OLENA OȘVAT - Historical Clarinets Mozart’s Lifetime – the Instruments that Served as Inspiration for K.622
Abstract
The end of the 18th century and the first decades of the 19th century mark the most important and sudden evolution of the clarinet due to three phenomena that contributed to its development and popularization: the evolution of the Classical and early Romantic musical styles, the emerging of the modern concept of the orchestra, and the development of the clarinet’s technique and tone due to the combined effort of performers, composers and instrument builders. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart made use of the clarinet in his lyrical and symphonic music, but also in chamber and solo works which today represent the apogee of classical clarinet repertoire and an essential contribution to the clarinet’s technical evolution. This research attempts to understand the circumstances under which Mozart became an important promoter of this instrument, and to depict the characteristics of the various types of clarinets he would have listened to during his lifetime. Thus, starting with his first contact with the clarinet in Salzburg, and taking into consideration his travels to London and Mannheim, I have reconstructed his intersections with different clarinet players and their instruments, and interpreted the effect they had on his work.
Keywords
clarinet, basset clarinet, clarinet concerto, historical clarinet, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Anton Stadler