Construction
The form of the bass clarinet differs from that of the treble clarinet in that it has a large gloxinia-shaped bell doubled up on the front of the instrument; the tube at the other extremity is serpent-shaped, and to it the mouthpiece is bound by means of a strong ligature with screws.

Production of Sound
The sound is produced in the same manner as for the clarinet. On account of the great length of the instrument, the holes lie very far apart, which would make the instrument a very difficult one to play, but for the clever arrangement of the keys on long rods. The first makers of the instrument, who did not understand key work, made many futile attempts to cope with this difficulty by making the bore serpentine, by boring holes obliquely, etc. The fingering is now like that of the higher clarinets.

Quality of Tone
The quality of tone is less reedy than that of the higher clarinets; it rather resembles the bourdon stop on the organ. The tone is hollow and wanting in power, in the lowest register particularly.

Possibilities
The bass clarinet has the same possibilities as the treble clarinet, with the exception of the lowest octave, which is slow-speaking and chiefly used for sustained bass or melody notes, for the volume of sound makes rapid passages impossible. It is especially effective in gloomy and somber music.

Origin
The prototype of the bass clarinet is naturally the same as that of the clarinet, but the instrument in its present form (or nearly so) was invented by 1793, and the first instrument was made by Greser of Dresden. Halary and Adolphe Sax  improved upon the original models in the first half of the last century, and through others the instrument has reached it present perfection.