The clarinet is a family of woodwind musical instruments, consisting of a single-reed mouthpiece and a straight, cylindrical tube with an almost-cylindrical bore, ending in a flared bell. The instrument has its roots in the early single-reed instruments or hornpipes used in the ancient world. The invention of the modern clarinet is usually attributed to German instrument-maker Johann Christoph Denner, who developed it from a Baroque instrument called the chalumeau around 1700. The instrument became popular in orchestral pieces, including numerous compositions by Mozart; by the time of Beethoven (c. 1800–1820), the clarinet was a standard fixture in the orchestra. The clarinet family includes instruments in many different pitches, the most common of which are the soprano clarinets in B♭, A and C.
This picture shows a 22-key B♭ clarinet using the Oehler fingering system, with a 56 mm (2.2 in) diameter barrel. The body of the instrument is made of grenadilla and the keys of silver-plated nickel silver.Photograph credit: Yamaha Corporation