In praise of the clarinet -The invention of the clarinet and its baroque history -The cantabile style and the clarinet as an amateur instrument -The hurdles in the clarinettist?s path -The practical and ideal values of the various systems of fingering -The low-pitched clarinets Clarinet virtuosi Varieties of clarinet-playing -The clarinet as a folk instrument -The clarinet in the military band Jazz improvisation -The clarinettist as entertainer -The various ways of learning to play the clarinet -39 b/w photographs and sketches, 15 colour photographs, wide range of musical excerpts