Clarinet sheet music

B♭, A, and what transposing means for you

A written C on a B♭ clarinet sounds as a B♭; on an A clarinet it sounds as an A. Parts are therefore written in different keys for the two instruments so that the sounding result is the same. Most players own a B♭ and encounter A parts in orchestral and chamber repertoire — Mozart and Brahms wrote significant works for the A instrument.

You have three options when the part does not match your instrument: buy an edition arranged for the one you own, transpose at sight, or buy the other clarinet. Publishers frequently issue both versions, so the first is usually easiest — but the listing has to say which it is, and many do not.

Bass clarinet and the wider family

Bass clarinet parts appear in two notations. Treble clef, transposing, is the usual modern practice and reads like a B♭ clarinet part sounding an octave lower. Bass clef notation appears in older European editions and in some orchestral parts. An edition that does not state which convention it uses is worth previewing before purchase.

E♭ clarinet, basset horn and contrabass parts follow the same transposing logic with different intervals, and are usually clearly labelled because the players who need them expect it.

Repertoire and studies

The core solo repertoire — Mozart, Weber, Brahms, Debussy, Poulenc — is partly free and partly in copyright depending on the composer's death date. The standard study material, Rose, Klosé and Baermann, is out of copyright and widely available at no cost.