 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Eoin
Date: 2001-12-19 14:43
Who adapted Mozart's Clarinet Concerto so that it could be played on a standard A Clarinet? The original concerto as written for Anton Stadler could only be played on Stadler's Basset Clarinet. Did Mozart himself produce the version for normal A clarinet? When was it done?
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Author: William
Date: 2001-12-19 15:27
As I uderstand the history of this Concerto, Mozart never penned a version for the modern A clarinet. In fact, his sketchs of the concerto leave a lot of license for notational, articulative and dynamic descrepancies as he left a lot of the interpretive details up to his friend, Stadlers, personal invention. Most of todays versions are the results of "editions" by modern clarinetists who think that they "have it right." There is a recording done on a basset A clarinet that is probably closest to the original Mozart version--the name of the performer escapes me at this moment, last name is Shiffrin (spl-?) Some others may have more complete info--hope this helps a bit. Good Clarineting!!!!!!
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2001-12-19 16:54
As I piece things together, no complete Mozart autograph has ever been found, but some fragments are known to exist (the sketches referred to by William). I even once suggested -- with tongue only partway in cheek -- that Mozart only provided sketches and a sort of "outline" to Stadtler, who finished it himself. Of course, I have absolutely no foundation for making that statement, just as most others who claim vast knowledge on the topic have developed their information through deduction. My copy is the Reginald Kell "Authentic Edition" (yeah, sure....), and it is alleged to have known errors. My favorite rendition is no doubt that of Sabine Meyer, who plays it on a modern Basset Clarinet. It has been edited for ordinary A clarinet, re-transcribed for B-flat clarinet, and had a few other good and bad things done to it by a number of editors. Plenty of people seem ready to offer their opinions as to which available edition might be closest to the way Stadtler played it, but I decline comment on that controversy. Curiously, the term "Basset Clarinet" is said to have been coined somewhere around the 1950s, but I cannot find the reference. Surely someone else could confirm or deny this. For that matter, the modern Basset Clarinet is itself a curiosity to me. Although music has been written for it since it first arrived on the scene, it evidently was created primarily to play this one selection. It's fascinating to me that we know so little about the actual music of this most popular clarinet concerto.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-12-19 17:32
JMcAulay wrote:
>
> As I piece things together, no complete Mozart autograph
> has ever been found, but some fragments are known to exist (the
> sketches referred to by William).
The fragments are for basset horn, not basset clarinet. They clearly establish a musical line, but there are significant differences between this fragment and what was written (the scholars are pretty sure about this).
There is no autograph or fragments at all extant of the original score. Pamela Poulin has researched and published about the earliest performances (and indeed has uncovered some evidence of Stadler's basset horn construction from a performance in Riga).
There are many performances now available using reconstructions of the score for basset clarinet; Schiffrin's is one. If you check the research section of http://www.clarinet.org you can find some information on some of the research being perfomed. Check out Keith Koon's report on the scores available (the report is on the piano reductions, but he discusses the clarinet parts extensively).
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Author: diz
Date: 2001-12-19 22:02
Interesting to note, that one of the "orginal manuscripts" of the work was scored in G major, NOT in A major, and written - as stated - for a basset/alto clarinet. The Academy of Ancient Music (Hogwood) has recorded a delightful, if somewhat "too perfect" recording of the Concert on basset/alto "original instrument" clarinet. I love it - and really hate the hideous "Benny Goodman" versions on modern clarinets with modern orchestras.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2001-12-19 22:06
diz...I hope you don't consider the Robert Marcellus / Szell version of the concerto (modern clarinet / modern orchestra) in that "hideous" category...GBK
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2001-12-20 01:42
These readings may be interesting.
http://www.clarinet.org/Research/1998/Koons.htm
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~rb5h-ngc/e/k621b.htm
http://www.classicalnotes.co.uk/notes/mozart6.html
http://pages.pomona.edu/~elindholm/moz_cc.htm
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-12-20 03:13
diz wrote:
>
> Interesting to note, that one of the "orginal
> manuscripts" of the work was scored in G major, NOT in A major,
> and written - as stated - for a basset/alto clarinet.
NO, NO, NO!!!!! Basset HORN, and is NOT an original manuscript or autograph of the WORK, but something different. It is partially done and shows a great deal of similarity and shows us some ideas of how Mozart developed K.622, but is NOT for the clarinet - one of the reasons it's in a different key.
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Author: diz
Date: 2001-12-20 03:27
No ... not at all, it's sublime (agreed), but I think the over-vibratoed Goodman version is awful. Don't get me wrong, anything that the Cleveland played under Szell is wonderul
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Author: Eoin
Date: 2001-12-21 08:27
Mark, why do you draw such a distinction between Basset Clarinet and Basset Horn? The clarinet in Eb, D, C, Bb and A are all known as clarinets. The basset horn in F is known as a basset horn. The Winterthur fragment is written for an instrument in G, between the lowest clarinet (the A) and the basset horn. Why do you call this non-existent instrument in G a basset horn and insist it is not a clarinet?
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-12-21 23:05
Eoin wrote:
>
> Mark, why do you draw such a distinction between Basset
> Clarinet and Basset Horn? The clarinet in Eb, D, C, Bb and A
> are all known as clarinets. The basset horn in F is known as a
> basset horn. The Winterthur fragment is written for an
> instrument in G, between the lowest clarinet (the A) and the
> basset horn. Why do you call this non-existent instrument in G
> a basset horn and insist it is not a clarinet?
Because a Basset Clarinet is in A with an extension to low C, that's why, along with a few other things. That's its definition, period. It is <b>NOT</b> and never will be a basset horn.
Basset horns of the period had different bore/length ratios, and if you ever get the chance to hear a period basset horn you will find it is has a distinctive sound unlike a clarinet. Even today, a modern alto clarinet and a basset horn sound different.
Basset horns came in (at least) F and G, and were not called alto clarinets, either ...
Do you call "trucks" "cars"? Of course not, though they are more similar than different.
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Author: Lorie
Date: 2002-01-01 12:33
You know, Mark - it is amazing to me the number of folks who don't know the history of the basset clarinet. If my failing memory serves me at all, Stadler and his brother were both clarinet virtuosos (virtuosi??)... but Anton had this "thing" for the lower notes (extended range) and so he always played the second parts. Am I hallucinating or has anyone else heard that same story???
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