Clarinet d'amore

The clarinet d'amore or clarinet d'amour is a musical instrument, a member of the clarinet family. In comparison with the B♭ and A soprano clarinets, the clarinet d'amore had a similar shape and construction, but was larger, usually pitched in G. (Examples in A♭ and F are also known.) However, it had proportionally smaller tone holes and bore, and a pear-shaped or sometimes globular bell (called 'Liebesfuß') similar to that of the cor anglais; these features gave the instrument its distinctive timbre.

clarinet d’amore
Woodwind instrument
Classification
Developed
  • First developed ca. 1740 in Berchtesgaden, Germany
  • Continued development throughout the 18th and 19th centuries in much of Western Europe
  • Further development from the early 21st century onwards
Playing range
  • Written: (historical instrument) E3 to G6 (modern instrument) C3 to at least C7
  • Sounding: (historical instrument) B2 to D5 (modern instrument) G2 to at least G6
Related instruments
Two clarinets d'amore
A modern clarinet d'amore built by Schwenk & Seggelke, Bamberg; commissioned by Richard Haynes

It first appeared around the middle of the 18th century and was popular in central Europe, but was regarded as obsolete by the mid 19th century. It has been conjectured that the basset horn, which at the time shared the features of low pitch and small bore, was developed from the clarinet d'amore.

Modern developments include a recording project led by Vlad Weverbergh of music by Henri Joseph de Croes for historical clarinets d'amore (available from Etcetera Records)[1] and the development of an extended modern clarinet d'amore in G (with a written range to low C3, sounding G2) by Richard Haynes,[2] and Schwenk & Seggelke.[3]

Works for or including clarinet d'amore
  • Johann Christian Bach - Temistocles: Act Three - "Ah si resta" (1772) incl. 3 clarinets d'amore 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)
  • Henrik Strindberg — Music for Clarinet d'Amore and Strings (2018)
  • James Gardner — Charge (2020)
  • Richard Haynes — Shorelines (2020)

See also

References
  1. https://terranovacollective.com/music
  2. https://richardehaynes.com/reference/damoreintro
  3. https://www.schwenk-und-seggelke.de/klarinetten_bassett.php
  • 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.
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