late 1940s, there was some discussion over whether the alto clarinet should be eliminated from the standard wind band. Arguments used include its relatively low volume and that its part is often doubled by other instruments, and the expense. Because of this, publishers of band music for elementary and junior high school players tend to leave parts out for alto clarinet. Mature bands utilizing more sophisticated arrangements quite often have a seat dedicated to alto clarinet, so in the majority of American high school and college bands, a complete family of clarinets is encountered in the modern wind band. The alto clarinet is an integral part of the clarinet choir, where it often doubles the melody in octaves, and is often used as a middle solo voice between the treble and bass voices. References External links Further reading Carse, Adam. 1939. Musical Wind Instruments. London: Macmillan and Co., Limited. Hoeprich, Eric. 2008. The Clarinet. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. . Shackleton, Nicholas. 2001. "Alto clarinet". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers. Stone, William. H. 1890. "Clarinet". A Dictionary of Music and Musicians (A.D. 1450–1889), by Eminent Writer, English and Foreign, with Illustrations and Woodcuts, in 4 volumes, edited by Sir George Grove, with Appendix by J. A. Fuller Maitland. London and New York: Macmillan and Co. Clarinets E-flat instruments