Mozart-Clarinet Quintet

Thanks for that, just ordered the Academy of Ancient Music Chamber Music Players version.

I'm going to demur, and say that the first clarinets, made by Denner, appeared around 1700, 50 years or so before Mozart was born.  I believe Vivaldi was the first composer to call for clarinets in a composition.  Of course that Denner clarinet was pretty primitive and only had a couple of keys; various other makers and players had to work on its development over the course of the 18C to turn it into the kind of instrument capable of doing justice to the Mozart quintet, or for that matter the Kegelstatt trio or the concerto.

The recording by the Talich Quartet on the Calliope label won many awards in Europe.

Cheers

I continue to enjoy my old London Treasury Series lp of the performance by members of the Vienna Octet. I saw the Quintet performed live by the Octet, as well.  I'm willing to bet, though, that the members of the ensemble were not the same as it was in the old recording. And yes, it's one of my favorite pieces in any genre. Maybe a bit too "civilized" at first hearing but its absolute loveliness is impossible not to respond to.

I will concede in my expertise on the history of the clarinet to @twoleftears , but. I am wondering what you know about the Basset Clarinet 

@mahler123    Nice one!  I was reacting to the statement in your first paragraph, and should really have paid more attention to what followed. Yes, Stadler was the friend of Mozart for whom he wrote the quintet and the concerto, though I gather that this variant--the basset clarinet--was created by one Theodor Lotz.

Thea King's recording of the concerto may have been instrumental (no pun intended) in reviving interest in the basset clarinet among the historically-informed crowd.  Me--many years ago I considered (but never did) picking up the chalumeau; the standard Bb model was enough of a handful.  And I grew up listening to Jack Brymer (and some Benny Goodman!).  Brymer with the LSO and Colin Davis is still very good.

There's actually an almost infinite number of clarinet variants, starting with the piccolo clarinet, "regular" clarinets pitched in a whole variety of keys (no pun intended), Eb, D, C, Bb, A, G, of which Bb and A are the most common, the basset clarinet, the basset horn, the alto clarinet, the bass clarinet (which you come across sometimes in jazz), and various types of contrabass clarinet.  Most, of course, are rare and very specialized.

The next rabbit hole is the key system: the most basic divide is between Boehm and German, but there are many sub-variants and historical changes if you start digging.  Enough to keep historically-minded musicologists very busy.

@twoleftears +1

The changes to the clarinet are extensive, but arguably the changes in the horn from Mozart’s time to the present must be of more significance.  Mozart wrote his four concertos for a valveless horn, and the player has to do all kind of conniptions in order to vary the sound.  On the modern hound it’s much easier

+1 @edcyn 

  Too civilized?  In our world that becomes a necessity.  If I had to pick one piece that can wipe out a bad day for me, it is the Quintet

Btw the Basset Clarinet first appeared around 1770, and Stadler’s instrument was thought to have been built in 1788.  Since being revived , Contemporary Composer Joan Tower wrote a Concerto for it around 25 years ago

Great commentary re this most wonderful chamber work and great to see the clarinet get some love! A few additional comments; some, related to the already mentioned facts.

It is interesting to note that early in the evolution of instruments commonly used today such as the clarinet, there was often little that was “standard” in their design as there is today. As has been noted, during Mozart’s time and for some time after, there existed many “varieties” of clarinets, pitched in different keys and with different ranges. Many became obsolete over the years. Players and/or composers would often commission instruments with unique design characteristics in order to satisfy compositional needs. Btw, to fine tune (😉) twoleftears’ excellent comments on this:

The clarinet variants that still exist today and their most commonly used range “designations” are piccolo clarinet (Ab), sopranino clarinet (Eb, D), soprano clarinet (C,Bb,A), alto clarinet (Eb), basset horn (F), contra alto (Eb) and contra bass (Bb). On a related note, it is interesting that both Mozart’s clarinet quintet and concerto were written in the key of A. The basset clarinet which Stadler owned, and as they are today, was pitched in the key of A. Mozart’s choice of the key of A for these works was surely because doing so would make the execution of technical passages much easier since, as has been noted, early clarinet variants had few keys; making difficult passages much more difficult or impossible if written in a different key. Btw, the modern basset clarinet looks nothing like the instrument that Stadler played. Today’s basset clarinet looks just like a “regular” clarinet, but with an extended lower joint and the necessary additional keys. Btw, the clarinet got its name from the Italian “clarino” (trumpet). Early clarinets had a trumpet-like tone quality.

Historically informed performances are often very interesting and some are excellent. In this case the extended range of the basset clarinet most certainly adds a degree of compositional authenticity to a performance. However, performances/recordings made with a regular A clarinet (no extended range) should not be dismissed as necessarily inferior. In fact, in my favorite recordings of this great work the basset clarinet is not used. Purists should consider how much performance practices have changed over the years. As inconceivable as it may seem today, but in typical fashion for the time, at the premiere performance of this work the piece is reputed to have been performed one movement at a time, with other works or movements of other works performed between them!

Probably my favorite, Karl Leister with the Vienna Quartet is wonderful, as is the mentioned Harold Wright. For a great example of a rendition with what could be called a more modern approach to clarinet playing, Anthony McGill with the Pacifica Quartet is great. The recording by the lesser known early 20th century Austrian clarinetist Leopold Wlach is wonderful for its very relaxed feeling and recommended….if you can find it.

Between @twoleftears ​​​​@frogman  my knowledge of the Clarinet has increased several fold.  Thank you both

The modern clarinet is usually thought of as having three registers, the chalumeau (with a more woody tone), the clarion (with a brighter tone), and the altissimo, which gets you into some serious harmonics.  The "octave key" (which isn't actually an octave, it's more, though it is an octave on the saxophone) on the underside of the instrument gets you from the chalumeau to the clarion.

Nice demo, thanks!

The “octave key”, also and more accurately referred to as register key overblows a 12th (one octave and a fifth).  This is a function of the fact that the clarinet has a tubular bore, as opposed to the saxophone’s conical bore . The saxophone’s bore (internal dimensions of the tube) is a cone, varying continuously from one end to the other.  The clarinet’s, except for the bell, does not.  

Of course we know that Hector Berlioz conceived the idea for the saxophone and then conveyed that idea to instrument make Adolphe Saxe.  Berlioz wanted the new instrument to be known as the "Berliozophone", but Saxe apparently had other ideas...

…. and speaking of clarinets and Adolph Sax, Sax was also the inventor of the modern bass clarinet which he patented in the late 1830’s or so; before (!) he patented his Saxophone. Earlier bass clarinets predated Sax’s instrument, but they used a design more akin to that of the bassoons of that time. Sax collaborated with another instrument maker Louis Buffet. Buffet, of course is the brand that would become the most popular clarinet brand.

@mahler123 Mozart wrote a piece for the postal horn, the same horn that postal carriers used to announce the mail delivery.

That lends a new meaning to the phrase "Going Postal"

….. and who would would have thought that three centuries later it would get its own emoji?  📯
 

Brand new recording of the Mozart concerto with Basset + a modern concerto written for Basset.

https://www.amazon.com/Flow-Concertos-Annelien-Van-Wauwe/dp/B09RG8FQ6Z/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2T5V8M8F0M716&keywords=Annelien+Van+Wauwe&qid=1662483552&s=music&sprefix=annelien+van+wauwe+%2Cpopular%2C60&sr=1-1

Nice to see, but it is a pity that Pentatone continues to move away from SACD hybrid recordings

@mahler123 I’m not surprised that any label is moving away from SACD given that audiophiles are no longer buying disc players as they once had. Also, the mastering behind DSD is different than SACD. I’m wondering if streaming services will ever offer DSD streaming? I’m hoping that DSD will grow in downloads, etc…

Anybody know, who makes modern historical instruments?

As far as I can see, Buffet-Crampon and LeBlanc (two of the premier French clarinet makers) have offerings in the field of modern basset clarinets.  There are probably others.

Every other instrument will have their own group of specialized makers.

The two makers mentioned use the Boehm (French) fingering system for their basset clarinets. To that list we can add Selmer, Backun and Stephen Fox. Modern makers using the German system include Wurlitzer and Leitner & Kraus. These makers make modern versions of basset (and others) clarinets.  These instruments are not modern “historical” instruments which replicate clarinets as existed in Mozart’s time. Soren Green is one maker that makes true historical instruments which use the same (or similar) designs as what existed centuries ago.

@goofyfoot 

I realize that the market for SACD, which was pretty much the Classical Music Industry only, is collapsing, and can't blame Pentatone for shifting, but they and BIS were the two stalwarts of SACD

@frogman Thanks for the link! Those appear to be some wonderful instruments, I wouldn't mind owning a few myself.

@mahler123 Yes, both BIS and Pentatone were early with their releases on SACD. I've never owned a good disc player much less an SACD player so I've never  heard the SACD layer of those. Pentatone is now invested in DSD downloads. The Julia Fischer Schubert Violin Sonatas are available as DSD. I also believe there to be a fair amount of works for clarinet and woodwinds in general via DSD.

Another great example of Mozart’s genius and arguably (not really, imo) the greatest work for winds ever composed is his Serenade No. 10 “Gran Partita”.  It is believed to have been composed, like his Clarinet Quintet, for his clarinetist friend Anton Stadler; or, more specifically, for a wind ensemble that Stadler was a member of.  As mahler123 points out, Mozart was a lover of instrumental color and I can think of no better example of this.  Particularly interesting to me is Mozart’s use of basset horns to bridge the range gap between the clarinets and the bassoons.   

On the subject of historical instruments and a fascinating comparison of instrumental color between the modern instruments used in the above Mackeras/Orchestra of St. Luke’s and this by Zefiro Ensemble:

Mozart wrote his three works featuring the instrument for one of his friends and drinking buddies.

I would love to have partied with Mozart.   I bet he could throw down with the best of them!