too numerous to note individually. Among those where the instrument is particularly featured are John Adams's Chamber Symphony, where two players play E♭ and bass clarinet and "double" on soprano and Adriana Hölszky's A due for two E♭ clarinets. The extended techniques of the B♭ clarinet, including multiphonics, flutter tonguing, and extreme registers, have all been imported back to the E♭.

[edit] References

  1. ^ See for instance, Frances Mayer, "Nineteenth Century American Band Music: The Scala Library" Music Educators Journal 45 (1959), pp. 42-46.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Tschaikov, Basil. "The high clarinets".  In Lawson (ed.), Colin (1995). The Cambridge Companion to the Clarinet. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 43-56. 
  3. ^ Aldrich, Simon (February 1997). "Johann Melchior Molter" ([dead link]). Continuo Magazine. 

[edit] Bibliography

  • Hadcock, Peter, "Orchestral Studies for the E♭ Clarinet", Roncorp Publications. A useful resource for the E♭ player by long-time E♭ Boston Symphony player and New England Conservatory faculty member, Peter Hadcock, containing many of the standard excerpts, guides to performance, and an extensive fingering chart.
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