Contrabass clarinet

What it means

The contrabass clarinet is the lowest common member of the clarinet family. It is pitched in B♭ and sounds two octaves and a whole tone lower than notated, that is, an octave below the bass clarinet. The long tube is folded several times or led in large bends so that the instrument remains playable; metal and wood occur as material. Like all clarinets it has a single reed and overblows at the twelfth. In addition there exists the contra-alto clarinet in E♭, which lies between the bass and the contrabass clarinet.

Musical use

Its sound is dark, soft, and of great depth, without the sharpness of a contrabassoon; at quiet dynamics it seems almost bodiless. It is used above all in the symphonic wind band, where it forms the foundation of the clarinet group, as well as in orchestral works of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in which composers seek this particular colour. In the classical-Romantic repertoire it is largely absent. Because of its rarity and its price, the part is sometimes cast differently in practice, which changes the intended sound.

Performance practice

The air requirement is large, and the response in the low register is sluggish; work with a broad, well-supported breath and a loose embouchure, for too much lip pressure makes the low notes crack. Choose a reed that also responds securely when quiet, and keep spares ready. Because of the weight, an endpin or a support is indispensable; adjust the height so that head and neck stay straight. Check the numerous keys and pads regularly, because the smallest leaks make the lowest register unusable. Warm the instrument up thoroughly before tuning, and expect long paths when changing registers.

Bear in mind that the notation deviates by two octaves from the sounding pitch: when checking intonation against other instruments this is to be borne in mind, otherwise confusions arise. In the wind band, coordination with tubas and contrabassoon is to be settled, because the tonal ranges overlap. Play rather restrainedly in the low register, because otherwise the sound covers the whole texture. Check the instrument for leaks before every performance and keep several broken-in reeds ready.