The history of the clarinet is closely linked to that of the chalumeau. Both have a distinct origin and development, beginning in 1694 for the chalumeau and 1710 for the clarinet. Both use a single-reed mouth-piece and have a cylindrical bore and were quickly adopted by musicians for their unique tone qualities and a playing technique similar to that of the recorder. As the chalumeau and clarinet spread throughout Europe, a repertoire for these instruments began to develop. This chapter summarizes chalumeau and clarinet music to 1770, showing how each instrument became treasured and valued even before Mozart and his clarinet masterpieces appeared. Briefly described are chalumeau instruments, the earliest performances on the chalumeau and clarinet, and some evidence concerning orchestral and solo players.

A complete chalumeau family consists of five sizes: soprano, alto, tenor, bass, and basson de chalumeau (a chalumeau with an extended low range).Not all these instruments were available to composers at one location. Compositions for the chalumeau written between 1694 and 1780 reflect a musical style similar to that of compositions for the recorder. Baroque clarinets with two or three keys appeared in various tonalities, and in stylistic contrast to the chalumeau, clarinet compositions from 1715 to 1760 featured triadic themes and repeated notes similar to music for the trumpet, or diatonic themes similar to music for the oboe. Beginning about 1760, professional and amateur musicians played Classical-period four-, five-, and six-key clarinets made in Paris, London, and German cities. Clarinets were primarily constructed in C, B-flat, and A, making them popular and useful to composers. Clarinets with two or three keys continued to be made and played by beginners and professional musicians as late as the early nineteenth century. Indeed, some clarinetists, such as the Swedish/Finnish soloist Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775–1838), learned to play on a two-key clarinet.

Chalumeau Instruments

Musicians in the late seventeenth century and eighteenth century trained on several wind and stringed instruments, which made them versatile performers for towns and for noblemen. The late seventeenth-century single-reed chalumeau first appeared about thirteen years before the two-key clarinet, in a 1687 instrument invoice from Nuremberg for the Duke of Römhild-Sachsen, as “Ein Chor Chalimo von 4. Stücken” (a four-part chalumeau choir).