The contrabass clarinet, also called the pedal clarinet because of its large size like the pedals on pipe organs, is a rare instrument in the clarinet family. Modern contrabass clarinets are transposing instruments tuned to B♭, which means they sound two octaves lower than the common B♭ soprano clarinet and one octave lower than the bass clarinet. Some models have additional keys to play notes as low as written E♭3, D3, or C3. This allows the instrument to play a written range from C3 to F6, which sounds as B♭0 to E♭4. Earlier versions of the instrument were sometimes tuned to C. Arnold Schoenberg’s musical work Fünf Orchesterstücke mentions a contrabass clarinet in A, but there is no proof such an instrument ever existed.

The smaller E♭ contra-alto clarinet is sometimes called the "E♭ contrabass clarinet" and is one octave lower than the E♭ alto clarinet.

Two types of subcontrabass clarinet, the octocontra-alto and octocontrabass, were made as prototypes by Leblanc in the 1930s. These instruments are still kept in the Leblanc museum.

History

The earliest known contrabass clarinet was the contre-basse guerrière, created in 1808 by a goldsmith named Dumas of Sommières. Not much is known about this instrument. The batyphone (also spelled bathyphone, Ger. and Fr. batyphon) was another contrabass clarinet. It was designed by W. F. Wieprecht to create a low-pitched version of reed instruments. The batyphone was twice as large as a regular clarinet in C. The notes on its scale were arranged based on sound principles. To make it easier to cover holes that were too far apart, the instrument used crank or swivel keys. It was made from maple wood, had a clarinet mouthpiece connected to a brass tube and bell. Its pitch was two octaves lower than a clarinet in C, and its range matched the modern bass tuba. The sound was pleasant and full but not strong enough for military bands. The batyphone had one major problem: it was easy to play only in G and F major keys. It was invented and patented in 1839 by F.W. Wieprecht, director of Prussian military bands, and E. Skorra, a Berlin instrument maker. The instrument was not widely used and was later replaced by the bass tuba.

A batyphone with the inventors’ names was part of the Snoeck collection, which was added to Berlin’s collection of ancient musical instruments at the Hochschule für Musik. Soon after Wieprecht’s invention, Adolphe Sax created his clarinette-bourdon in B♭.

In 1889, Fontaine-Besson began making a new pedal clarinet. This instrument had a 10-foot-long tube with both cylindrical and conical sections. The tube was folded twice. It had 13 keys and 2 rings, and its fingering was similar to a B♭ clarinet, except for the highest notes. Its sound was rich and full, except for the lowest notes, which were slightly rough. It was an octave lower than a bass clarinet and two octaves lower than a B♭ clarinet. The upper notes sounded like the chalumeau register of a B♭ clarinet, which is reedy and sweet. Besson displayed this pedal clarinet in London in 1892. These instruments were not widely used but helped inspire later contrabass clarinets made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, especially those designed by Charles Houvenaghel for Leblanc, which were more successful.

The contra-alto clarinet is higher-pitched than the contrabass and is tuned to E♭, not B♭. It is sometimes called "contra alto clarinet" or "contralto clarinet," but "contra-alto" is more accurate because it plays an octave lower than the alto clarinet, similar to how "contrabass" relates to "bass." It is also called the E♭ contrabass clarinet. It is the second-largest clarinet in regular use, bigger than the bass clarinet but smaller than the B♭ contrabass clarinet.

Like other clarinets, the contra-alto clarinet is a wind instrument that uses a reed to make sound. Its keys are similar to smaller clarinets and are played the same way. Some models can play as low as written E♭ (sounding G♭1 on the piano), while others can reach written C (sounding E♭1). Foag Klarinetten in Germany made a contra-alto clarinet with extra thumb keys, like a bassoon, to extend its range down to written A (sounding C1).

The first contra-alto clarinets were made in the early 19th century and were usually in F, called contrabasset horns, an octave lower than the basset horn. Albert (likely E. J. Albert, son of Eugène Albert) built an F instrument around 1890. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, E♭ contra-alto clarinets became more popular.

The contra-alto clarinet is used mainly in concert bands and clarinet choirs, where it often plays the bass line of a piece. It can also play parts written for the baritone saxophone, as they sound the same pitch. It can read parts for instruments in C (like the bassoon or tuba) as if they were in the treble clef, adjusting the key signature by adding three sharps. It is sometimes used in jazz and Broadway pit orchestras, where its parts are written in reed books as a doubled instrument (e.g., with soprano and bass clarinets).

In 1935, Belgian instrument maker Charles Houvenaghel at Leblanc built a single prototype octocontrabass clarinet in B♭, one octave below the contrabass and 8 feet 2 inches tall. It was shown at a World’s Fair that year. Its lowest note, C0 (written D3), is the lowest note on a 32′ pedal organ stop. This instrument is now in the Leblanc collection at the Musée des Instruments à vent in France but is not playable. Houvenaghel also made two slightly smaller octocontra-alto clarinets in E♭ for Leblanc in the 1930s. Only one was completed in 1971, with keys to low C (sounding E♭0). Leblanc announced its price as $3700 USD in 1971 (equivalent to $29,000 in 2025), but none were sold. This instrument is now on display at the museum, donated in 2011 and restored by a French clarinetist.

Although these large "octo" clarinets are mentioned in some texts, Leblanc did not produce them beyond prototypes. Some modern efforts aim to recreate

Manufacturers

• The Henri Selmer Paris Contrabass (Model 41, shown in the info box above) is designed to play down to low C and has a body shaped like a bass clarinet, made of rosewood. The Contra-alto (Model 40) is designed to play down to low E♭ and also has a body shaped like a bass clarinet, made of rosewood.

• Buffet Crampon produces a contra-alto clarinet with a body made of grenadilla wood, shaped like a bass clarinet, as shown in the info box above.

• Conn-Selmer previously made one model of each of the two clarinets under its Leblanc brand, but no longer does so as of 2026. The Contrabass model is Leblanc L7182, designed to play down to low E-flat, with a body made of ABS plastic. The Contra-alto model is Leblanc L7181, designed to play down to low E-flat, with a body made of ABS plastic.

• Benedikt Eppelsheim Blasinstrumente produces a metal contrabass clarinet with Boehm or German system finger holes, as previously described.

• Fritz Wurlitzer makes a contrabass clarinet with a German system of finger holes.

• Ripa Musical Instruments sells a double bass clarinet made of metal, shaped like a paperclip.

• Tianjin Frater Musical Instrument Co. produces a double bass clarinet made of metal, shaped like a paperclip.

Development

Since 2012, a group of researchers led by Ernesto Molinari (a professor at the Bern University of the Arts), Jochen Seggelke (a clarinet maker), and Daniel Debrunner (a mechatronics engineer) has been working on creating different versions of a new double bass clarinet called CLEX' (Contrabass Clarinet Extended). This instrument uses technology that combines machines and electronics. The keys on the clarinet move with the help of motors and are controlled by the musician's fingers through sensors on the keys. This type of instrument creates new opportunities for musicians and composers. The placement of holes on the clarinet isn't limited by old mechanical rules.

In June 2016, Molinari showed the first of three working prototypes at two concert events.

In a video posted in December 2021, Jared De Leon mentioned the CLEX project as a source of inspiration for a new theoretical design of an octocontrabass clarinet that would use mechatronic keywork.

Performers

Perhaps the most well-known musician who frequently uses the contrabass clarinet as a solo instrument is Anthony Braxton. Other musicians (many of whom play the instrument in genres like jazz and free improvisation) include James Carter, Brian Landrus, Douglas Ewart, Vinny Golia, Mwata Bowden, Ernst Ulrich Deuker, Paolo Ravaglia, Hamiet Bluiett, Edward "Kidd" Jordan, Harry Sparnaay (NL), Armand Angster (F), and Jason Alder. Leroi Moore of the Dave Matthews Band played a contrabass clarinet on the song "So Right" from the 2001 album Everyday. John Linnell of They Might Be Giants uses the contra-alto clarinet on their 2013 album Nanobots, as well as later albums by the band. Colin Stetson uses the instrument on his 2015 collaboration album Never Were the Way She Was with violinist Sarah Neufeld and Jochen Seggelke. In 2020, Sarah Watts, a bass clarinet specialist who also plays an active role in commissioning and performing new pieces for the contrabass clarinet, released a solo album with pieces for contrabass clarinet and piano called Into the Depths.

Use in contemporary classical music

The contrabass clarinet is used more often in modern music. It appears in wind bands, clarinet choirs, and solo performances. It is also found in orchestras and other groups, and it is often used in film scores.

Some composers who have written for the contrabass or contra-alto clarinet include Alfred Reed, Vincent Persichetti, John Adams, Philip Glass, David Maslanka, John Mackey, Daniel Dorff, Franco Donatoni, Elliott Carter, and David Bennett Thomas.

In 2017, a list of compositions featuring the contrabass clarinet was created by performer Sarah Watts. This list is available for free on her website.

The modern concert band, also called a wind band or wind orchestra, is the group where the contrabass clarinet is most often used. Most modern concert band scores include parts for either the contrabass or contra-alto clarinet. The contrabass clarinet helps balance the woodwind section by adding a strong low sound. Because it is now more commonly included in concert bands, composers can write special parts or solos for the instrument, which are less common in other groups.

Some notable band works that include the contrabass clarinet are Blue Shades by Frank Ticheli, which has a solo for the instrument, and One Life Beautiful by Julie Giroux, which requires either a contrabass clarinet in B♭ or a contra-alto clarinet in E♭. The composer specifies that this part is not optional.

The contrabass clarinet is the lowest voice in a modern clarinet choir. While not all recent clarinet choir pieces include the contrabass clarinet, many do, especially newer compositions.

Some notable clarinet choir works that use the contrabass clarinet include Gather at The Rock by Jenni Brandon and Dusk by Steven Bryant.

The contrabass clarinet is rarely used in standard symphony orchestras as part of the clarinet section. Most orchestral pieces that include the instrument use it as a soloist. However, some orchestral works do feature the contrabass clarinet, such as On the Transmigration of Souls by John Adams, Amériques by Edgard Varèse, and La Terre est un homme by Brian Ferneyhough. These pieces include the instrument in their expanded woodwind sections.

• Prometeo, an unusual opera by Luigi Nono, includes the contrabass clarinet.
• Kepler, an opera by Philip Glass, includes a part for the contrabass clarinet that also plays the bass clarinet.
• A notable solo for the contrabass clarinet appears in a song from the 1968 film Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.
• Composer Colin Stetson uses the contrabass clarinet often in the 2018 film Hereditary.
• Composer Howard Shore includes the contrabass clarinet in the 2002 film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.