Invention of the clarinet in Nuremberg

Background. Johann Christoph Denner was a German woodwind instrument maker of the Baroque era. Born in Leipzig in 1655, he moved to Nuremberg in 1666 with his father, Heinrich Denner, who made game whistles and hunting horns. Denner later established his own business as an instrument maker in 1678.

Invention. Denner is generally credited with inventing the clarinet around 1700 by adding a register key to the chalumeau, an earlier single-reed instrument. Some sources suggest his son Jacob Denner may have been involved. The earliest mention of the word 'clarinette' for the instrument dates to a 1710 order by the Duke of Gronsfeld for two instruments made by Jacob Denner.

Attribution. Historical records vary regarding the specific date and primary inventor. While Denner is widely attributed with the invention, the precise timing is often cited as 'sometime around 1700' rather than a specific day. The legacy row's date of 14 January 1670 is not supported by the provided passages, which place the development in the early 18th century.