The term double clarinet refers to any of several woodwind instruments consisting of two parallel pipes made of cane, bird bone, or metal, played simultaneously, with a single reed for each. Commonly, there are five or six tone holes in each pipe, or holes in only one pipe while the other acts as a drone, and the reeds are either cut from the body of the instrument or created by inserting smaller, slit tubes into the ends of the pipes. The player typically uses circular breathing.

The double clarinet is not a clarinet in the modern western sense of the term, since it lacks a register key; in this regard it is more closely related to the chalumeau.

Varieties

thumb|250px|left|Zummāra Sittawiyya, collection of the

Double clarinets are found primarily in Middle Eastern music, but also in India; there are different versions and names in different countries.

In Yemen, the double clarinet is called a mizmār. This word is used for other types of instruments in other countries.

More common terms are zamr, zammāra, arghūl, and mijwiz (مجوز). The first two of these names have the same linguistic root as mizmār.

In Albania the instrument is called a zumare. It has five holes in each pipe, and a bell.

right|thumb |Ghoshmeh. Instrument made from bird bones. Iran.

Iran has a variety of double clarinets, made from raptor bones, copper or aluminum tubing or wood. The instrument is called dozaleh (دو زَله) in Kurdistan, from zal (زَل), the Kurdish word for the stem of the zal reed. The instrument goes by a variety of names in Iran. It is known as jannati (Persian, "pair": جفتی) in Hormozgan, do ney (Persian, "two reeds": دو نی) in Lorestan, do sazeh (Persian, "two structures": دو سازه) in South Khorasan Province, and ghoshmeh (Persian: قوشمه) among Khorasan's Kurdish people.

The Iraqi double clarinet is also called a zummāra, although this term also is used for a single-tube simple clarinet. It is similar to the Syrian mijwiz.

The Yemeni instrument is called a mizmār. It is attached to the player's mouth using a muzzle.

  • Concertos for two clarinets are known as double clarinet concertos.
  • Some pieces by clarinetist-composers Eric Mandat and William O. Smith call for two clarinets to be played simultaneously by one person. These works are sometimes listed as being written for "double clarinet."

See also

  • Launeddas, a triple clarinet from Sardinia
  • Aulochrome, recently invented double soprano saxophone
  • Aulos, arguably the ancestor of these instruments
  • Argul, a traditional Arabic musical instrument

References

  • Lebanese example