Bass clarinet

Bass clarinet (Fr.: clarinette basse; Ger.: Bassklarinette; It.: clarinetto basso, clarone in B♭), a large clarinet pitched an oct. lower than the ordinary clarinet, and outwardly resembling a narrow-bored saxophone, as bell and mouthpiece are bent back in order to bring the keys within the player's reach. Pitched in B♭, it is notated a 9th higher than it sounds. Its present form dates back to the model designed by Adolphe Sax, then in Brussels, presumably in 1838. By making an acceptable…