Listen to the piercing sound of the Piccolo's, Flutes, and Clarinets. Hear the passionate, sensual sounds of the Saxophone. The unique eloquence of the double reeds is quite apparent during an orchestral performance. The woodwinds are most widely known for their stamina, and endurance. They often times have to bail out the brass section during difficult runs and cadenzas.
First of all, the woodwind section starts out with the flutes and the piccolo. The flute is the earliest wind instrument and it's said that a man heard the wind go over a field of grass and tried to interpret the sound. In 1831 Virtuoso Nicholson played the 7-keyed flute. In 1832 Theabald Boehm made the first conical bored flute. In 1847 the revolutionized flute design by making a cylindrical bore. Some famous flute players are Sophia Anastasia, Nina Assimakopoulos, Gary Arbuthnot, Pierre Yves-Artaud, Lars Asbjørnsen, Julius Baker, Don Bailey, Shaul Ben-Meir, Philippe Bernold, Vieri Bottazzini, Geert Vandon Broek, Wissam Boustany, Zdenek Bruderhans, Mario Caroli, Kathleen Chastain, and Ann Cherry. The flute lineup: Bundy II (beginner), Buffet 8000 (intermediate), and Gemeindhardt 33ssb (professional). The flute family is The C Piccolo, C Flute, E-flat Flute, G Alto Flute and the C Bass Flute.
The Clarinets are also a very well known family. There is no specific date. The clarinet has evolved over time. The forerunner for the clarinet is the Chalumeau. Johann Denner created it, and it has a cylindrical bell. The theoretical written range for the clarinet is from E3-C6. The clarinet family E-Flat Soprano Clarinet, B-flat Soprano Clarinet, A Soprano Clarinet, E-Flat Alto Clarinet, B-Flat Bass Clarinet, E-Flat Contra-Alto Clarinet, and the double B-flat contra-Bass Clarinet. The clarinet family from beginning to professional: Bundy II, Selmer 211, and the Buffet Elite. Famous players are Benny Goodman, Larry Combs, and Daniel Smith.