The clarinet d'amore or clarinet d'amour is a
musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...
, a member of the
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
family.
Construction and tone
![Clarinet_d'amore_bell](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Clarinet_d%27amore_bell.jpg)
In comparison with the B and A
soprano clarinet
A soprano clarinet is a clarinet that is higher in register than the basset horn or alto clarinet. The unmodified word ''clarinet'' usually refers to the B clarinet, which is by far the most common type. The term ''soprano'' also applies to th ...
s, the clarinet d'amore has a similar shape and construction, but is generally larger, usually
pitched in G. The clarinet d'amore has proportionally smaller tone holes and a proportionally smaller
bore compared to the soprano clarinet, generally around the same size as the bore and tone holes found on the soprano clarinet itself. The instrument also has a pear-shaped or globular bell (called
Liebesfuss
A Liebesfuss (Liebesfuß, love foot, French pavillon d'amour) is a pear- or bulb-shaped element that narrows to a small opening in double reed instruments such as the oboe d'amore, cor anglais and Heckelphon. It serves as a damper that gives th ...
) similar to that of the
cor anglais
The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn in North America, is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially an alto ...
; these features give the instrument its distinctive
timbre
In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or musical tone, tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voice ...
. Due to their large size, they also feature a curved metal neck to bring the instrument to a more comfortable playing position, though instruments with curved wooden necks exist. Fingerings are generally the same as other members of the clarinet family, however modern examples often have an extension, like the basset horn, allowing them to play an additional 4 semitones.
In addition to the larger sizes, clarinet d'amore have also been constructed in C, B and A, however these do not appear to fill the same musical role as the larger instruments. It has been suggested that these smaller instruments may have been made for aesthetic reasons rather than to serve a musical role.
History
The clarinet d'amore first appeared in southern Germany around 1740, predating the more widely known
basset horn
The basset horn (sometimes hyphenated as basset-horn) is a member of the clarinet family of musical instruments.
Construction and tone
Like the clarinet, the instrument is a wind instrument with a single reed and a cylindrical bore. Howeve ...
by several decades. It has been conjectured that the basset horn, which at the time shared the features of low pitch and a small bore, was developed from the clarinet d'amore. Early instruments featured only 3 or 4 keys, though later instruments from the 19th century, such as an example by
Wilhelm Heckel GmbH
Wilhelm Heckel GmbH is a manufacturer of woodwind instruments based in Wiesbaden, Germany. It is best known for its bassoons, which are considered some of the finest available.The company was established in 1831 by the instrument maker Johann Ada ...
, have as many as 14 keys. At least 69 extant clarinet d'amour from the 18th and 19th century have survived to the modern era, suggesting the instrument did experience some popularity. By the mid 19th century the instrument was considered obsolete, however Heckel would continue to offer them until the early 20th century.
Modern developments
![Modern clarinet d'amore schwenk & seggelke (2)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Modern_clarinet_d%27amore_schwenk_%26_seggelke_%282%29.jpg)
Recently efforts have been made to resurrect the clarinet d'amore in both period correct and modern forms. Modern developments include a recording project led by
Vlad Weverbergh of music by
Henri-Joseph de Croes
Henricus Josephus de Croes, Hendrik Jozef de Croes, known as Henri-Joseph de Croes (Brussels, 1748 – Regensburg, 1842) was a Flemish composer and violinist. He was Kapellmeister of the court orchestra of the Thurn und Taxis in Regensburg. He co ...
for historical clarinets d'amore (available from Etcetera Records) and the development of an extended modern clarinet d'amore in G (with a written range to low C3, sounding G2) by
Richard Haynes Richard Haynes may refer to:
* Richard Haynes (cricketer) (1913–1976), English cricketer
* Richard Haynes (lawyer) (1927–2017), American defense attorney
* Richard Haynes (musician) (born 1983), Australian clarinettist
* Richard Septimus Hay ...
, and
Schwenk & Seggelke
Seggelke Klarinetten (GmbH & Co. KG), is a German clarinet manufacturer based in Bamberg in the Bavarian Upper Franconia. The company manufactures clarinets according to the German handle system ( Oehler system) and the French system (Boehm ...
.
Works for the instrument
Works for or including clarinet/clarinette/clarinetto d'amore/d'amour/dolce or "in G" include:
* Johann Christian Bach – Temistocles: Act Three – "Ah si resta" (1772) incl. 3 clarinets d'amore in D (although thought most likely to be basset horns in D)
* Anonymous – Concertante in G Major for two clarinets d'amore and ensemble
* Henri Joseph de Croes — Partita (1788) for two clarinets in G, two violas and violone (recorded on clarinets d'amore by Terra Nova Collective)
* Johann Simon Mayr — Qui sedes, for soprano, tenor & clarinetto dolce or corno bassetto
* Johann Simon Mayr — Gloria patri, for soprano, horn & clarinetto dolce
* Henrik Strindberg — Music for Clarinet d'Amore and Strings (2018)
* James Gardner — Carica d'amore (2020)
* Richard Haynes — Shorelines (2020)
*
Samuel Andreyev
Samuel Andreyev (born Samuel Curnoe Andreeff; 15 April 1981) is a Canadian composer, singer-songwriter, poet and educator who has resided in France since 2003. As of 2021, he had completed about 30 works, nearly all of which have been recorded co ...
— A Line Alone (2020)
* Chris Dench — ghosts of motion (2020)
* Walter Feldmann — ...süsses Unheil... (2020)
* Matthias Renaud — Schattenlinie (2020)
* Jonah Haven — huso huso (2020)
* Sean Quinn — incubation (2020)
* Martin Gaughan — Sonatina (Hushed in the Twilight) (2020/21)
See also
*
Flute d'amore
*
Oboe d'amore
The oboe d'amore (; Italian for "oboe of love"), less commonly , is a double reed woodwind musical instrument in the oboe family. Slightly larger than the oboe, it has a less assertive and a more tranquil and serene tone, and is considered the me ...
*
Viola d'amore
The viola d'amore (; Italian for "viol of love") is a 7- or 6- stringed musical instrument with sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. It is played under the chin in the same manner as the violin.
Structure and sound
The viol ...
Notes
References
Sources
* F. Geoffrey Rendall. ''The Clarinet''. 2nd ed. London: Ernest Benn, 1957.
* Albert R. Rice ''From the Clarinet d’Amour to the Contra Bass: A History of Large Size Clarinets'' Oxford University Press, 2009.
External links
Brief Introduction To The Modern Clarinet D'Amore
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Clarinets