A clarinet is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument that features the greatest range of pitches among common woodwind instruments and also has timbres which are not only distinctive but also vary greatly between its three main registers. This is due mainly to the nearly cylindrical bore in its long straight tube (which is usually fashioned from hardwood, but sometimes from hard rubber, plastic, metal or ivory) and to a lesser extent to its flared bell. Tone quality can vary greatly according to the particular clarinet, the player, the mouthpiece and the reed.
The invention of a rudimentary clarinet is generally attributed to Johann Christoph Denner in Germany around 1700. Its great versatility, enhanced by subsequent improvements in ease of use and sound quality, made the clarinet a popular instrument among composers, including Mozart, who wrote many pieces for it, and led to its becoming a key component of a wide range of both classical and popular music.