The string family came into its present form about 450 years ago. The four instruments of the family are all made of wood, have 4 strings, and are designed to be played with a bow. They are versatile instruments with a wonderful sound and are capable of producing all sorts of tone colours and effects. The violin is the smallest, and therefore highest pitched, member of the family.

A symphony orchestra is made up of twice as many string players as everyone else put together, and of those string players, about half are violinists. There are usually two parts written for violins. The first violins play more of the tune and often work at a higher pitch. The second violins, like the violas, add to the texture of the orchestra, sometimes by supporting the 1^st violins and at other times by playing their own independent (and often very interesting) line. Mozart's Jupiter Symphony is a good example of a piece with a hugely rewarding 2^nd violin part.

Violins are also very widely used as folk instruments and most violinists will learn to play quite a lot of folk music as it makes very good teaching material. Violins are also used to a lesser extent in jazz and can occasionally be spotted, along with other members of the string family, providing romantic backing on TOTP.

There is a huge repertoire for the violin but a good sample piece that shows off the violin to great effect is the series of 4 violin concertos written by Vivaldi called 'The Four Seasons'.

The viola is a larger instrument and therefore plays lower notes but it is still played tucked under the chin like the violin. It is tuned to the same notes as a cello but is pitched an octave higher. It is only rarely used as a solo instrument but is indispensable in chamber music (small scale pieces with only one player per part) and in the orchestra where it adds significant interest and richness to the texture.

To hear the golden tone of the viola and just what it is capable of, try a piece for viola and symphony orchestra called 'Harold in Italy' by Berlioz. 

The clarinet is a single reed instrument combining an upper and lower or chalumeau register. There is evidence of single reed instruments going back to Ancient Egyptian and Greek civilisations and separate upper and lower register instruments used in the middle-ages. However, the first authenticated instrument combining all these properties was invented by Johann Denner in Nuremberg around 1700. This instrument incorporated just two metal keys. Vivaldi and Handel wrote music for this particular instrument, pitched in either C or D. The preference for A and Bb clarinets was developed around 1750. The first significant landmark for the clarinet is Mozart's "Concerto for Clarinet" written for the clarinet virtuoso Anton Stadler and first listed in 1791.  This used an A clarinet with modifications recommended by Herr Stadler and it is almost certain that Stadler was now employing the preference to play with the single reed against the bottom lip! The Boehm system, developed from the commonly used "Simple System" avoiding "forked" notes or fingering by the addition of more keys. It was first introduced in1843 but took nearly 100 years to become firmly established. It is the Boehm system that we use today.

The full clarinet family now consists of the Eb, Bb, A and alto clarinets, the basset horn and the bass and contra-bass clarinets. You can still find C clarinets. The employment of disused, military band instruments by black Americans brought the clarinet into the origins and development of jazz in the early 1900's. The clarinet is now used in nearly all the world's musical cultures.

For further reference and an opportunity to hear about the development of the clarinet, consult "The History of the Clarinet in Words and Music" by Colin Lawson.

John Bell - SMS.