Chalumeau - musical instrument - history, photos, videos. The meaning of Denner, Johann Christoph in the Brockhaus and Efron encyclopedia "Lefty" from Nuremberg

The clarinet, with its gentle and romantic sound, has long conquered all countries and continents. Today it is difficult to imagine a person, even one very far from music, who would never have heard this instrument or did not know about its existence. It is the most popular musical instrument in the history of music.

History, fortunately, has preserved the name of the inventor. This Nuremberg master Johann Christoph Denner(1655-1707). He was not a professional musician, but was a tuner of musical instruments.

Johann Christoph Denner was born in 1655 in Leipzig. His father was a turner and at the same time a tuner of musical instruments. In 1663, the Denner family moved to Nuremberg. In 1676, a workshop was opened, which quickly became popular and orders came from all over Germany.

A student of his father, Johann Christoph Denner was, as one biographer put it, “not only diligent, but also musically gifted.” His particular passion was improving the design and sound of instruments. Denner's name is associated with the improvement of oboes and bassoons. But the main and fundamentally new achievement of the hereditary inventor was the clarinet.

The first clarinet was developed by Denner around 1700, based on the ancient French woodwind instrument, the Chalumeau. Denner's main revolutionary innovation was the valve on the back of the instrument. With the help of this valve, the transition to the second octave became possible. Johann Christoph Denner worked on improving his brainchild for the rest of his life. Thanks to valves that expanded the sound palette, the clarinet has become one of the most interesting musical instruments for performers and composers.

The significance of any invention is that its author has found or discovered a fundamentally new possibility for a technical solution. In the case of the clarinet, this was the valve on the back of the instrument. And subsequent generations of craftsmen improved and supplemented the invented design. This was the case with all inventions on earth.

By the end of the 18th century, the clarinet became a full-fledged instrument of classical music. Virtuoso performers appear who improve not only the technique of performing the clarinet, but also its design. Among them, Ivan Muller should be noted, who changed the design of the mouthpiece, which significantly influenced the timbre, simplified overblowing and expanded the range of the instrument, essentially creating a new model of it. From this time on, the “golden age” of the clarinet began.

Many musical masters worked on improving clarinets. By the end of the 18th century, a model with six valves had become established, the creator of which was the famous French musician Jean-Xavier Lefevre.

In the 19th century, Hyacinthe Klose, a professor at the Paris Conservatoire, and the music master Louis-Auguste Buffet successfully adapted to the clarinet a system of ring valves, invented by the flautist of the Munich Court Chapel Theobald Böhm and originally used only on the flute. This model was called the “Boehm clarinet” or “French clarinet”. Other prominent artists who took part in further improving the design of the clarinet include the inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax and Eugene Albert.

Composers turned their attention to an improved instrument. Working in Mannheim with the princely orchestra - one of the best in Europe, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote to his father: “Oh, if only there were clarinets here! You can’t imagine what a wonderful effect the combination of flutes, oboes and clarinets gives in a symphony!” The brilliant composer first used clarinets in 1771 in the Divertimento.

The clarinet, with its wide range of sound and warm, soft timbre, has become a kind of musical symbol of romanticism. Clarinet solos are heard in the operas of Weber and Wagner, in the symphonies of Berlioz and Tchaikovsky, in the symphonic poems of Liszt, works by Johannes Brahms and other outstanding composers.

The clarinet became one of the main instruments of jazz, and it was especially widely used in the early stages of the formation of this style, during the New Orleans period. The musicians were undoubtedly attracted by the romanticism of its timbre.

The modern clarinet is a rather complex mechanism. The instrument has about 20 valves, many axles, springs, rods and screws. Leading musical instrument manufacturers are constantly improving the design of the clarinet and creating new models.

The clarinet is more than 300 years old, but it is extremely popular and not only among performers of early music. Today the clarinet is widely used in classical and chamber music, military bands and jazz, folk and klezmer ensembles, Brazilian samba, Arabic pop music, etc.

DENNER, JOHANN CHRISTOPH

Inventor of the clarinet (c. 1700); died in 1707 in Nuremberg.

Brockhaus and Efron. Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron. 2012

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It is difficult to name the exact date of birth of the clarinet. With some degree of evidence, we can assume that in the last decade of the 17th century, the Nuremberg master Johann Christoph Denner improved his model of a new wind instrument so much that one could talk about the birth of the clarinet.

Some German reference books offer a more precise date: January 14, 1700. Others lean towards 1696 when dating the invention. But no one seems to dispute Denner’s authorship.

"Lefty" from Nuremberg

Johann Christoph Denner was born in 1655 in Leipzig. His father was a turner and at the same time a tuner of musical instruments. Denner Sr. worked with wood and ivory as well as copper. In 1663, the Denner family moved to Nuremberg. A workshop was opened in 1676. Orders came from all over Germany.

A student of his father, Johann Christoph Denner was, as one biographer put it, “not only diligent, but also musically gifted.” His particular passion was improving the design and sound of instruments. Thus, flutes from the workshop of the Denner dynasty still serve as standards for masters. Denner's name is associated with the improvement of oboes and bassoons. But, perhaps, the main and fundamentally new achievement of the hereditary inventor was the clarinet, which improved the ancient pipe.

The first clarinet was developed by Denner based on an ancient French wind instrument - the Chalumeau. Denner's main revolutionary innovation was the valve on the back of the instrument. With the help of this valve, the transition to the second octave became possible. Johann Christoph Denner worked on improving his brainchild until his relatively early death in 1707. There are suggestions that the author of the clarinet with two or even three valves is Denner himself. It is known for certain that transposing instruments with two valves were made by his sons and heirs.

Clarinet as an engine of musical progress

Thanks to the valves, which make it possible to transpose and expand the sound palette, the clarinet has become one of the most interesting musical instruments for performers and composers. By the end of the 18th century, a model with six valves had become established, the creator of which was the famous French musician Jean-Xavier Lefevre. The family of clarinets began to grow rapidly - from coloratura piccolos to bass ones.

"Lady's" instrument

True, clarinets found their way into prestigious orchestras with difficulty at first, precisely because of their novelty. So, working in Mannheim with the princely orchestra, one of the best in Europe, Mozart wrote to his father: “Oh, if only there were clarinets! You can’t imagine what a wonderful effect the combination of flutes, oboes and clarinets gives in a symphony!” Soon his wish came true; clarinets appeared in Mannheim and other orchestras in Europe.

Context

A significant role in the development of the instrument and its repertoire already in the 19th century was played by Iwan Müller, a German virtuoso clarinetist. The name of Müller and his improvements are associated with the “golden age” of the clarinet.

Heroes of our time

Probably only the violin and piano can surpass the clarinet in terms of the number of outstanding soloists and soloists. The queens of the modern classical clarinet scene are two ladies: the German Sabine Meyer and the Israeli Sharon Kam. In general, there is a lot of feminine in this instrument, it is no coincidence that in German clarinet is feminine, and Johannes Brahms even called the instrument “Fräulein Clarinet”.

However, men also pay tribute to this instrument. Jörg Widmann, one of Germany's most important composers, is inseparable from his clarinet, and the instrument's capabilities serve as a source of inspiration for him. Israeli virtuoso clarinetist Giora Feidman amazes audiences with her improvisations. The jazz clarinet, which traces its lineage back to Sidney Bechet, Benny Goodman and Eric Dolphy, has experienced another surge in popularity in recent years.

denner johann christopher, denner johann christopher
Johann Christoph Denner(August 13, 1655, Leipzig - April 20, 1707, Nuremberg) - German musician, considered the inventor of the clarinet.

Biography

Denner was born into the family of turner Heinrich Denner, who was also involved in the manufacture and tuning of wind musical instruments. In 1666, father and son moved to Nuremberg, where in 1678 young Denner opened the first tool factory. Later, the family business was continued by the sons of Johann Denner - Jacob and Johann David. 68 instruments, the author of which is considered to be Denner, have survived to this day.

Denner is best known as the inventor of the clarinet. From the 1680s he worked to improve the design of the ancient wind instrument, the Chalumeau, and around 1690, as a result of various experiments, a new instrument called the clarinet was obtained.

Some researchers dispute both the date of the clarinet's appearance and Denner's priority in the authorship of this invention. The only surviving clarinet believed to be the work of Denner himself is kept at the University of California at Berkeley; the second existing instrument was lost during World War II. The first surviving mention of the clarinet in print dates back to 1710, that is, three years after Denner’s death.

Notes

  1. Denner, Johann-Christoph // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.
  2. Rice, Albert R. (1992). The Baroque Clarinet. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 17; 40-42
  3. 1 2 Hoeprich, T. Eric (1981). "A three-key clarinet by J. C. Denner." Galpin Society Journal 34:21-32
  4. Lawson, Colin. "Single reeds before 1750". In Lawson (ed.), Colin (1995). The Cambridge Companion to the Clarinet. Cambridge University Press, 2, 6.

Johann Christoph Denner (August 13, 1655 - April 20, 1707) was born into the family of turner Heinrich Denner, who was a master and tuner of wind musical instruments.
Having gone through an excellent school with his father, Johann Christoph turned out to be an incredibly talented and thoughtful master. One of the biographers called him not only diligent, but also musically gifted. Most of all, Denner was interested in improving existing musical instruments - he worked tirelessly on their sound, improving their temperaments.
Denner is best known as the inventor of the clarinet.

Since the 1680s, he has been working on improving the design of an ancient wind instrument - the chalumeau (French chalumeau, from the Greek - “reed”) - a woodwind musical instrument of the Middle Ages, Baroque and early classicism.

Johann Friedrich Fasch
Concerto for chalumeau, strings and basso continuo in B flat major

Considered the predecessor of the modern clarinet (Italian clarinetto, French clarinette, German Klarinette, English clarinet or clarionet) - a reeded woodwind musical instrument with a single reed.
Around 1690, as a result of various experiments, a new instrument was created, called the clarinet (clarino (from the Latin “clarus” - clear). The name of the new instrument was also taken from Latin. Very soon the clarinet began to be considered one of the most melodious woodwind instruments, and The six-valve clarinet soon became an indispensable part of the then popular Rococo style of music.

V A Mozart
Concerto for clarinet and orchestra in A major.

Later, this instrument became an obligatory part of the symphony orchestra.
Until his death, Denner worked enthusiastically to improve his brainchild.
The main innovation, allowing a clear distinction between the Chalumeau and the clarinet, was the valve on the back of the instrument, controlled by the left thumb and helping to transition to the second octave.
For some time, Chalumeau and clarinet were used on equal terms, but already in the second quarter of the 18th century, Chalumeau practically disappeared from musical practice.

Some researchers dispute both the date of the clarinet's appearance and Denner's priority in the authorship of this invention. The only surviving clarinet believed to be the work of Denner himself is kept at the University of California at Berkeley; the second existing instrument was lost during World War II. The first surviving mention of the clarinet in print dates back to 1710, that is, three years after Denner’s death.



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