Mozart-Clarinet Quintet

@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.