However, the bass clarinet also shares the higher clarinets’ wood-rich glow and can provide a satisfyingly comforting sound. Like a saxophone (which was influenced by the earlier bass clarinet), the instrument has a metal upturned bell and a curved metal crook to which the mouthpiece is attached, but it retains the maple-wood body. Another adjective that gets applied to the bass clarinet is goblin-esque – for its startlingly subtle dynamic control.
Bass Clarinet
Larger and differently shaped than the standard clarinets, the bass clarinet has a darker timbre that composers often exploit for expressions of gloom and doom, as Mahler does in his Sixth Symphony.
Video
Instrument: Bass Clarinet
In this film, Laurent Ben Slimane introduces his instrument - the bass clarinet.
The Principal Bass Clarinet Chair is endowed by Philip and Judy Green.
Endowment opportunities at the Philharmonia offer supporters unique access and insights to our players. Find out more here:
About
Frequency Range
69 – 932 Hz
Tube Length
132 cm
Did you know?
One of the earliest solo passages for bass clarinet occurs in Mercadante’s 1834 opera Emma d’Antiochia,
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