E-flat Clarinet - D Clarinet

The slightly larger D clarinet is rare, although it was common in the early and mid-eighteenth century (see the Molter concertos below). From the end of that century to the present it has become less common than the clarinets in E♭, B♭, A, or even C. An Ouverture by Handel for two clarinets and horn was probably written for two D clarinets. D clarinets were once commonly employed by some composers (e.g., Mlada (Rimsky-Korsakov)) to be used by one player equipped with instruments in D and E♭ — analogous to a player using instruments in B♭ and A. In modern performance (especially in North America and western Europe outside German-speaking countries), it is normal to transpose D clarinet parts for E♭ clarinet.

A composer's choice of E♭ vs. D clarinet is often hard to discern, and can seem perverse. The choice does not always put the music in the easiest key for the player. For instance, the original version of Arnold Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony no. 1 is for E♭ clarinet while the orchestral version is for D. Maurice Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe is scored for E♭ clarinet, producing some very difficult passages in B major which can be played on a D clarinet in C major. Another famous example is the D clarinet part of Richard Strauss's Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche.