View source for E-flat clarinet

{{Short description|Sopranino member of the clarinet family}}
{{Infobox Instrument
|name=E{{music|flat}} clarinet
|image=BC1550 Tosca Mib.jpg
|image_size = 100px
|image_capt=E{{music|flat}} clarinet with [[Boehm system (clarinet)|Boehm System]] keywork.
|background=woodwind
|classification=
*[[Woodwind]]
*[[Wind instrument|Wind]]
*[[Reed aerophone]]
|hornbostel_sachs=422.211.2
|hornbostel_sachs_desc=Single reed instruments – with fingerholes
|range= {{center|<score> { \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \time 4/2 e2 \glissando a'''2 }  </score> }}
written E3 - A6 
{{center| <score> { \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \time 4/2 g2 \glissando  c''''2 } </score> }}
sounding a minor third higher: G3 - C7 
|related=
*[[Clarinet]], D Clarinet
[[File:Es-Klarinette, Ravel Bolero.ogg|Ravel, Bolero]]
Ravel, Bolero
}}

The '''E-flat (E{{music|flat}}) clarinet''' is a member of the [[clarinet]] family, smaller than the more common [[Soprano clarinet|B{{music|flat}} clarinet]] and pitched a [[perfect fourth]] higher. It is typically considered the [[wikt:sopranino|sopranino]] or piccolo member of the clarinet family and is a [[transposing instrument]] in E{{music|flat}} with a sounding pitch a minor third higher than written. The E-flat clarinet has a total length of about {{convert|49|cm}}.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gangl|first=Manuel|title=The E-flat clarinet|publisher=Manuel Gangl Verlag|year=2021|isbn=978-3-9519865-3-1|location=Austria|pages=72}}</ref>

In [[Italian language|Italian]], the term {{lang|it|quartino}} refers specifically to the E♭ clarinet, particularly in [[concert band|band]] scores. The term {{lang|it|terzino}} is also used, referring more generally to any small clarinet; in Italian scores, the E♭ clarinet is sometimes indicated as {{lang|it|terzino in Mi♭}}, e.g. the ''Fantasia Eroica'' op. 33 (1913) by {{Ill|Francesco Paolo Neglia|it}}. Until the late nineteenth century, the term {{lang|it|Elafà}} also indicated a clarinet in E♭.<ref>{{Cite book |title=I Clarinetti piccoli in Italia |trans-title=Small clarinets in Italy |first=Adriano |last=Amore |date=2018 |language=it |publisher=[[GEDI Gruppo Editoriale]] / Adriano Amore |publication-place=Turin |pages=13–15 |oclc=1124643607 }}</ref>

The E{{music|flat}} clarinet is used in [[orchestra]]s, concert bands, and [[marching band]]s, and plays a central role in [[clarinet choir]]s, carrying melodies that would be uncomfortably high for the B{{music|flat}} clarinet. Solo repertoire is limited, but composers from Berlioz to Mahler have used it extensively as a solo instrument in orchestral contexts.

== Tonal range ==
Many orchestration and instrumentation books show the highest written note for the E-flat clarinet as G6, compared to C7 for clarinets in A or B-flat.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gangl|first=Manuel|title=The E-flat clarinet|publisher=Manuel Gangl Verlag|year=2021|isbn=978-3-9519865-3-1|location=Austria|pages=85}}</ref>

== Use in concert and military bands ==
Towards the end of the eighteenth century the clarinet in high F took this role until the E{{music|flat}} clarinet took over beginning sometime in the second decade of the 1800s.<ref name="bt" />

Although the E{{music|flat}} is somewhat of a rarity in school bands, it is a staple instrument in college and other upper level ensembles. Unlike the B{{music|flat}} soprano clarinet which has numerous musicians performing on each part, the E{{music|flat}} clarinet part is usually played by only one musician in a typical concert band. This is partially because the E{{music|flat}} clarinet has a bright, shrill sound similar to the sound of the [[piccolo]]. It commonly plays the role of a garnish instrument along with the piccolo, and duo segments between the two instruments are quite common. The E{{music|flat}} clarinet is often heard playing along with the flutes and/or oboes.

Important soloistic parts in standard band repertoire for the E{{music|flat}} clarinet include the second movement of [[Gustav Holst]]'s ''[[First Suite in E-flat for Military Band]]'' (for two E{{music|flat}} clarinets) and his piece "Hammersmith" (also for two E{{music|flat}} clarinets), [[Paul Hindemith]]'s ''[[Symphony in B-flat for Band]]'', and [[Gordon Jacob]]'s ''William Byrd Suite''. The E{{music|flat}} clarinet is also a featured player in modern wind band repertoire, such as Adam Gorb's ''Yiddish Dances'', where it takes on a solo role for much of the five-movement piece.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timreynish.com/repertoire/categories/dance.php |title=Schuhplatter To Stockhausen - Concert Dance Music |first=Tim |last=Reynish}}</ref>

== Use as children's clarinet ==

While most E{{music|flat}} clarinets are built and marketed for professionals or advanced students, inexpensive plastic E{{music|flat}} clarinets have been produced for beginning children's use. These have a simplified fingering system, lacking some of the trill keys and alternative fingerings.

== D clarinet ==

The slightly larger '''D clarinet''' is rare, although it was common in the early and mid-eighteenth century (see the Molter concertos below). The D clarinet has a total length of about 52&nbsp;cm.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gangl|first=Manuel|title=The D clarinet & The Molter clarinet concerto No.1|publisher=MG Verlag|year=2022|isbn=978-3-9519865-6-2|location=Austria|pages=34}}</ref> From the end of that century to the present it has become less common than the clarinets in E{{music|flat}}, B{{music|flat}}, A, or even C. Handel’s Overture in D major for two clarinets and horn was probably written for two D clarinets.<ref name="bt" /> D clarinets were once commonly employed by some composers (e.g., [[Mlada (Rimsky-Korsakov)|Rimsky-Korsakov's ''Mlada'']]) to be used by one player equipped with instruments in D and E{{music|flat}} — analogous to a player using instruments in B{{music|flat}} and A.<ref name="bt" /> In modern performance (especially in North America and western Europe outside German-speaking countries), it is normal to transpose D clarinet parts for E{{music|flat}} clarinet.<ref name="bt" />

The rationale underlying a composer's choice between E{{music|flat}} and D clarinet is often difficult to discern and can seem perverse, especially when the option not chosen would be easier for the player to execute. For instance, the original version of [[Arnold Schoenberg]]'s ''[[Chamber Symphony No. 1 (Schoenberg)|Chamber Symphony No. 1]]'' is for E{{music|flat}} clarinet while the orchestral version is for D.<ref name="bt" /> Certain passages of [[Maurice Ravel]]'s ''[[Daphnis et Chloe]]'' are set in [[Concert pitch|concert]] D but are scored for E{{music|flat}} clarinet, with the effect that some fingerings in those passages are extremely difficult on the E-flat clarinet, which is forced to play in its B major, but would be much easier on a D clarinet, which would play in its C major. Another famous example is the D clarinet part of [[Richard Strauss]]'s ''[[Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche]]''.

== Solo and chamber literature for the E{{music|flat}} (or D) clarinet ==
[[File:E-flat A-flat B-flat clarinets.jpg|thumb|100px|Size comparison: clarinets in [[A-flat clarinet|A♭]], E♭ and [[soprano clarinet|B♭]] ]]
Solo works for these instruments are relatively rare however steadily increasing in number.

* [[Johann Melchior Molter]]: Six Clarinet Concerti (D; among the earliest extant clarinet concerti).<ref>{{cite journal
 | last = Aldrich
 | first = Simon
 | title = Johann Melchior Molter
 | journal = Continuo Magazine
 | date = February 1997
 }}</ref>
* Concerti by Jerome Neff and William Neil.<ref name="bt">{{cite book
 | last = Tschaikov
 | first = Basil
 | chapter = The high clarinets
 | editor-last = Lawson
 | editor-first = Colin
 | title = The Cambridge Companion to the Clarinet
 | series = [[Cambridge Companions to Music]]
 | year = 1995
 | publisher = Cambridge University Press
 | location = Cambridge, UK
 | pages = 43–56}}</ref>
* [[Ernesto Cavallini]]: ''[[Carnival of Venice (song)|Carnival of Venice]]'' variations, ''Fantasia on a Theme from Ultimo Giorno Di Pompeii'', and (with Giacomo Panizza) ''I figli di Eduardo 4th'' (all for E{{music|♭}} clarinet and piano).<ref name="bt" />
* [[Paul Mefano]]: ''Involutive'' for solo E{{music|flat}} clarinet
* [[Henri Rabaud]]: "Solo de Concours" for E{{music|flat}} clarinet.<ref name="bt" />
* [[Jeroen Speak]]: ''Epeisodos'' for solo E{{music|flat}} clarinet.
* [[Amilcare Ponchielli]]: Quartetto for B{{music|flat}} and E{{music|flat}} clarinets, [[flute]], and [[oboe]], with [[piano]] accompaniment.<ref name="bt" />
* [[Giacinto Scelsi]]: "Tre Pezzi for E{{music|flat}} Clarinet"
* [[William Bolcom]]: "Suite of Four Dances for E{{music|flat}} Clarinet"
* [[Manuel Lillo Torregrosa]]: "Teren Rof", "Vivencias", "Obviam ire siglo", "Angular": Concerts 1, 2, 3, 4 for E{{music|flat}} Clarinet and Band
* [[Arnold Schoenberg]]: Suite, op. 29 (E{{music|flat}}, B{{music|flat}}, and [[bass clarinet]], [[violin]], [[viola]], [[violoncello]], piano).
* [[Anton Webern]]: Drei Lieder fur Singstimme, Es-Klarinette und Gitarre Op.18.

== Orchestral and operatic music using the E{{music|flat}} (or D) clarinet ==
Parts written for D clarinet are usually played on the more popular E{{music|flat}} clarinet, with the player transposing or playing from a written part transposed a semitone lower.

Orchestral compositions and operas with notable E{{music|flat}} or D clarinet solos include:
* [[Hector Berlioz]]: ''[[Symphonie fantastique]]'' (E{{music|flat}})<ref name="bt" />
* [[Maurice Ravel]]: ''[[Boléro]]'' (E{{music|flat}})<ref name="bt" />
* [[Richard Strauss]]: ''[[Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche]]'' (D)<ref name="bt" />
* [[Igor Stravinsky]]: ''[[The Rite of Spring]]'' (D and E{{music|flat}})<ref name="bt" />
* [[Dmitri Shostakovich]] - [[Symphony No. 6 (Shostakovich)|Symphony No. 6]] (E{{music|flat}}), [[The Golden Age (Shostakovich)|The Golden Age]] (E{{music|flat}}),<ref name="bt" /> ''[[Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (opera)|Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk]]'' (E{{music|flat}})
* [[Gustav Mahler]] - [[Symphony No. 1 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 1]] (E{{music|flat}})

Other orchestral compositions and operas making extensive use of E{{music|flat}} or D clarinet include:
* [[Béla Bartók]] - ''[[Bluebeard's Castle]]'' (1&2 double E{{music|flat}}), [[Miraculous Mandarin]] (E{{music|flat}} and D)
* [[Leonard Bernstein]] - ''[[Candide (operetta)|Candide]]'', ''[[West Side Story (musical)|West Side Story]]'', ''[[On the Town (musical)|On the Town]]'', [[Divertimento for Orchestra]], ''[[Slava! A Political Overture]]''
* [[Aaron Copland]] - El Salon Mexico<ref>{{Cite Grove|title=Clarinet|last=Rice|first=Albert R.|date=July 25, 2013|doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2240511}}</ref>
* [[Edward Elgar]] - [[Symphony No. 2 (Elgar)|Symphony No. 2]]
* [[Leoš Janáček]] - [[Sinfonietta (Janáček)|Sinfonietta]]
* [[Gustav Mahler]] - Symphonies Nos. [[Symphony No. 1 (Mahler)|1]] (2 E{{music|flat}}s), [[Symphony No. 2 (Mahler)|2]] (2 E{{music|flat}}s), [[Symphony No. 3 (Mahler)|3]] (2 E{{music|flat}}s), [[Symphony No. 4 (Mahler)|4]], [[Symphony No. 5 (Mahler)|5]] (D), [[Symphony No. 6 (Mahler)|6]] (4th movement for D), [[Symphony No. 7 (Mahler)|7]], [[Symphony No. 8 (Mahler)|8]], [[Symphony No. 9 (Mahler)|9]], [[Symphony No. 10 (Mahler)|10]]
* [[Carl Orff]] - ''[[Carmina Burana (Orff)]]'', ''[[De temporum fine comoedia]]'' (6 clarinets in E{{music|flat}}, with three doubling B{{music|flat}})
* [[Sergei Prokofiev]] - Symphonies Nos. [[Symphony No. 4 (Prokofiev)|4]], [[Symphony No. 5 (Prokofiev)|5]], [[Symphony No. 6 (Prokofiev)|6]]
* [[Maurice Ravel]] - ''[[Daphnis et Chloé]]'', [[Concerto in G (Ravel)|Piano Concerto in G]], [[Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (Ravel)|Piano Concerto for the Left Hand]]
* [[Franz Schmidt (composer)|Franz Schmidt]] - Symphony No. 4
* [[Dmitri Shostakovich]] - Symphonies Nos. [[Symphony No. 4 (Shostakovich)|4]], [[Symphony No. 5 (Shostakovich)|5]], [[Symphony No. 7 (Shostakovich)|7]], [[Symphony No. 8 (Shostakovich)|8]], [[Symphony No. 10 (Shostakovich)|10]], ''[[The Tale of the Priest and of His Workman Balda (film)#Music|The Tale of the Priest and His Workman Balda]]''
* [[Richard Strauss]] - ''[[Ein Heldenleben]]'', ''[[Eine Alpensinfonie]]'', ''[[Also sprach Zarathustra (Strauss)|Also sprach Zarathustra]]'', ''[[Sinfonia Domestica]]'' (D), ''[[Josephslegende]]'' (D)
* [[Igor Stravinsky]] - ''[[The Firebird]]'' (D), ''[[The Rite of Spring]]''

== Recent usage ==
After 1950, works using E{{music|flat}} clarinet are too numerous to note individually. However, among those where the instrument is featured beyond what would be considered normal in recent music are [[John Adams (composer)|John Adams]]'s ''[[Chamber Symphony (Adams)|Chamber Symphony]]'', where two players play E{{music|flat}} and bass clarinet and "double" on soprano and [[Adriana Hölszky]]'s ''A due'' for two E{{music|flat}} clarinets. The extended techniques of the B{{music|flat}} clarinet, including [[multiphonics]], [[flutter tonguing]], and extreme registers, have all been imported to the E{{music|flat}}.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* Hadcock, Peter, "Orchestral Studies for the E{{music|flat}} Clarinet", Roncorp Publications. A useful resource for the E{{music|flat}} player by long-time E{{music|flat}} Boston Symphony player and New England Conservatory faculty member Hadcock, containing many of the standard excerpts, guides to performance, and an extensive fingering chart.
*Gangl, Manuel (2021). "The E-flat clarinet. history, intonation, sound, equipment, geometry, tonal range, repertoire list, tips and more. Part 1", MG Verlag. Manuel Gangl is E-flat clarinetist in the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.
*Gangl, Manuel (2022). "The D clarinet & The Molter clarinet concerto No. 1", MG Verlag.

{{Clarinet}}
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[[Category:Clarinets]]
[[Category:E-flat instruments]]
[[Category:Orchestral instruments]]
[[Category:Concert band instruments]]