Instruments Of The Orchestra

Octocontrabass Clarinet: Lowest Orchestra Instrument?

I was wondering if the instrument capable of making the deepest notes of any orchestral instrument is the Octocontrabass clarinet. I have had several sources tell me so, such as on Jay Easton’s website, and Wikipedia. Also, the Guinness World Records book lists this instrument as the lowest sounding one.

Science is the best way to answer this. ☺

The range of the BBBb OctoContrbass (18.5hz – 15hz with extension to C) is a full two octaves below the bass clarinet (74hz) and an octave below the BBb Contra (37hz). The range of the contrabassoon (29hz) is one octave below the bassoon (58hz). EEb ContraAlto nearly matches the bassoon. The EEEb OctoContra would nearly match the contrabassoon.

The BBb bass sax (and by relation the Tubax) is 52hz while the Tuba is at 41hz with the string bass (bass viol). There does exist a BBBb contrabass Tuba an octave lower that is exceedingly rare. It’d be about 20hz.

The bottom of a Piano is about 27hz.

This would mean that the BBBb OctoContraBass Clarinet (which only Leblanc made and of which there are very few) would indeed be the lowest woodwind as well as the lowest instrument we know of standard manufacture.

The question comes then, is this instrument an “orchestral instrument”? While there are parts written for the contra bassoon in orchestra, I know of no orchestral requirement for an octocontrabass clarinet (for that matter, the huge clarinets (beyond bass) aren’t often called for in orchestra at all); therefor, while the contra bassoon is indeed an orchestral instrument, this clarinet probably is not.

In this way, the contra bassoon is the lowest of the Orchestral Instruments while the BBBb octocontrabass hold honors as being able to play lower but not being called for.

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