The clarinet's predecessor was the chalumeau, the first real reed instrument. Most musical instruments evolve into their present form over many centuries, but that happens so gradually that it is difficult to establish a date when they were invented. This is not the case with the clarinet, a tubular reed instrument with a bell-shaped end. Although the clarinet has experienced a number of improvements over the last few hundred years, around 1690 its invention produced by Johann Christoph Denner of Nuremberg (Germany), an instrument very similar to the instrument we know today.

The Invention

Although Denner based the clarinet on an earlier instrument called the chalumeau, his new instrument made such significant changes that it really couldn't be called evolution. With the help of his son, Jacob, Denner added two finger keys to a chalumeau, which at the time looked much like a modern recorder, but with a single-reed reed nozzle. The addition of two keys may sound like a slight improvement, but it made a huge difference by increasing the instrument's musical reach by more than two octaves. Denner also created a better mouthpiece and improved the bell shape at the end of the instrument. The name of the new instrument was conceived shortly thereafter, and although there are several theories about the name, it was most likely so called because the sound from a distance was somewhat similar to an early form of trumpet. The new clarinet with its improved range and interesting sound quickly replaced the chalumeau in orchestral arrangements. Mozart († 1791) wrote several pieces for the clarinet, and by the time of Beethoven's most important years (1800 to 1820), the clarinet was a standard instrument in all orchestras. 

Improvements

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