The Bass Clarinet is a single-reed woodwind instrument. It is thought to have a rough sound due to its size, but in reality it surprisingly has a soft and full sound, pleasing to the ear. It is toned in B flat just like a normal B flat Clarinet. It is remarkably larger than the B flat Clarinet (almost a metre!) The instrument is too heavy to hold while you play, so you can either use a strap fixed around the shoulders or a floor peg adjusted to the desired height.
Many people who don't know about the existence of the Bass Clarinet might say "Nice Black Saxophone!" The Bass Clarinet does in fact have similar shape to a Saxophone, and this is no coincidence. In 1836, the composer Meyerbeer introduced the Bass Clarinet to his orchestra, and the famous inventor of the Saxophone, Adolphe Sax, noticed. After he changed the Bass Clarinet up a bit so the shape was more like a Saxophone.
The Bass Clarinet has the largest tone compared to many other instruments- nearly three octaves! It also has the wildest dynamics, it can go easily go from ppp to fff without much difficulty.
The Bass Clarinet has been used in orchestras and concert bands since the late 19th century. It is not used as commonly in orchestras, but is almost always called for in concert band. It is also used in clarinet choirs, marching bands, film scoring, and has played a minor role in jazz. Like most woodwinds, the Bass Clarinet was not used in popular music, with a few exceptions. For one example, the Bass Clarinet played a part in "When I'm Sixty Four" by The Beatles.
The Bass Clarinet plays the lowest notes in an orchestra. It usually plays similar scores to the Baritone Saxophone, the Euphonium, and the Tubas. It is rare that a Bass Clarinet would have a solo.
Starting in Paris in 1772, Gilles Lot created a Clarinet with more keys that stretched around three octaves. He called this Clarinet "basse-tube." Also, in the Dresden workshop of Heinrich Grenser in 1793, a Bass Clarinet was developed that had nine keys and stretched down to a low B flat. Both Bass Clarinets had the likes of a Bassoon.
At the beginning of the 19th century many workshops made a Bass Clarinet of their own, each one having different names and slight differences. In Paris in 1807 Dumas made a Bass Clarinet he called the "Basse Guerrière" which was intended to be used in military bands. In 1812 the "basse-orgue" was made by Francois Sautermeister. It was followed y the Bass Clarinet of G. Streitwolf made in 1828. In 1838 C. Catterini and P. Maino made the "Glicibarifono."
Many people who don't know about the existence of the Bass Clarinet might say "Nice Black Saxophone!" The Bass Clarinet does in fact have similar shape to a Saxophone, and this is no coincidence. In 1836, the composer Meyerbeer introduced the Bass Clarinet to his orchestra, and the famous inventor of the Saxophone, Adolphe Sax, noticed. After he changed the Bass Clarinet up a bit so the shape was more like a Saxophone.
The Bass Clarinet has the largest tone compared to many other instruments- nearly three octaves! It also has the wildest dynamics, it can go easily go from ppp to fff without much difficulty.
The Bass Clarinet has been used in orchestras and concert bands since the late 19th century. It is not used as commonly in orchestras, but is almost always called for in concert band. It is also used in clarinet choirs, marching bands, film scoring, and has played a minor role in jazz. Like most woodwinds, the Bass Clarinet was not used in popular music, with a few exceptions. For one example, the Bass Clarinet played a part in "When I'm Sixty Four" by The Beatles.
The Bass Clarinet plays the lowest notes in an orchestra. It usually plays similar scores to the Baritone Saxophone, the Euphonium, and the Tubas. It is rare that a Bass Clarinet would have a solo.
Starting in Paris in 1772, Gilles Lot created a Clarinet with more keys that stretched around three octaves. He called this Clarinet "basse-tube." Also, in the Dresden workshop of Heinrich Grenser in 1793, a Bass Clarinet was developed that had nine keys and stretched down to a low B flat. Both Bass Clarinets had the likes of a Bassoon.
At the beginning of the 19th century many workshops made a Bass Clarinet of their own, each one having different names and slight differences. In Paris in 1807 Dumas made a Bass Clarinet he called the "Basse Guerrière" which was intended to be used in military bands. In 1812 the "basse-orgue" was made by Francois Sautermeister. It was followed y the Bass Clarinet of G. Streitwolf made in 1828. In 1838 C. Catterini and P. Maino made the "Glicibarifono."
In the 1830s, Adolphe Sax adopted these models and created the Bass Clarinet we use today. This explains why the Bass Clarinet kind of looks like a Saxophone.