Alto clarinet

The alto clarinet is a woodwind instrument that belongs to the clarinet family. It is a transposing instrument usually tuned to the key of E♭, though some are made in F. It is bigger than the soprano clarinet but smaller than the bass clarinet. The alto clarinet looks a bit like the basset horn, but it is pitched a whole tone lower and has a wider tube.

The alto clarinet can play notes from as low as G₂ or G♭₂ to as high as B♭₅, depending on how skilled the player is. Musicians write the music for it using the treble clef. When you hear the alto clarinet play, the notes sound a major sixth lower than they appear on the music sheet. If it is in F, the notes sound a perfect fifth lower than written.

Most alto clarinets today use either the Boehm system or Oehler system for their keys, which makes the fingerings very similar to other clarinets. The alto clarinet often has an extra key that helps the player reach a low E♭ note, and another special key that helps play very high notes in the altissimo range.

History

The alto clarinet was invented by people like Iwan Müller and Heinrich Grenser. They may have worked together. Müller played an alto clarinet in F by 1809. This had sixteen keys, while most soprano clarinets only had 10–12 keys. Around the same time, an alto clarinet in E♭ was made in America around 1820. Later, Adolphe Sax improved the alto clarinet in Europe.

Use in musical ensembles

After it was invented, a composer named Georg Abraham Schneider wrote two special pieces for this instrument to play with an orchestra. But usually, the alto clarinet is not used much in big orchestras. Instead, it is mainly used in concert bands and clarinet choirs. Some jazz musicians have also played the alto clarinet, and one musician, Gianluigi Trovesi, really likes this instrument and has used it in many of his albums.

The alto clarinet is still used in modern band music. Band leaders sometimes ask regular clarinet players to switch to the alto clarinet to give their music extra color. It can play special solo parts, like in a piece called Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger. Some famous composers, including Igor Stravinsky, have also used the alto clarinet in their works.

In clarinet choirs and wind bands, the alto clarinet adds depth to the music. It can play lower notes and has a beautiful sound in its higher range, making the band sound richer.