Offers unique perspectives on the clarinet's historical role in various styles, genres, and ensembles, from jazz and ethnic traditions to classical chamber music, concertos, opera, and symphony orchestras.

Offers unique perspectives on the clarinet's historical role in various styles, genres, and ensembles, from jazz and ethnic traditions to classical chamber music, concertos, opera, and symphony orchestras.

With essays written by leading performer-scholarsThe Clarinet offers unique perspectives on the clarinet's historical role in various styles, genres, and ensembles. Beginning with a chapter on clarinet iconography, the book continues with an overview of the instrument's early history, chapters on the clarinet in the opera orchestra and the traditional symphony orchestra, and examinations of important genres involving the clarinet (the concerto and the clarinet quintet). Also included are chapters on leading twentieth-century clarinetists, the instrument's use in the historically informed performance (HIP) movement, and an expansive look at the clarinet's use in ethnic traditions and early jazz. The emphasis on topics not covered elsewhere makes this book an important contribution to the clarinet literature. Written in an accessible style, this volume engages a wide range of readers, from professional musicians to clarinet aficionados and music lovers with less specialized knowledge.
Contributors to this volume include Jane Ellsworth, Eric Hoeprich, Albert R. Rice, Ingrid Pearson, Julian Rushton, David Schneider, Marie Sumner Lott, Colin Lawson, and S. Frederick Starr.

List of Illustrations
Notes to the Reader
Acknowledgements
Introduction (Jane Ellsworth)
1. Clarinet Iconography (Eric Hoeprich)
2. The Chalumeau and Clarinet Before Mozart (Albert R. Rice)
3. From "Little Trumpet" to Unique Voice: The Clarinet in the Concert Orchestra (Jane Ellsworth)
4. The Clarinet in Opera Before 1830: Instrument and Genre Come of Age (Ingrid Pearson)
5. The Clarinet in Nineteenth-Century Opera (Julian Rushton)
6. Innovation and Convention in the "Golden Age" of the Clarinet Concerto, ca. 1800-1830 (David Schneider)
7. Joining the Conversation: The Clarinet Quintet in Classical and Romantic Chamber Music (Marie Sumner Lott)
8. Important Clarinetists Since 1900: A Concise Introduction (Jane Ellsworth)
9. Recreating History? The Early Clarinet in Theory and Practice (Colin Lawson)
10.The Clarinet in Vernacular Music (S. Frederick Starr)
Index
Contributors