I have been asked to give a minimum of “history” in this paper, and therefore, although from the very nature of the subject-matter it must be dealt with historically, I will only very briefly trace the evolution of this, the youngest of the wood-wind of the orchestra. But by “youngest” I mean the last to reach such a stage of development as entitled it to a place in the orchestra. For the clarinet—and this is the important point to remember about it in any discussion of its peculiarities—is a cylindrical tube sounded by means of a single beating reed, and such instruments are of great antiquity. They were in common use in the early civilisation in Egypt.