November 16th is Clarinet Day and it’s a holiday that pays homage to an instrument that was invented during the 18h century. Clarinets are woodwind instruments that have a single reed-mouthpiece and feature a cylindrical tube that has a flared end and is played by pressing keys that stop on holes while the instrument is being played.

This instrument is normally associated with classical music, but it’s been increasingly used in rock and pop songs. It’s no wonder a whole holiday was created to celebrate it. And this day can be observed by anyone who plays and/or loves the sound of this instrument.

The History Of Clarinet Day

The clarinet is an instrument that has ties to the hornpipes in Ancient Egypt and Greece, as well as the Middle East. The modern version of this instrument descended from an instrument called the chalumeau. This instrument resembled a recorder but had a single-reed mouthpiece.

During the 18th century, the chalumeau was modified and had one of its keys turned into a register key. Some people attribute this change to German instrument maker Johann Christoph Denner, but some historians feel that his son Jacob Denner was actually the inventor of the clarinet.

Unfortunately, we simply don’t know when Clarinet Day was invented. We do know that this holiday has been around for a few years now, but we’re unsure of when it was invented. We’re also unsure of exactly who invented this holiday. That too seems to have been lost to the history books.

Let’s Enjoy Some Fun Clarinet Facts

We have to admit that we don’t have a lot of experience with the clarinet. Sure, we’ve heard about it, but we never played one ourselves. Even so, we do like to do research, so we decided to find out everything we could about this instrument. Now we’re going to share this treasure trove of information with anyone and everyone who wants to learn about the clarinet.

• The clarinet only had two keys until a third one was added sometime between 1730 and 1740.
• There are a number of different clarinets in the clarinet family of instruments.
• The most famous clarinetist in the world has to be Benny Goodman.

Observing Clarinet Day

Obviously, people who play the clarinet professionally will want to enjoy this holiday, but it’s also a day that can be celebrated by just about anyone. It doesn’t matter if you’ve played the instrument in band camp or don’t have a musical bone in your body.

All that matters is that people give the clarinet a little bit of respect and perhaps listen to some tunes that feature the clarinet. We also encourage everyone to let us know what they like about the clarinet using the hashtag #ClarinetDay on social media.