Chalumeau

The chalumeau is a musical instrument, believed to have been invented in the late 17th century by Johann Christoff Denner, and the direct ascendant of the clarinet. It represents the link between the recorder and the clarinet, and is essentially a cylindrical bore recorder with the mouthpiece of a clarinet. Like the recorder, the instrument was built in families, from bass to sopranino. The chalumeau has a large repertoire in 18th century orchestral and chamber music. As the instrument developed through the 18th century, the terms chalumeau and clarinet were used interchangeably, with the usage dying out by the 19th.

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The chalumeau register can also refer to the low, not overblown register of the clarinet.

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Additionally, in French children's slang, a chalumeau is the term used for a small firecracker that has been broken in the middle and lit in the crack for the sparks and the small flames.

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Musical instrument: A musical instrument is a device that has been constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. In principle, anything that produces sound, and can somehow be controlled by a musician, can serve as a musical instrument; but the expression is reserved generally to items that have that specif...

17th century: As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700 in the Gregorian calendar....

Clarinet: The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The name derives from adding the suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word clarino meaning trumpet, as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet....