A history of the clarinet to 1820
Dissertation divided in two different volumes (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, xliii, 557 leaves).
Abstract
This study presents a detailed history of the clarinet from its ancient origins to 1820. It is divided into three parts: 1) origins, 2) the baroque clarinet, and 3) the classical clarinet. In the first part the ancestor of the modern instrument is traces to the memet of Ancient Egypt (2700 B.C.), and evidence is reviewed for the existence of a wind instrument having a single reed during the sixteenth century. Three chapters are then devoted to the Mock Trumpet and the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century chalumeau. The baroque clarinet is discussed in the second part. This part consists of four chapters concerning design and construction, playing techniques, music, and use by amateurs and professionals. The last part is devoted to the classical clarinet. It consists of three chapters concerning design and construction, playing techniques, and music.
