Daniel Deitch Historical Woodwinds: Clarinets

Baroque C Clarinet after J.C.Denner
in the U.C. Berkeley Library Collection

(Original of boxwood with 3 brass keys, horn rings, a=415, ca. 1690)

J.C. Denner has been credited by many as the inventor of the clarinet, taking the simple, limited chalumeau and refining it into a much more flexible and useful instrument; a true clarinet. This was done by adding a third key to the two keyed chalumeau, refining the bore and mouthpiece and giving it the bell familiar to us today. The third key gives the instrument a written b natural, a note unavailable to the chalumeax, and fills an important gap between the lower (chalmeaux) range and the upper overblown twelfth. It has the additional advantage of adding another note to the bottom register.

The original on which my copy is based has been called probably the oldest true clarinet in existence.

It proves to be an easy instrument to play, ideal for the three Vivaldi concertos, as well as numerous other pieces written for the baroque clarinet. It has a fully chromatic range of three octaves and a minor third, facilitated by doubled holes for the third, fourth, sixth and seventh fingers.

Although the original did not survive with its own mouthpiece, I have developed what I feel to be the best design for the instrument, incorporating measurements and bore features taken from existing J. Denner mouthpieces. I am indebted to David Barnett for his expertise and advice and David Ross for sharing his extensive research with me, which immensely helped me in the development of this mouthpiece design.

The instrument is in the key of c, a=415. The original is constructed of boxwood with a horn ring on the bell. My copies can be had in boxwood (depending on its availabihty) with either horn or imitation ivory rings.

Boxwood with brass keys, horn rings

$1,800