Klarinet Archive - Posting 000007.txt from 2008/07
From: "Daniel Leeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Brahms and the basset horn
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:20:14 -0400
This vignette never names the work that he heard, but there are only two
compositions by Mozart for a female voice and an orchestra with two basset
horns. The first is from Abuduction for the Harem and is titled
"Traurigkeit," while the second is the rarely performed aria from Marriage
of Figaro whose title is Al Desio di chi t'adora."
I suspect that Brahms was refrring to the Figaro aria because it really
shows off the basset horns stuff. Of the two, the second basset horn has
the far more interesting musical lines. I've done the piece about three
times as a concert aria, and I always requested the second basset horn part.
It is by far the most interesting and challenging to play with lots and lots
of low note work.
The most recent production of Figaro at the Met included the aria.
Dan Leeson
-----Original Message-----
From: David B. Niethamer [mailto:dnietham@-----.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2008 6:06 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: [kl] Brahms and the basset horn
From a letter written by Brahms to Clara Schumann, Sunday, November
25, 1855:
"2.)Aria by Mozart, sung by Frau Guhrau, with orchestra.
"To my delight she was accompanied by two basset horns, which had
been sought out with considerable effort.
"I find that no instrument so moulds itself to the human voice as
does the basset horn, whose sound is almost half-way between the
cello (bassoon) and the clarinet."
In this letter, Brahms is describing a concert in Hamburg, his native
city, in which he played the "Emperor" Concerto by Beethoven. I
quoted it from the book "Johannes Brahms: Life and Letters" by Styra
Avins (pub. Oxford). I often find compilations of letters to be
something of a bore, unless one is trying to read about specific
events contained in a few letters. This book is a wonderful adjunct
to a good biography of Brahms, with biographical annotations for most
letters (or sometimes, groups of letters), and a very thorough list
of sources in case one wants to pursue a particular subject further.
The book contains 564 letters, including the first (to his first
piano teacher) and the last, to his step-mother, Karolin Brahms.
Interesting reading.
David
David B. Niethamer
dnietham@-----.edu
http://members.aol.com/dbnclar1/index.html
------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------
