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National Clarinet Day
![Backun clarinet bell](https://meggrace.com/wp-content/uploads/Backunclarinetbell-239x300.png)
![](https://meggrace.com/wp-content/uploads/backun-clarinet.png)
Who decides these things?! According to the interwebs, Nov. 16 is National Clarinet Day. But why that day? No one seems to know. And to make matters worse, a group on Facebook has declared May 3 to be National Clarinet Day.
At least with National Saxophone Day (which is Nov. 6), there’s a reason for choosing that day. Nov 6 is the birthday of its inventor, Adolphe Sax.
Using that logic, and assuming we all agree that Johann Christoph Denner is the inventor of the modern clarinet; we would celebrate National Clarinet Day on August 13, since that is Denner’s birthday. But, Aug 13 is already celebrated as National Lefthander’s Day. As a proud southpaw, I always celebrate that day.
And we’re not all clear that it was Johann that added the register key which turned the chalumeau into a clarinet. Some folks believe it was his son, Jacob. And for Jacob, I can’t find his birthday; just his birth and death years, 1681-1735.
How To Celebrate
![](https://meggrace.com/wp-content/uploads/backun-bell-300x201.png)
To celebrate National Clarinet Day, a few options come to mind. Since many of our culture’s celebrations are marked with fancy drinks or a special meal, how about a cup of licorice tea? Some of you may not know that a nickname for the clarinet is licorice stick. I don’t really like the flavor of licorice but I do love cinnamon. OK, work with me here.
If your clarinet is made by Backun and the wood color is more of a rich golden brown, then we could call it a cinnamon stick!
Another way to celebrate is to have a party. We would need party hats. How about party hats that look like a clarinet bell?
I can also think of more musical-centered ways to celebrate. Put on a Spotify playlist of Anat Cohen, Johnny Dodds, and Eric Dolphy and dance wearing your clarinet bell party hat. ????????????
How will you celebrate?