Clarinette d'amour
Encyclopedia
The clarinette d'amour is a musical instrument
, a member of the clarinet
family. In comparison with the B♭ and A soprano clarinet
s, the clarinette d'amour 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
.
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 shares the features of low pitch and small bore, was developed from the clarinette d'amour.
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
, a member of the clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
family. In comparison with the B♭ and A soprano clarinet
Soprano clarinet
The soprano clarinets are a sub-family of the clarinet family.The B clarinet is by far the most common type of soprano clarinet - the unmodified word "clarinet" usually refers to this instrument...
s, the clarinette d'amour had a similar shape and construction, but was larger, usually pitched
Transposing instrument
A transposing instrument is a musical instrument for which written notes are read at a pitch different from the corresponding concert pitch, which a non-transposing instrument, such as a piano, would play. Playing a written C on a transposing instrument will produce a note other than concert C...
in G. (Examples in A♭ and F are also known.) However, it had proportionally smaller tone holes and bore
Bore (wind instruments)
The bore of a wind instrument is its interior chamber that defines a flow path through which air travels and is set into vibration to produce sounds. The shape of the bore has a strong influence on the instruments' timbre.-Bore shapes:...
, and a pear-shaped or sometimes globular bell (called 'Liebesfuß') similar to that of the cor anglais
Cor anglais
The cor anglais , or English horn , is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family....
; these features gave the instrument its distinctive timbre
Timbre
In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...
.
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
Basset-horn
The basset horn is a musical instrument, a member of the clarinet family.-Construction and tone:Like the clarinet, the instrument is a wind instrument with a single reed and a cylindrical bore...
, which shares the features of low pitch and small bore, was developed from the clarinette d'amour.