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Clarinet Trivia

Clarinet Trivia Quizzes

6 Clarinet quizzes and 55 Clarinet trivia questions.

The Clarinet Test Your Knowledge

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

I've played the clarinet for 16 of my 23 years and was once planning to go to music college to study it. Let's see what you know about the instrument!

Tough, 10 Qns, Frideswide, Jan 24 25

Tough
Frideswide
Jan 24 25
2647 plays

Clarinet Essentials

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

I have played the clarinet for the last nine years and hope to play for many more. See how well you know the basics of the clarinet.

Average, 10 Qns, Matt685, Jun 18 18

Average
Matt685
2569 plays

Questions on The Clarinet

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

This is my first clarinet quiz and I hope you like it. This may be challenging if you don't play the instrument, but if you do this quiz should be fairly easy.

Average, 10 Qns, clarinet1293, Dec 02 07

Average
clarinet1293
998 plays

Clarinet Repertoire

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

This quiz is all about various pieces of music for the clarinet, from the classical to the contemporary/modern period. If you know your music theory or music history, it should not be too hard.

Tough, 10 Qns, Tunio, Jun 04 10

Tough
Tunio
578 plays

Clarinet - The Timbre Instrument

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

I personally play the clarinet and it is my favourite instrument. I hope you love it as much as I do, because you will need a lot of knowledge to complete this quiz. Good Luck!

Easier, 10 Qns, Tarneya, Jun 23 25

Easier
Tarneya
Jun 23 25
943 plays

Clarinets

Multiple Choice

5 Qns

As a clarinet player, I have picked up a few facts along the way.

Average, 5 Qns, horsegirl13, Aug 28 08

Average
horsegirl13
2509 plays

Quick Question

The American composer Robert Muczynski composed a piece for clarinet in 1984. It is his only piece for clarinet. What is this piece called?

From Quiz "Clarinet Repertoire"

Clarinet Trivia Questions

1. What is the lowest note written for the B flat clarinet?

From Quiz Clarinet - The Timbre Instrument

Answer: E

This note is on the bottom register and is played on the lower joint of the clarinet. There are different clarinets where the lowest note is a fifth above C.

2. Who invented the clarinet?

From Quiz The Clarinet

Answer: Johann Denner

In 1690, Johann Denner invented the clarinet by making changes to the double-reeded Chaulumeau. He changed it into a single-reeded instrument and added a register key to allow the instrument to go higher.

3. The traditional B flat soprano clarinet has how many open holes to be covered by fingers?

From Quiz Clarinet Essentials

Answer: 7

There are three holes for each hand plus one hole in the back for the left thumb.

4. Out of what material is the clarinet most commonly made?

From Quiz Clarinets

Answer: wood

Some are also made out of plastic. I've seen one made out of metal though, it's really strange looking because it is so thin.

5. What creates the sound in a clarinet?

From Quiz Clarinet - The Timbre Instrument

Answer: Vibration of the reed and pressing down the keys

When the air passes through the clarinet it vibrates the reed. This vibration of the air passes through the clarinet, and, accompanied by the pressing of the keys, produces a note.

6. When was the modern version of the clarinet introduced?

From Quiz The Clarinet

Answer: 1839

The modern version of the clarinet was introduced in 1839. It was introduced by Hyacinthe Klose.

7. Largely self-taught, this composer had to write his own music for clarinet, as his instrument had little repertoire. Who is this composer, who composed 3 Clarinet Concertos for himself to perform?

From Quiz Clarinet Repertoire

Answer: Crusell, Bernhard Henrik

As a soloist, Crusell was disadvantaged on two fronts; his chosen instrument was a relatively new innovation with little solo repertoire, and he lived and worked in Stockholm, a cultural backwater at the time. (Source: http://www.naxos.com)

8. What is the highest sounding clarinet?

From Quiz Clarinets

Answer: Sopranino Clarinet (yes it is supposed to be spelled like that)

The sopranino is really small. It is about a foot long (or shorter) and you need really small fingers to play it. I saw it at the Sousa Museum at the University of Illinois. After the sopranino is the Bb, then the A, and then the alto (there is an alto clarinet).

9. Where was the bass clarinet invented?

From Quiz The Clarinet

Answer: Paris, France

The bass clarinet was invented in Paris in 1772. It was invented by G. Lott. The B flat bass clarinet is one octave lower than the most common version of the clarinet, the B flat soprano.

10. How many octaves can the clarinet play?

From Quiz Clarinet - The Timbre Instrument

Answer: More than three

The octaves that the clarinet is most commonly played in are the lower register, the middle register and the higher register. To change the octave from the low to the middle there is a break key at the back of the clarinet.

11. What part of the clarinet holds the reed in place?

From Quiz The Clarinet

Answer: Ligature

The ligature. The barrel is another part of the clarinet. It is between the mouthpiece and upper joint. The bell is at the very end of the clarinet. The frog has nothing to do with the clarinet.

12. Mozart wrote this piece for clarinet (K 622) just before his death in 1791. What is the name of this piece?

From Quiz Clarinet Repertoire

Answer: Clarinet Concerto in A

The "Clarinet Concerto in A" is the only classical piece that uses a basset clarinet for a solo instrument.

13. Who invented the modern clarinet?

From Quiz Clarinet - The Timbre Instrument

Answer: Johann Denner

Johann Denner made modifications to an already existing instrument called the chalumeau, to create what we now know as the clarinet. He made these modifications in the 1700's - added more keys and made it longer.

14. What's the lowest note on the B flat soprano clarinet?

From Quiz The Clarinet

Answer: E

The lowest note on the B flat soprano is E, but on the B flat bass clarinet there is an extra key. This allows the B flat bass clarinet to go an E flat.

15. Both Brahms and Mozart wrote a quintet for clarinet and 4 other instruments (Therefore, a quintet)! Which instrument is part of the clarinet quintet that Mozart (op. 581) and Brahms (op. 115) wrote?

From Quiz Clarinet Repertoire

Answer: Violin

Strangely enough, they were for strings, not wind instruments. The other three are for a woodwind quintet. A clarinet quintet is made up of a clarinet, 2 violins, a viola, and a cello.

16. How many pieces does a soprano clarinet disassemble into? This does not include the reed and the ligature.

From Quiz Clarinet Essentials

Answer: 5

There is the mouthpiece, the barrel, the two middle pieces which have all of the keys and holes (upper hand and lower hand), and the bell.

17. Now, something rather tricky - what is the brand insignia on Peter Eaton clarinets?

From Quiz The Clarinet

Answer: Unicorn

I had to ask that, because I play on Peter Eaton 'Internationals' and think they're marvellous clarinets. I changed to them from French Buffets when I was 15, and I think the English clarinets have a much warmer, 'woodier' sound that's most appealing. Then again, lots of people will probably disagree with me, as French clarinets are very popular!

18. Who was the first composer to introduce the clarinet to an orchestra?

From Quiz Clarinet - The Timbre Instrument

Answer: Vivaldi

Orchestra clarinets were first used in the chorus "Plena nectare" from Vivaldi's oratorio "Juditha Triumphans" in 1716.

19. The American composer Robert Muczynski composed a piece for clarinet in 1984. It is his only piece for clarinet. What is this piece called?

From Quiz Clarinet Repertoire

Answer: Time Pieces for Clarinet and Piano

He composed this piece for renowned clarinetist Mitchell Lurie, who performed it with the composer later that year.

20. What is the firmest, hence most difficult reed (of those named)?

From Quiz Clarinet Essentials

Answer: 4.5

The 4.5 reed size is not the largest size reed. In fact, you can usually buy reeds up to size five. I have even heard of a size ten reed. However, in general, the larger size the reed, the more difficult it is to play. Weak reeds produce flimsy sounds.

21. The clarinet is part of which family?

From Quiz Clarinet - The Timbre Instrument

Answer: Woodwind

The reason why the instruments in this family are called 'woodwinds' is because the reed is wooden. The reed is what creates the sound in a clarinet.

22. Who is this composer, who composed a two movement sonata for clarinet and piano, and the widely acclaimed "West Side Story"?

From Quiz Clarinet Repertoire

Answer: Bernstein, Leonard

Sonata for clarinet and piano is Bernstein's first composition. It is now used worldwide, and is a regualarly performed piece for the Diploma exam of the ABRSM.

23. Which fingering system is currently used on clarinets?

From Quiz Clarinet Essentials

Answer: Boehm system

In 1844, two french musicians named Buffet and Klose` applied the Boehm flute key system to the clarinet. This consisted of two steps: first, they placed each hole so that each note would have the same tone quality; then, they made a key system to cover all of the holes. It was a success, and the Boehm system clarinet became popular around the world.

24. From what Renaissance instrument did the clarinet develop?

From Quiz The Clarinet

Answer: Chalumeau

The chalumeau (shall-yu-mo) gives its name to the rich bottom register of the clarinet, so that today we speak of the 'chalumeau register'. The shawm was an early oboe, the crumhorn was a kind of brass instrument, and as far as I know the clarinet is not related to the bagpipes at all!

25. What country was the first clarinet invented in?

From Quiz The Clarinet

Answer: Germany

The first clarinet was invented in Germany. It was invented by Johann Denner in the late 17th century.

26. In the baroque time, there was no clarinet. However, various composers wrote for the ancestor of clarinet, most famous being Telemann's Duo. What is this instrument called?

From Quiz Clarinet Repertoire

Answer: Chalemeau

Today the chalemeau register is the section where you use the left hand index finger to open notes around G above middle C.

27. Roughly how many octaves can a normal Bb clarinet span?

From Quiz The Clarinet

Answer: Three and a half

The lowest note on a normal clarinet is an E, and most clarinettists can't go much higher than the C just over three and a half octaves above that. It's not the sweetest-sounding of notes, though, so I personally wouldn't want to go any higher!

28. The C clarinet is ______ than the B flat clarinet

From Quiz The Clarinet

Answer: Shorter

The C clarinet is a few inches shorter than the B flat clarinet. It is also one whole tone step higher than the B flat.

29. The famous composer Carl Maria von Weber composed five pieces that feature the clarinet as the solo instrument. Out of them, only one was in the minor key. Which one is it?

From Quiz Clarinet Repertoire

Answer: Clarinet Concerto No. 1

Weber composed his clarinet works for his friend, Heinrich Baermann, between the years 1811 and 1816. Strangely enough, they were first published almost fifty years later, with lots of errors and misprints. Followed shortly was a "de Luxe Edition" edited by Heinrich Baermann's son, Carl Baermann. That edition was so valued by many clarinettists to this day, through the fact that it is based on traditions which the elder Carl Baermann recieved from his father.

30. Which continent does the wood to make clarinets come from?

From Quiz Clarinet Essentials

Answer: Africa

The tree is named Mpingo or African blackwood; it takes a very long time to grow and is very knotty. The wood is dense and resonates well to make the warm sound of a clarinet. It is expensive but the preferred material of good players.

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Last Updated Oct 25 2025 5:51 AM

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