The Clarinet and Its MusicAuthor(s): Oscar W. StreetSource: Proceedings of the Musical Association, 42nd Sess. (1915 - 1916), pp. 89-115Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of the Royal Musical AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/765751 .Accessed: 01/03/2011 22:19Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unlessyou have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and youmay use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use.Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at .http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=rma. .Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printedpage of such transmission.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.Royal Musical Association and Taylor & Francis, Ltd. are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve andextend access to Proceedings of the Musical Association.http://www.jstor.orgAPRII. 18, 1916. CHARLESMACLEAN,ESQ.,M.A.,Mus.D. VICE-PRESIDENT, INTHECHAIR. THECLARINETANDITSMUSIC. BYOSCARW. STREET, M.A. IHAVE beenaskedto give aminimumof "history" inthis paper, and therefore,although fromthe very natureofthe subject-matter itmustbedealtwith historically, Iwill onlyvery briefly tracetheevolutionof this, the youngest ofthewood-wind oftheorchestra.But by"youngest" Imeanthelasttoreach sucha stage of development asentitledittoa place inthe orchestra.Fortheclarinet-andthisisthe importantpoint to rememberaboutitin any discussionofits peculiarities-is a cylindrical tubesounded by meansofa singlebeatingreed, and suchinstrumentsareof greatantiquity.They wereincommon useinthe early civilisationin Egypt. Iunderstandthatsome specimens ofa very ancient Egyptian instrumentwhichwasthus sounded, discovered by Prof. Petrie, wereexhibitedbeforethis Associationsometime ago. Thisinstrumentisthe arghoul, andaninstrument closelyresembling itisusedin Egypt tothis day. Thereare threemodem specimens intheSouth Kensington Museum,thoughcuriouslyenough oneofthesehaswhatis apparently adoublereed something likeabassoon-reed.Inits o-iginal formitconsistedoftwo cylindrical tubesof unequal length madeofreed (the Arundodonaxofthe Nile), sometimes alsoof bamboo,firmly tied together, eachtube having amouth- piece,shaped likea beak, withareedtiedtoit,whichis usually carvedinthesamematerialasthetube.Thetwobeaksare put inthe mouth, and produce soundsat thesametime.Theshorter tubehassix finger-holes, the longer one serves as an accompanying "drone."TheArabian zummarah, whichis closely alliedto the arghoul, alsoconsistsoftwo tubes,which,however, areboth provided with finger-holes, butthedoublesounds produced in thismannerareso horribly discordantthat they are hardly 8Vol.42 TheClarinetanditsMusic. bearableto European ears.Therearestillmorevarietiesofthis kind, all being ofArabic origin-as, for instance, thechirimia withone tube, a popular instrumentoftheBalearicIslands.It hassurvivedinits originalshape intheIslandofSardinia. Furthermore, variousinstrumentssimilartothe arghoul have beenfoundin Egyptian tombsinmoderntimes.Such belong totheXXth Dynasty, B.C.ioo.Theuseofthe single reed among theGreeksandRomanswas probably borrowedfrom Egypt. TheGreek"aulos"hada cylindricalbore, andwas played witha single reed. Fragments ofancient tibiae, also cylindrical, discoveredat Pompeii, showthe application ofthis species of reed, andthatitsuse was popular appears tobe beyond doubt.Reedinstrumentsofthiskind were,however, in their earlystages of development inferiortothoseofthedouble-reed families,lacking their delicacy and quality of tone, and being capable oflittle expression. Theirusewasthereforeconfined tomusiciansofalower socialstatus. [Instrument shownand playedon.] SinceIwrotethe foregoingremarks, Dr. Southgate, whoto mygreatregret isunabletobewithusthis evening, has very kindlygiven me permission toshow you this instrument, which isanexact dopy ofwhatis undoubtedly theoldestmusical instrumentintheworldTwosuch specimens were foundsome twentyyearsago inthe Pyramid ofAkhmin by M.de Frenay, aFrenchConsul.This pyramid istheoldestofall the Egyptian pyramids, and thousands of years prior to the timeofthe Pharaohs One example is preserved intheCairo Museum; the other, of whichthisisanexact copy, isatParis.Theremarkable feature ofthemisthat they shownot only thattheancient Egyptians understoodand requiredjustintonation, butthat they were acquainted withthe diatonic,chromatic, andenharmonicscales manyages beforetheriseofGreeceandits philosophers, to whomitwas formerly supposed thatweoweourmusicalladder ofsounds.ThelateSir John Stainerremarked whenheheard aboutthese instruments, "Thefirst chapter inthe history of musichastobere-written." Instrumentssuchas theseweretheancestorsofthe chalumeau, German shalmei, whichmustnotbeconfusedwiththe shawm, thedouble-reedinstrument (which inFranceisalsocalled musette),though thetwoterms represent thesamediminutive formoftheLatincalamus =a reed or straw.IntheMiddle Ages thechalumeauwas widelyspread inWestern Europe, buthas survived to-day in very limitednumbers. Indeed, incontrast withthe manyoriginalrepresentatives oftheshawm family, itis nearly extinct. Wanderinggipsies inGreeceare practically the onlypeople whostilluseit asanationalinstrument. [Chalumeau shownand playedon.] 9o TheClarinetanditsMusic. Thechalumeau may bedescribedasarudeinstrumentmade froma cylindrical reedinwhicha speakingtongue was cut, boredwithsix finger-holes andonethumb-hole.Sucha tube, inthewordsofMr.D. J.Blaikley, thatlearned authority on wind instruments, when over-blown,repeats itsfundamental scaleatwelfth higher; andwhenthefundamentalscaleis limitedtoanoctavethereis manifestly a gap ofseveral notes. By theendofthe 17thcentury chalumeauxwere being madeinfour pitches or keys-viz., in highA, in Et, in.C, and inlowA. Specimens ofthesearetobefoundinvarious museums throughoutEurope. Thosewhichconcernusmostin dealing withthe history oftheclarinetarethetwointhe BavarianNationalMuseumat Munich, whicharecertifiedasthe workof JohannChristopherDenner, whomall clarinet-players honouras theinventoroftheirinstrument.Dennerwasbornat Leipsic in 1655. Whenhewas eightyears oldhis father, who wasamakerofmusical instruments, movedto Nuremberg, whereDennerresidedtillhisdeathin 1707. Hisfluteswere celebrated throughoutGermany,being remarkablefortheir accurateintonation.Hisbassoonswerealsoexcellent. According tosuchauthenticatedinformatiQnasis available, DenneraboutI690first began the improvement, andafterwards thetransformation ofthe chalumeau, andtowards I696his ideas maturedintheformexhibitedinthesetwoinstruments preserved atMunich.Iwill shortly describethem.The smaller, which is onlypartiallypreserved, is pitched in highA, andis quite of theoldchalumeau type. Itis only 28cm. long. Ithastwo keys,giving Aand Bt,placed ratherfardownfromthe mouthpiece. The opening forthelittle finger ofthe right hand isadoubleone:ifbothsmall holesare closed,low F is obtained; if onlyone,F#. TheotherinstrumentisinC.Itisoffiner workmanship, and distinctly bearsthemark J. C.Denner.Itis 50 cm. long. The mouthpiece isallinonewiththe body ofthe instrument, withthe lay forthereedturned uppermost. There isa veryperfectspecimen in ivory ofaninstrumentofthis description intheDonaldsonCollectionatthe RoyalCollege of Music,having the lay forthereedontheunderside.I cannot go intoacousticaltechnicalitiesinthis paper, butitwill be readily understoodthatDenner'sidea (call itinventionor what youwill) wasthatthis key atthebackoftheinstrument shouldserveasa "speaker " for ensuring the properproduction ofthetwelfths. Thewhole subject wasdealtwithand authoritatively explainedby Mr. Blaikley ata meeting ofthisAssociation onDecember ist,1884,inadiscussion following a paper "OncertainPeculiaritiesoftheClarinet Family," whichwillbe found reported inthe "Proceedings" oftheEleventh Session, I884-85. 9I TheClarinetanditsMusic. Thenext improvement waseffected byJ.Denner, whowas probablyJ. C.Denner'sson.Heusedabellin place ofthe cylindrical end.Hemovedthethumb-or " speaker "-key farther upwards towardsthe mouthpiece, whichfacilitatedthe production ofa purer middle register, buthemadethehole smaller, sothatthe Btbecame Bt, which flattenilg wasfurther increased by thesmallmetaltube extendingnearly tothecentre lineofthe bore, whichDenner put into prevent the entry of moistureintotheholein question.Thiswas doneabout I720. Theinstrumentnowwantedthe Bt, soDenner prolonged the tube sufficiently toenableaholetobeboredatthe bottom, whichwhenclosedwith a longkeygaveBf, andasan accessory thelow E, whichremainsthebottomnoteofthenormalclarinet tothis day. Other specimens ofthisclarinetwith three keys are tobefoundinseveralcollections dating around I750. After CtDi this threemore keys were added-viz., for -, andmiddle FtGt' G:F C#; sothattheinstrumentcametolooksomethinglikethisone whichInowshow you.[Oldclarinetshownand playedon.] Thusitremaineduntilthe beginning ofthe rgthcentury, when IvanMullercametoParisin 1809andintroducedhis 13-key clarinet, onwhichhe claimed, andwithmuch justice, itwas possible to play withcorrectintonationin everykey. A great number oftrillswere alsomade possible. Likeother innovations, however, itmetwith opposition, anditwasnotuntil long afterwards thatits usage became general in military bands.But its coming wasan epoch in clarinet-making, not only as regards the key-system butalsointhecorrect boring oftheholesfrom anacoustical point ofview.Astimewentonvariousother additionsand alterations, some good andsome bad, were made, butMuller's I3-key clarinethasheldits own, andtheinstrument whichMr. Stutely is playing onthis evening isnotso very farremovedfromit.Itisamodelwhichwas adopted and perfectedby thelateMr. George Clinton.ButImustnotomit tomentionone other, a veryimportant and widely-usedsystem, viz., thatevolvedabout 1843by H.E. Klose, Professoratthe Paris Conservatoire, in conjunction withthefirm of Buffet, which isin verymanyrespectsfundamentally differentfrommodels foundedonMiiller'sclarinet. Broadlyspeaking, itisan application totheclarinetofTheo.Boehm's system forthe flute, andhenceithascometobeknownastheBoehm clarinet.Itsuseis practically universalin France, and by nomeansuncommonin England. That distinguished artist Mr.Charles Draper isanenthusiastic supporter ofits superiority overallother systems. 92 TheClarinetanditsMusic. Having sketchedthe origin ofthe clarinet, Iwillnow endeavourtotracethe stepsby whichitcameinto practical use.Its progressduring thefirsthalfofthe i9th century was not rapid. Inaworkontheorchestra published at Hamburg in 1713, clarinetmusicwas mentioned byJohannMattheson, themusician andwriter withwhomHandelis saidtohave fought aduel. TheCathedralof Antwerppossesses(or did possess) theMS. ofa five-partMass,bearing date 1726,by oneAdam Joseph Faber, inwhichaclarinet part occurs.A quotation fromthisin the masterly treatiseonInstrumentation by the Belgianprofessor Gevaert, showsremarkable precocity: ithasa compass from lowFtoBabovethestaff (clarinet in C), andisrealclarinet musicandnotamere " clarino" part. Ihaveitonthe authority ofthelateDr. Cummings that Handelwrotefortwoclarinetsinhis opera"Tamerlano," the dateofwhichis given inGroveas 1724, andalsothatthere isaMS.overtureofHandel'sintheFitzwilliam Library at Cambridgecontaining aclarinet part. In 1751 Jean Philippe Rameau employed theinstrumentinhis pastoralplay 'Acante .et Cephise," asalsodid Johann ChristianBachinhis opera "Orione,"given inLondonin 1753. Dr.Hadowtellsusinthe "Oxford History of Music," vol. v., thatin 1757 Gossec introducedaclarinetintothe accompaniment oftwo songs writtenfor Sophie Arnould's debft, andthat WilhelmFriedemann Bachwroteasextetfortwo horns,clarinet,violin, violaand 'cellosometimebefore 1767. Gluckin"Orfeo" (1762) and 'Alceste" (1767) stillconfinedhimselfto using the simple chalumeau.Yetallthistimetheclarinetmusthavebeen well known, forEiselinhisworkonthemusicalinstruments (published atErfurtin 1738)gives a complete accountof it, mentionsitschalumeau registerbyname, andevenasserts thatvirtuosicouldaddfiveorsixnotestoits compass. Why thendid composers notmakemoreuseofit ? Probably becausethetoneoftheearlierinstrumentswas very hardand coarse, and consequently moresuitedto playing "clarino" parts. Inthefirsthalfofthei8th century "clarino"wasthe name given tothe trumpetsplaying thetwo highestparts, which parts inall probability cametobe given tothe clarinet-i.e., the little clarino-owing toitseasier handling andsomewhatrelated timbre.ThereforeEisel's"virtuosi"musthavebeenartistsof a very inferiorkindtoeventheearliestofthe greatplayers to whomIamabouttorefer:infactCarl Barmann, inthe Introductiontohis great "Clarinet School,"contemptuously remarks, "Wewillnotcallthemartists." Haydn usedtheclarinet verysparingly. Itisabsentfrom mostofhis symphonies, andwhereitdoesoccurthemusicforit often,though not invariably, resemblesa"clarino" part. But 93 TheClarinetanditsMusic. thereisafinetrio fortwoclarinetsand bassoonin thest Mass, andsome importantpassages inthe"Creation." Mozart first heardclarinetsin I777, at Mannheim, wherethe orchestrawasthefinestin Europe: andhewasso delighted that hewrotehometohis father, "Oh!ifwe only hadclarinets! Youcannotthinkwhat a splendid effect a symphony makeswith flutes,oboes, andclarinets." Having them available, he included theminthe symphony in D, whichhewroteatParisin 1778; they areherehoweverbut sparingly used, and along with trumpets anddrumsare altogether omittedfromtheandante.Inhis seven succeedingsymphonies therearenoclarinet parts; butin the next one-viz., that in Eb, composed at Viennain June,1788- thetwoclarinetshave very prominent parts, to the entireexclusion ofoboes.Thebeautiful passages inthirdsintheandanteof this symphony areofcoursefamiliaito you, andanother characteristic piece of writing occursinthetriotothe minuet, wherethefirst clarinethasthe melody andthesecond accompanies itwith arpeggios inthechalumeau register. Such form of arpeggio accompaniment occurs very frequently in Mozart, and many later composers havemadeliberaluseofitas being peculiarly suitedtothe genius oftheinstrument.InMozart's next symphony-viz., theG minor,composed inthe following month-therewerenoclarinetsinthe originalversion; but Mozartadded parts forthem later,giving thema greatmany passages whichhehad previously allottedtotheoboes.If second thoughts are best, itseems strange thatthislater versionisnotmore frequently used.Inhislast symphony, the " Jupiter,"completed lessthanthreeweeksaftertheG minor, therearenoclarinets.Intheadditional accompaniments to "AcisandGalatea " and the "Messiah," thereare important and beautifulclarinet parts. Itis abundantly clearthat during thesecondhalfofthe I8thcentury a verygreatimprovement and development was going onin clarinet-playing andintheinstrument itself, for prominentplayers or" virtuosi"were beginning to appear. Thefirst ofthesewas JosephBeer, a Bohemian, bornin 1744, who, after serving as a trumpeter intheAustrianandtheninthe French army during theSevenYears' War, settledinParisand began to study theclarinet.He shortly becamethefinest player inFrance.Hevisited Holland,Italy,Russia, and Hungary, meetingeverywhere withbrilliantsuccess.Lateronhesettled in Berlin, wherehediedin1811.Hewas ascelebratedforthe softnessand purity ofhistoneandforthe delicacy ofhisnuances ashewasforhisexecution.In fact, hemarksan epoch in thehistoryoftheinstrument.Heissaidtohaveaddedthe keygiving .Hisbest pupils wereMichelYostand 94 TheClarinetanditsMusic. HeinrichBarmann.MichelYost (generally knownas" Michel") wasbornatParisin 1754.Beginning asanoboe player, he took up theclarinetunderBeer,andbecameamuch-admired artist,playing attheConcerts Spirituelseveryyear with great success.Hedied young, in 1786. Hisbest pupil wasLefevre. FrancoisTauschwasbornat Heidelberg in1762.Whenonly fifteen years oldhewas intheserviceoftheElectorofBavaria as clarinettist.HewentwithWinterto Vienna, wherehestudied forsix months, and subsequently toBerlin.Fetis says thathe was arival toBeerand Stadler, withanevenmoremellowtone. Jean XavierLefevrewasbornatLausannein 1763, andcame early to Paris, wherehestudiedunderYost. Having madehis nameataConcert Spirituel in 1787, hebecame principal clarinetatthe Opera in 179I. WhentheParisConservatoire wasinstitutedin 1795, Lefevrewasoneofthe Professors, and wascommissionedtowritea "School," whichwasinusefor manyyears. Hehad manypupils, andwas given the Legion of Honour.Hediedin 1829. Headdedthe keygiving - ,,which wasthencalledthesixth.Lefevreissaid tohave disapproved ofthe experiments whichwere being made withaviewtothe improvement ofthe clarinet,being ofthe opinion thata multiplicity of keys was injurious tothe sonority oftheinstrument. The friendship ofMozartforaclarinettistat Vienna, named Stadler (the-dates ofwhosebirthanddeathI regret tohavebeen unableto ascertain),brought into being twoworksforthe instrumentwhicharemonumentsforall time-viz., the quintet forclarinetand strings andtheconcertoforclarinetand orchestra,composedrespectively in 1789 and 1791.They are bothvivid examples ofthe masterly manner inwhichMozarthad grasped the capabilities oftheinstrument.Otto Jahntruly remarks oftheconcerto: " Itisnottoomuchto say thatitis thebasisofmodem clarinet-playing." Mostof you are no doubt familiarwiththe quintet, buttheconcerto is, alas I very seldom heard nowadays. Ifindthatithasnotbeen played ata PhilharmonicConcertsinceWillman played itin 1838, andasa Fellowofthathonourableold Society, Ishouldliketo place on record myregret atthe neglect ofsuchabeautifulwork.Ihave only heardit played onceinits entirety, andthatwas by Mr. Charles Draper inthe earlydays oftheBeechamOrchestra. The excerpts tobe played noware thesecondtriooftheminuet inthe quintet, and portions ofthefinaleofthe concerto, bothof which admirably illustrateMozart's masterly treatmentofthe instrument. [Illustrationsfrom Quintet and Concerto.] 95 TheClarinetanditsMusic. Thebeautiful passages forclarinet appearing hereandtherein the"Zauberflote"werenodoubtin great measurealsodueto Stadler, andtheelaborate obbligati totwo great Ariasin "Clemenzadi Tito," theoneforclarinetandtheotherfor basset-horn, werewritten specially forthat player. Iwillask Miss Spencer andMr. Stutelykindly tolet you hear excerpts fromtheformer Aria, "Parto "; butbefore they dosoIwould liketodraw your attentiontothefactthatthis obbligato was writtenforaclarinet having anextended compass downto thelowC (sounding Btinthebass clef), a major thirdbelow thebottomnoteofthenormalinstrument.Ibelievethatno example ofsuchaninstrumentisextantatthe present day. A fragment ofa quintet forclarinetand strings by Mozart (allegro, 93bars), writtenforaninstrumentofthis description, hasbeen preserved atParis. [Illustration: Recit.and Aria, " Parto."] TheAriawhich you have just heardwasintheold daysvery frequentlygiven atthePhilharmonicConcerts. With regard toMozart's friendship for Stadler, the following passage inOtto Jahn's " LifeofMozart" may beofinterest. He says:- "Mozart'smost dangerousqualities werea good-natured soft- heartednessanda spontaneousgenerosity. He gave asitwere involuntarily, frominner necessity. Thathewasoften imposed upon therecanbe nodoubt.Whoever cameto him at meal-time was his guest, all the more welcomeif he couldmake or understand a joke, andMozartwas happy if only his guestsenjoyed their fare. Among themwere doubtless, as Sophie Haibl relates, 'false friends, secret blood-suckers, andworthless people, who served only toamusehimat table, andintercoursewithwhom injured his reputation.' Oneoftheworst ofthissetwas Stadler, who may serve asan example ofthe way inwhichMozartwas sometimestreated.Stadlerwas anexcellent clarinet-player, and aFreemason:hewas fullof jokes and nonsense, andcontrived soto ingratiate himselfwithMozartthatthelatter constantly invitedhimtohis house, and composedmanythings forhim. Once,having learnt thatMozarthad just received 50ducats, he represented himselfasundoneifhecouldnotsucceedin borrowing that very sum. Mozart, whowantedthe money himself,gave himtwovaluable repeater watchesto put in pawn, upon conditionthat heshould bring himtheticketsandredeem theminduetime:ashedidnotdo this, Mozart gave him 50ducats, besidesthe interest, inordernottolosehis watches.Stadler kept the money, andallowedthewatches toremainatthe pawnbroker's. Nowise profitingby his experience,Mozart, onhisreturnfromFrankfortin 1790, commissionedStadlertoredeemfrom pawn a portion ofthe 96 TheClarinetanditsMusic. silver plate whichhadbeen pledged forthe expenses ofthe journey, andtorenewthe agreement fortheremainder.In spite ofa verystrong suspicion thatStadlerhad purloined this pawnticket fromMozart's cashbox, thelatterwasnotdeterred from assisting himinthe followingyear towardsa professional tour, bothwith money and recommendation, at Prague, andfrom presenting himwiththeconcerto." Ihave only time just tomention by namethebeautifultrioin whichtheclarinettakes part with pianoforte and viola, andthe exquisitepianofortequintet with oboe,horn, and bassoon, which last-namedMozart himselfconsideredasoneofhisbestchamber compositions. NorcanI stop todealwiththeconcertante quartet for oboe,clarinet,horn, and bassoon, with orchestra, whichMozartwroteat Paris, andthe manuscript ofwhichwas lostand only discoveredin quite recent times; norwiththe manydivertimenti,serenades, andthe like, whichcontainmost beautiful writing forthe clarinet, usedinan extraordinary variety of combinations; for instance, an adagio fortwoclarinetsand three basset-hors, andsix delightful littletriosfortwoclarinets andbassoonwhichare perfect modelsof part-writing. Mozart's useoftheclarinetformssuchan importantepoch inthe history ofitsmusicthatIthinkI may beexcusedfor having devoted toita largeportion oftheshorttimeat mydisposal. InBeethoven's scoring fortheclarinetinhis symphonies one may findseveraltracesofthe style of Mozart, asforinstance the easy andeffective passages forthetwoclarinetsinthe andanteofthe2nd symphony, the arpeggios forthefirst clarinetinthefinaleofthe "Eroica," andthe episode inthe 4thsymphony wherethefirstclarinethasa melody accom- paniedby thesecondwith arpeggios inthechalumeau.But onefeelsBeethoven'sownhandatoncewhenonelistenstothe lovely cantabilesolointhe adagio ofthe 4thsymphony, which occurstwiceinthe movement, firstinthedominantand again inthetonic key; andalsointhe equally beautiful episode intheandanteofthe " Pastoral" Symphony,where, afterthe fluteandoboehave played asaduetasomewhatsimilartheme inG major, comesamodulationtoEtD whichseemsofitself tocallforthe entry oftheclarinet.IwillaskMr. Stutely to play the episode towhichIrefer. [Illustrationfrom"Pastoral" Symphony.] Other prominentpassages inBeethoven's symphonies, ofmore technical difficulty, are the staccato arpeggios inthe upperregister towardsthecloseofthefirstmovementofthe "Pastoral,"and thesolointhetriototheminuetinNo. 8, inwhichBeethoven twicetakestheclarinet up toGin alt, tobe playedpp, which sometimescauses interestingspeculation astowhetheritwill 4 comeoff."Beethovenhasusedtheclarinetinchamber-music 97 TheClarinetanditsMusic. inthewell-known pianoforte trioin Bb, andinthebeautiful quintet inEtforthesameinstrumentsasthatofMozart. Inthe quintet hehas given theclarineta position of great prominence, whereasMozartmadetheoboethe leading instrument. They areboth masterpieces, butonthewholeI thinkMozart's isthe greater work. Wenowcometoanother virtuoso,viz.,Johan Simon Hermstedt, bornin I778.Originally a militarybandsman, Hermstedtwentwithhis regiment to Dresden, wherehe studied, but appearsneyer tohavehadan opportunity of hearingany fineartistwhomhe might havetakenasa model.InI8oohewas engaged as principal clarinetto thePrinceof Sondershausen, whereheremainedtillhis deathin I846. Spohr firstmetHermstedtinthewinter of I808-9, whenthe lattercameto play ataconcert arrangedbySpohr at Gotha, andalsotoask Spohr towriteaconcertoforhim. Spohr says he "Gladlyassented, asfromtheimmense execution,together withthe brilliancy oftoneand purity ofintonation possessedby Hermstedt, Ifeltatfull liberty to give thereinsto myfancy." Thus originated theconcertoinC minor,published afew years later as Op. 26.In i810, in response toanother request,Spohr wroteanotherconcert6for Hermstedt, whichwas played with great successataFestivalatFrankenhausenwhich Spohr was conducting. ThiswastheoneinEminor (theonly oneforthe A clarinet), nowknownasNo. 4. In studyingSpohr's "Autobiography," Ihavefounda difficulty in tracing theexact orderinwhichthesefourconcertoswere composed. The Festivalin question seemstohavebeena veryimportantone, andwas reported at great length intheMusical Journal, which described thisconcertoasoneofthemost perfect artistic works ofthe day." Thethird movement, a Polonaise, comesin for particularly lavish praise, andIshouldthereforelike you to hear a portion ofit. [Illustration fromConcertoinE minor.] Itis probably theslowmovementofthisconcertothat Spohr referstoinhis amusingstory ofaconcert givenby a wealthy amateur of Altona, near Hamburg, whoentertainedtheartists so sumptuously todinnerbeforetheconcertthatmost distressing accidents happened toeachoftheminturn when they cameto perform. Iwill only tell you what happened toHermstedt, but would strongly recommend you toreadtheremainderofthe story for yourselves in Spohr's "Autobiography."Spohrsays: "Hermstedtnowfollowedwithadifficultcomposition of mine. He, who always when appearing in public wenttowork with the mostnervous precision in everything, emboldenednow to rashness by thefumesofthe champagne, hadscrewedanew and 98 TheClarinetanditsMusic. untriedreedtothe mouthpiece ofhis clarinet, andeven spoke vauntingly ofittomeas Imountedthe platform tothe orchestra. I immediatelyanticipated no good fromit.Thesolo began with a long, sustained note, whichHermstedt pitchedalmostinaudibly and bydegrees increasedtoanenormous power, withwhichhe alwaysproduced a great sensation.Thistimehe began alsoin thesame way, andthe public listenedtothe increasing volume oftonewith wraptexpectancy. But just ashewasaboutto increaseittothe highestpower, thereedtwistedand gave outa mis-tone resembling theshrill cry ofa goose. The public laughed, andthenow suddenly-sobered virtuosoturned deadly pale withhorror.Heneverthelesssoonrecovered himself, and executedtheremainderwithhisusual brilliancy, sothatthere was nowantofenthusiastic applause attheend." Later on, inT82 ,Spohr wrote a third concertofor Hermstedt, theoneinFminor.Thiswas playedonce, but Spohr confesses hehadnorecollectionofhowit pleased, andthathehadlost sight ofitsince.Therestillremainstobeaccountedforthe concertoin Ebmajor,published as Op.57, and generally known asNo.2.Icanfindnoreferenceto this in the" Autobiography." Besidesthese concertos, Spohr wroteseveralothersolosforthe clarinet, andsix delightfulsongs withclarinet obbligato, andin hischamberworks-the nonet,octet,septet, and quintet-the clarinet always hasan importantpart. In particular, thefirst 'riointhescherzoofthe septet for pianoforte,violin,'cello, flute,clarinet,horn, and bassoon, issucha goodexample of effective clarinet-writing thatIshouldlike you tohear it. [Illustration from Septet.] Ihave already mentionedIvanMullerandhisworkat improving theinstrument.Thisformssuchan importantstage inthe development ofthe clarinet, thatIshouldliketoreferto Mullerin greater detail. Bor ofGerman parents at Reval, in Russia, in 1781, Ivan MiillerwenttoParisin I809,intending tomakeknownhisnew clarinet withthirteen keys, andtoestablishaninstrument factory. HefoundinaM.Petita generousMiecenas, who supplied him withthemeanstostarthis factory, butitdidnot prosper. He submittedhisinstrumenttoa commission,among whomwere MWhul and Cherubini, but theyreportedadverselyupon it. This brought aboutthefailureofhis factory, buthedidnot despair, andcontinuedto uphold the superiority ofhis clarinet, onwhichhehimself played asa very fineartist.Gambaro and Berrboth adopted itatthe The6tre Italien, andthesetwo players attractedothers.Butitwasnotuntil long afterthatits usage became general in military bands.MiillerleftParisin 1820. andtravelledin Germany and Switzerland, andthencameto England. Ihaveanold copy ofhis " Methode pour lanouvelle 99 TheClarinetanditsMusic. clarinette," dedicatedtoHis MajestyGeorgeIV., andthis describes himasamember ofthePhilharmonic Society of London.Icannot find,however, thatheever played ata PhilharmonicConcert.He subsequently returned to Paris, but was never Professorat the Conservatoire, as has been erroneously stated.Hediedat Biickebourg, in I854,leaving, besides his " Mthode," a numberof worksfor the clarinet. The next great player we come to is Heinrich Joseph Barmann, thefriend ofWeber andMendelssohn.BornatPotsdam in 1783, hebecame a pupil of JosephBeer, buthis ordinary military duties prevented rapid progress. After Jena, however, he gained his freedom, and went toMunich in 1706, where he joined theCourt band.In1811 Weber came to Munich, and he and Barmann became close friends, and made a tour together to Gotha,Weimar, Dresden,Prague, andBerlin.In 1813 Barmann visited Vienna, where heexcited great enthusiasm. During the Congress hebecame acquainted with Meyerbeer. Two years later hetravelled in Italy, and had a great success in Venice.In 18 7 he went to Paris, where his playing was greatly admired.Hemade many other tours; among them, to England in I 819, wherehe playedcompositions ofhisownattwo PhilharmonicConcerts.His other journeyings included Russia, Poland, Berlin, Copenhagen, and Hamburg. For many years he wasconsidered throughout Germany asamodel of perfection intheartof clarinet-playing. HediedatMunich in 1847, leaving between thirty and forty compositions, highly esteemed for their technical value. In" Letters of Distinguished Musicians" may befound many letters ofWeber showing his esteem and affectionfor Heinrich Barmann.Inaletter tohimwritten shortly beforeWeber's death, Weberconcludes: "Continuetolove your oldand faithful friend andbrother."With possibly one exception, we owe to this friendship all of Weber'sfine worksfor the clarinet- viz., the concertino, thetwo concertos, inFminor and Eb respectively, the quintet for clarinet and strings, thevariations onathemefromhis opera"Silvana," andthe grand duo concertante in Et, thelast-named ofwhichalonebearsno dedicationtoBarmann.Ithasbeen suggested thatitwas composed for Hermstedt atthe latter's request, but that Weber would not dedicate itto him outofconsiderationfor Barmann. In the sixth volume of the " Oxford History of Music," the late Edward Dannreutherdescribesthis duo asa spirited and showy sonataforclarinetand pianoforte, andhefurtherremarks that taken together Weber's show-pieces forwindinstruments form a compendium ofthe good effectstheinstruments can produce individually. It isclear from Mendelssohn'sletters to Barmann thathisfavourite was theFminor concerto, foron more than oneoccasion he speaks of anticipating with delight a loo TheClarinetanditsMusic. visittoBarmannand hearing him play thatconcerto.Iwill askMr. Stutely to play an excerpt fromthefirstmovementof this concerto, andalsoa portion oftheFinaleofthe duoconcertante. [Illustrations fromfirst concertoandduo concertante.] Turning toWeber'sorchestral writing fortheclarinetoneat oncethinksofthe lovely solointhe" Freyschiitz," astowhichI cannotdobetterthan quoteBerlioz, who evidently had great affectionfortheinstrument. Writing ontheclarinetinhis "Treatiseon Instrumentation,' he says: " Riende virginal, rien de pur commelecolorisdonneicertainesmelodies par letimbre d'une clarinette jouee dans le medium par un virtuose habile.C'est celuidetouslesinstruments a vent,quipeut lemieuxfaire naitre, enfler, diminuer, et perdre leson.Deltlafaculte precieuse de produire le lointain,l'echo, l'echode l'Ncho, leson crepusculaire. Quelplus admirable exemplepourrai-je citerde l'application de quelques unesdecesnuances que la phrase reveusede clarinette, accompagnee d'un tremolo, desinstrumentsa cordes, dansle milieude l'allegro del'ouverturedu 'Freyschiitz'! N'est-ce pas la viergeisolee, lablondefianceedu chasseur,qui les yeux au ciel, melesatendre plainte aubruitdesbois profondsagitespar l'orage ?0Weber!"The episode is perfectly familiarto you, anditis hardly worth playing it here, wherewecannot get the atmosphere ofthe string tremolo accompaniment whichis indispensable totheeffect.Anotherwell-known clarinet solo, shorterbutmost expressive, occursinthe " Oberon" overture, andthereisalsoanotable passage inthe secondActof "Euryanthe." AfavouritedeviceofWeber'swas theuseofthelownotesofthe clarinets, in thirds, in "sustaining sinisterharmonies" asBerlioz expresses it.Suchuse appears in "Freyschiitz" bothintheovertureandalso accompanying Zamiel'sentriesinthe opera. With regard toSchubert'sorchestraltreatmentoftheclarinet Icannotthinkof anything muchtonoticebesidesthebeautiful solosinthesecondmovementofthe " Unfinished" Symphony, thefirstofwhichisa verytrying testofsustainedcantabile playing, andthe dialogues betweenthewood-windwhichoccur intheBalletandtheEntr'actein Bb of "Rosamunde,"where theclarinetis prominent, aswellasthe very characteristic episode fortwoclarinetsinthe Shepherds'Melody inthat work. Theoctetissaidtohavebeenwrittenforanamateur clarinettist, Count Troyer, chiefofficerofthehouseholdtotheArchduke Rudolph, Beethoven's patron. Atalleventstheclarinet part is of verygreatimportance andinterest throughout. Theduets whichithaswiththeviolinandthehorn respectively intheslow movementare passages of surpassing beauty. Writtenin 1828, shortly beforehis death, Schuberthasleftusa magnificent song IOI TheClarinetanditsMusic. for soprano voicewithclarinet obbligato. Thiswas composed forAnna Milder-Hauptmann, acelebrated soprano(178 5-1 836), andoneofthefirst exponents ofthetitle-r6leinBeethoven's "Fidelio."The song isof greatlength, andconsistsofthree distinct sections, thewordsofwhicharedrawnfromdifferent sources, theidea being to give the singerevery chanceof displaying hervarietiesof style. Itseemsanactofvandalism tomake ally cutsinthis masterpiece, butwhatMiss Spencer is aboutto sing will properly illustratethethreedifferent styles. [Illustration: "Der Hirt."] Thereis nothing of particular interestinSchumann's orchestral writing fortheclarinet.Helefttwo pieces of chamber-musicforthe instrument,viz., thethreePhantasie- stiickefor pianoforte and clarinet, andthe "Fairy Tales," fourmovementsfor pianoforte,clarinet, and viola, inneither ofwhichisthe clarinet-partparticularly suitedtothe genius of the instrument,thoughthey bothcontainsomebeautifulmusic. Mendelssohntookfull advantage ofthe capabilities ofthe clarinetinhisorchestralworks.Heusesthechalumeau register with great effectinthefirstmovementofthe"Scotch" symphony, whilstinthesecond movement, besides announcing the subject, foundedon"Charlieis mydarling," theclarinet has anumber ofelaborate passages. Inthe " Italian " symphony thetwoclarinetsareusedwith telling effectintheso-called " Pilgrims' March."Thebeautiful episode towards thecloseof theHebrides"overtureiswell known, wherethefirstclarinet plays thesecond subject andafterafewbarsis joinedby the secondclarinetinthirds.Therearesome rapid staccato passages inthescherzoofthe"Midsummer Night'sDream," oneofwhichisdescribedinGroveas"almost unplayable." Mendelssohnalsousedtheclarinetstoreinforceviolasor'cellos in unison,as, for instance, inthesecond subject ofthefirst movementofthe Hymn of Praise," andinthesecond subject ofthe "RuyBias " overture.Thebeautiful undulatingarpeggio passages forthetwoclarinetsinthe"Melusine" overture, and the dainty littleflashesof arpeggio inthefinaleoftheviolin concerto, are also very characteristic Itis very regrettable, andsomewhat surprising, havingregard tohis intimacy withthe Barmanns, fatherand son, thatthe only pieces ofchamber-musicwhichMendelssohnhasleftus containing a clarinet-part arethetwobrilliantduosfor clarinetandbasset-hornwithpianoforte accompaniment (Op. 113 and 114) whichaboundin gracefulpassages such ascouldbeshownoff by nootherthanthese particular instruments.Nowthatthebasset-hornhasbeenrevivedasan orchestral instrument by Straussand others, itis permissible to hope thattheseduos may sometimesbe given a hearing. 102 TheClarinetanditsMusic. Mendelssohn'sesteemandaffectionforHeinrichBarmannare vividly shownintheletterswhich may befoundin" Lettersof Distinguished Musicians"towhichIhave alreadyreferred. They are deeplyinteresting and, in placesextremely humorous. A passage inaletterofintroductiontoaRussian pianist named KohlaeifindicateswhatMendelssohn thought ofthis great player. Hewrites:" HeisoneofthebestmusiciansI know, oneofthefewwho carry everythingalong with them, andwho feelthetruelifeandfireof music, andtowhommusichas becomea speech. AndasIfeel quite certainthathis playing willenchant you asmuchasitenchants me, andthatitVwill bealsoa pleasure to you tobecome acquainted withsuchan ableandkind-hearted man, I give himthisletterto you," &c. Butoneofthemostremarkablefeaturesoftheselettersisthe disparaging remarkswhichMendelssohnmakesinthemwith regard tothe clarinet-playing, and indeedthe orchestras generally, in Italy, at Paris, and at Berlin.For instance, he says: "Allthe clarinet players Iheardin Italy musthavebeenbornwitna wooden leg, one always feelsinclinedtothrowthem something intothe orchestra, itallsoundssofeebleand miserable," and similarremarksaboutParisandBerlin.Thisitmustbe rememberedwasinthe early 'thirtiesofthenineteenth century, andImustconfessit puzzles me considerably, foratthistime therewereotherfine players besidesHeinrich Barmann, threeof whomImust speciallymention,viz.,Gambaro,Berr, andKlose. JeanBaptiste Gambarowas bornatGenoain 1785, andafter having beenconductorofanItalian militaryband, settledin Parisin 1814, whereheset up amusicalinstrumentbusiness. In1816hebecame principal clarinetattheTheatre Italien, whereBerr played secondtohimand was influencedfor good by Gambaro'sfinetoneand expressive cantabile playing. Hedied in i828,agedonlyforty-three,leaving aconsiderable quantity ofmusic. FredericBerrwas bornatMannheimin 1794. Helearnt the violin, the flute, andthe bassoon, onthelatterofwhichhe becamea very fine player.Becoming bandmasterofaFrench regiment, hefoundit necessary to study theclarinet.He applied his knowledge of violin-bowing to improving his phrasing onthe clarinet, which gavegreat finishtohis playing. In819hewentto Paris, andbecamebandmasteroftheSwiss Guards.Reicha gave himlessonsin composition. Berrthen began to neglect thebassoonforthe clarinet, andafterhard workbecameaclarinettistofthefirstrank.Hesucceeded Gambaroas principal attheTheatre Italien, andsoonbecame famousforhisbeautiful readings oftheclarinet passages inthe operas. Asa composer hewas most prolific,writingmany works forclarinetand bassoon, five hundred pieces for military band, forty Suitesfor wind-bands, anda large amountofchamber- Io3 TheClarinetanditsMusic. music.OnthedeathofLefevrehebecame professor atthe Conservatoire.In 1832 hewas appointed soloclarinettothe King, andin 1835 was given the Legion ofHonour.In 1836 theGovernment placed inhishandsthecreationanddirection ofthe Gymnase Musical Militaire, which position heretained tillhisdeath in 1838. Itwas forthisinstitutionthathewrotehis " Methode complete de Clarinette," whichremainsastandard work tothisday. Hyacinthe Eleonore Klose, anativeof Corfu, cametoFrance when quiteyoung andentereda military band.Hebecame the pupil of Berr, whomhesucceededasProfessoratthe Conservatoire.Hehadafinetoneand stylecorresponding tothoseofhismaster.About I843, in conjunction withthe firm of Buffet, he brought outanew clarinet, towhichwherever possible the system oftheBoehmflutewas applied. Forthis hewrotea special 'Me6thode."Hewasalso professor atthe Gymnase MusicalMilitaire.Kloselefta large numberof compositions ofvariouskindsforthe instrument, of high technicalvalue. Withsuchartists astheseinexistenceitdoesseemtomean extraordinarything thatthestandardof clarinet-playing inthe European capitals shouldhavebeensolowaswould appear fromMendelssohn's scathing remarksinhisletterstoHeinrich Barmann.Imustmentionanother great clarinettistofthefirst halfofthenineteenth century, whofor virtuosity seemstohave stood upon a planebyhimself; ImeanErnesto Cavallini, who wasbornatMilanin I8o7, andwhen quite a young man became principal clarinetintheScalaOrchestra.Hetravelled in Germany, andwentto Petrograd tobecomeProfessoratthe Conservatoireand principal clarinetatthe Imperial Theatreand intheCourtband.HeresidedinRussiaforfifteen years, and thenreturnedto Milan, wherehewas appointed Professorat theConservatoire.HetwicevisitedLondonand played at PhilharmonicConcertsFantasiasofhisown composition. Fetis speaks ofhisexecutionasmarvellous andhisbreath as seemingly inexhaustible.Lazarus saidthathe might becalledthe Paganini oftheclarinetforhiswonderful execution,though histonewas notofthe purest. He always usedtheold six-keyed clarinet, andonehas only to glance at his compositions to appreciate the style of player hemusthavebeen.HediedatMilanin I873. Iamnow glad tobeabletoturntoourown country for a greatplayer. Thomas LindsayWillman, describedinGrove's Dictionary as"themostcelebratedof English clarinettists "-it iscuriousthatheisnotmentioned by Fetisor Pougin-was of German extraction, andcametoLondoninthelatter part ofthe eighteenthcentury. In1816hebecame principal clarinetin the Opera andotherchief orchestras, andalsobandmasterofthe GrenadierGuards.Histoneandexecutionweresaidtobe 104 TheClarinetanditsMusic. 105 remarkablyfine, andhis concerto-playing admirable.Between 8 17 and 839 he played assoloistorinchambermusicatno fewerthan forty-nine concertsofthePhilharmonic Society..He played Mozart'sconcertoin March,1838, andalsooneof Spohr's. Inthose days Beethoven's septet was veryfrequently played atthe Philharmonic, and Willman always tooktheclarinet part inthis.Heismentioned by Mendelssohninaletterto HeinrichBarmanndated September5th,1832. Thelatterit appears hadwrittensomearticleinconnectionwiththeclarinet whichMendelssohnhad unsuccessfullyattempted to get intothe French papers, andthentranslatedinto English andsentitto aneditorinLondon.Mendelssohnwrites:" ButIfearthatin England the proposal willnotmeetwiththe sympathyyou expect, for there, as you are aware,theyclingvery muchto things as theyare, andare shy of anynovelty, andforthis reasontheir clarinet-player Willmanisallinalltothem." IthinkthatthisremarkofMendelssohn's goes farto prove thatWillmanmusthavebeena verypopular artist.Hedied in 1840. Willman appears tohavebeensucceeded byJoseph Williamsas principal inthePhilharmonicOrchestra.Between I840 and1862thelast-namedartist played atfourteenofthe PhilharmonicConcertsinchambermusicor obbligati. Hewas alsofor manyyearsprincipal clarinetin Queen Victoria's PrivateBand. Meanwhile composers were beginning to get somewhatover- exacting intheiruseofthe clarinet, forwefindCarlBarmannin theIntroductiontohis great " ClarinetSchool " complaining as follows:"..inmodem times, when manycomposers treat wind-instrumentslikethe string-quartet without regard tohuman lungs andthetechnical possibility ofexecution.Ifwe compare the clarinet-part inoneofMozart'sorCherubini'sorchestral scoreswiththatofthescoreof any modern opera, weshall easily discoverthedifferenceoftreatment-intheformercase the composer restrainshis genius, outofconsiderationforthe capacities ofthe instrument, inthelatternosuchconsideration is found, andthechiefaimseemstobeto produceeffect, atwhatevercosttothe player. Ialludehereofcourse only to those composers whooverloadtheirinstrumental scores, whileI cheerfullyrecognise the beauty ofmodernricherinstrumentation as appliedby masterslike Mendelssohn, Auber,Rossini, and others."OnewonderswhatCarlBarmannwouldhavesaid couldhehaveseenthe clarinet-partsof,say, " Elektra"or "Petrouchka."ButevenRossinihimselfwasnotfreefrom reproach inthis respect, aswitnessthe parts intheOvertures to" Semiramide,""Otello," and"GazzaLadra."Verdimakes frequent and important useoftheclarinet.Heoftenwrites forthetwoclarinetsinthirds accompanying two voices, and heisalso very fondof accompanying asolovoicewithmezzo- 9Vol.42 TheClarinetanditsMusic. staccato arpeggios inthechalumeau register with nothing else goingexcept a bass; andwhenthe singer (as singers havebeen knownto do) takeslibertieswiththe tempo, these arpeggios beoome ludicrouslyjerky. Berlioz, in spite oftheadmirationhe expresses fortheclarinet inhis"Treatiseon Instrumentation," doesnotseem to have given it anythingverygrateful inhisworks.It may benotedthat heusesanEflatclarinetinthelastmovementofthe "SymphonieFantastique," whichis probably thefirstinstance oftheintroductionofthatinstrumentintotheorchestra. Meyerbeer tookfull advantage ofthedramatic powers ofthe clarinet, andalsowroteforthebass-clarinetwithfineeffect. Hewasthefirsttounderstandthe capabilities ofthelatter instrument. Inthefinale ofthe "From the New World" symphony ofDvoirak occursafine declamatorypassage forsoloclarinetwith string tremolo accompaniment, andintheslowmovementofthesame symphonythere,is a strikingpassage wherethecor anglais is accompanied intenths by theclarinetinthelower register. The instrumentalsohas prominentparts insome ofDvofak'sSlavonic Dances, andinatleastoneotherofhis symphonies. Tchaikovskygives theclarinetamost expressive soloin "Francescada Rimini," andinhisfifth symphony thetwo clarinetsinunison give outthe openingsubject inthelow register with telling effect.Inthe"CasseNoisetteSuite"the weird,goblinesque effectofthebass-clarinet accompaniedby the celestawillberemembered:asalsothedeviceinthefirst movementofthe " SymphonicPathetique"by whichthebass- clarinetcontinuesaslowdownward passagepianissimo afterthe Aclarinethasreachedthelimitofits register. HereandthereinBrahms's symphonies occurshort passages of greatbeauty forthe clarinet; onthewholehismethodof scoring seemssomewhattoresemblethatofSchubert.Butit isofhischamber-works thatIwishto speakparticularly, and this brings metoanother virtuoso,viz., RichardMiihlfeld. Born-in 1856, bebecameamemberoftheGrandDucal Orchestraof Meiningen,Germany, in 1873, asaviolinist. Subsequently betook up theclarinetwith conspicuoussuccess, andsoonbecame principal clarinetinthatorchestraandlater onatthe Bayreuth Festivals. IamindebtedtoFlorence May's "LifeofBrahms"forthe following factsaboutBrahms's chamberworks fortheclarinet. Miihlfeldhad gained a reputation asasoloist by his performances of Weber, whoseconcertinohadbeenintroduced by himat Meiningen onDecember 25th,i886, thehundredth anniversary ofthe composer's birth.Brahmssincethatdate had frequently heardhim play; andin I891, whenonavisitto Meiningen, heaskedfora private recitalwith only himselfas io6 TheClarinetanditsMusic. audience, inthecourseofwhichtheclarinettist played him many pieces fromhis repertoire anddiscussedtheinstrumentwith him. Thisresultedinthe composition ofthetrio and quintet, which were performed fromthe manuscript beforetheducalcircleat Meiningen Castlein November,I891, thetrio byBrahms, Miihlfeld, and Hausmann, the quintetbyMiihlfeld,Joachim, Hausmann, andtwomembersofthe Meiningen orchestra.The workswere performed atthe JoachimQuartet Concertat BerlinonDecember 2th,I891, andmetwith phenomenal success, the adagio ofthe quintethaving tobe repeated. The quintet wasintroducedtoaLondonaudienceatthe Monday Popular ConcertofMarch 28th,1892,byMiihlfeld,Joachim, Ries,Straus, and Piatti, and repeated onthe followingSaturday, whenthetriowasalso playedby Miss FannyDavies,Miihlfeld, andPiatti.Sincethattimebothworks havebecomefamiliarto usinthis country, the quintetprobablybeing donemore frequently thanthe trio, whichhasoflatebeensomewhat neglected,thoughpersonally Ithinkthatits adagio containsas finemusicas any movementinthetwo works. Thetwosonatasforclarinetand pianoforte, thelastof Brahms'schamber-musicworks,were completedduring the summerof 894, andthefirst private performance ofthemtook place in September ofthat year beforetheducalcircleof Meiningen. Inthe following NovemberBrahmsandMiihlfeld played thesonatastoMadame Schumann, theninher seventy-sixthyear, andwearetoldthattheillustrious lady herselftook part onthatoccasionwith Mihlfeld and Joachim in Mozart'sclarinettrio.Thesonataswere played inLondonfor thefirst timein June,1895,by MiihlfeldandMiss Fanny Davies. Mr. Stutely andMr.Walthewwillnow play two excerpts from thesecond sonata, theonein Ebmajor. [ Illustrations.J With regard tothese sonatas, Miss Maysays inheibook:- "Themorefamiliar they becomethemore firmly will they root themselves, aswe believe, intheaffectionsoftheloversof Brahms'smusic.The fresh,boundingimagination of youth is indeednotin them, norwouldwewishittobe there; butboth works are pervadedby awarmth and glow asofsunset radiance, which,reflecting the spirit ofthe composer ashewaswhenhe wrote them, fillthemindofthelistenerwithasenseofthe mellow beauty, therich pathos, the unwavering sincerity of his art." Asfor Miihlfeldhimself, hewas undoubtedly a very fine artist; his phrasing wascarriedtoa highpitch of perfection, buthistoneandexecutionattimesleftmuchtobedesired. Thesomewhat extravagantpraise thatwaslavished upon him whenhevisitedthis countrywas, I think, insomemeasuredue toour extraordinary nationalhabitof glorifyingforeigners atthe 107 TheClarinetanditsMusic. expense ofourown people, ahabitwhichthisterriblewaris fortunatelydoing muchto destroy. Wehave had, andstill have, players insome respects his equal, andinothers clearly his superior. Tomention only thelatest performance ofthe Quintet whichitwas mygood fortunetohear-Imeanthat by oneofour leading clarinettistsandtheLondon StringQuartet only a few weeks ago-nothing couldhaveexceededthe beauty of tone, the perfection of phrasing, andtheensembletowhichwe werethentreated.Butatthesametimewedonot forget thatit wasduetoRichardMiihlfeld's playing thatBrahms leftusthese lovelyworks, andwehonourhis memoryaccordingly. Onacertainoccasionin I895 theBrahmsclarinet quintet was being rehearsedatthe RoyalCollege of Music, andan eminentmusicianatthe College declaredthatnomodern composer couldwriteforthiscombinationofinstruments without showing Brahms'sinfluence. Thereupon a young studentnamedSamuel Coleridge-Taylor, then onlytwentyyears of age, took up the challenge, and shortly afterwards produced his quintet inF1 minor, whichwas played forthefirsttimeon JulyrIth,I895. Thecritics spoke wellof it, andwearetold thatSir Charles (then Doctor) Stanford, withwhomthework had beenwritten asa Collegeexercise, foundit interestingenough to takewithhimtoBerlin shortly afterwards toshowtoJoachim. Thelatter was sufficiently attracted by ittorehearseitwithhis Quartet.Coleridge-Taylor hadfalsifiedthe prophecy ofthe eminent musician," whoeverhe may havebeen. The quintet isaworkofabsolute originality, andbearsno resemblancetoBrahmsfrom beginning to end, unlessitbein the masterly mannerinwhichboth composers, eachinhis different style, haveblendedtheclarinet-tonewiththe strings. Coleridge-Taylor'squintet deservestobefarbetterknownthan it is; itisthe only one (and a goodmany othershavebeen written) that in my opinion deservesa placealongside ofthoseof Mozart andBrahms. IfindthatIhaveomittedtomentiontwo verygreat clarinettistswhowere contemporaries-the one English, theother German.Imean Henry Lazarus andCarlBarmann. Henry Lazarus was bornin Iondon in 1815. Hesucceeded WVillmanas principal clarinetatthe Opera, and the chiefconcerts inLondonandthe provinces. Histoneand phrasing were particularly beautiful.He appeared assoloistataPhilharmonic ConcertonMarch 24th,1851, whenhe played aconcertinoby Molique, a light but graceful andeffective work, which hasnever been published. Lazarus becameProfessor at the Royal Academy in 1854, andatKnellerHallin i858. He gave afarewell concertinSt. James's HallonMay31st,1892, anddiedin LondononMarch 6th,1895. Carl, sonofHeinrich Barmann, wasbornatMunich io8 TheClarinetanditsMusic. in 1820, and taughtby hisfathertheclarinetandbasset- horn.In 1838 and 1839 fatherandsonmadeatourin Germany, Holland, and Belgium; andatParis they madea great successataconcertoftheConservatoire.On returning to Munich, Carlresumedhis studies, andbecamealmostthe equal ofhis father, whomhesucceededinthe Royal Orchestra. Hediedin x885, leaving anumberof compositions of great merit, anda"Clarinet School," whichisamonumentalwork. Ihavein mypossession a photograph ofCarl Barmann, onthe backofwhichiswritteninGerman:"Mr. Lazarus, fromhis friend, Carl Barmann,Munich, ist May,i868"; buthowtheir friendshiparose, orwherethetwoartists met, Ihaveneverbeen abletofind out. Forming alinkbetweenthelast-named greatplayers andthose ofthe presenttime, Imustmentiontwo veryprominentartists, viz.,George Clintonand JulianEgerton. Bor atNewcastlein 850,George Arthur Clintonstudiedthe clarinetunderhis father, abandmaster.When only seventeen hewas appointedprincipal clarinetin Queen Victoria'sPrivate Band, a position whichhehelduntil 1900. In 1873 hebecame principal inthePhilharmonic Orchestra, atwhoseconcertshe appeared fivetimesassoloist.In 1874 hebecame principal inthe Crystal .Palace Orchestra, where he remainedfor twenty-four years,appearingfrequently asa soloist,playing theconcertosof Mozart, Spohr,Weber, &c.In 875 he joined the Royal Choral Society'sorchestra, inwhichheremaineduntilhisdeath.He wasalsoatthe RoyalOpera forafew years from 1879. In I890 Clintonwas appointed ProfessoratKneller Hall, the RoyalAcademy of Music, and TrinityCollege,London,positions whichheheld up tothetimeofhisdeath.From 1896 to 1903 he gave chamber-musicconcertsatthe Queen's(Small)Hall, at whichwere performedmany worksforwindinstrumentseither aloneorin conjunction with strings. Hewasan extremely brilliantexecutant, andamostconscientiousand thorough musician.Hediedin 1913. Ihavedweltsomewhatat length onhiscareer owing to mygreat esteemfor him, bothasafriend andasamaster. JulianEgerton, whosefatherhad played withbothWillman and Williams, wasanother veryprominent clarinettist.He played withClintonfor manyyears in Queen Victoria'sPrivate Band, andwas principal atmostofthe greatprovincialFestivals, andattheRichterConcertsinLondonfromthetimeoftheir commencement in 1876. Hewas wellknowntohabituesofthe Popular ConcertsinSt. James's Hall, wheretheBeethovtn septet andtheSchubertoctetwere regularly given twiceeathseason. Ihaveavividrecollectionofhisbeautiful playing inthese performances. Iam glad to say thatMr. Egerton isstillwith us,enjoying hiswell-earnedleisure. Io09 TheClarinetanditsMusic. Having dealtwithallthese artists, Imustnowreturntothe composers. Wagner'sscoring fortheclarinetinhismusic-dramaswasa very marked advanceas regards the technique oftheinstrument on anything thathadbeenwritten previously. Heunderstood theinstrument thoroughly, andhis passages foritarelaidout soasbesttoshowits capabilities. Prominent passages foritare verynumerous,althoughthey arenot usually of anygreat length. Itisdifficulttoselectan illustration, but perhaps an excerpt fromthe "Meistersinger,"4th SceneofAct 2, and alsofromthe 4th SceneofAct2ofthe "Walkyrie," willserve the purpose aswellas any. [illustrations not playedowing tolackof time.] In"The Ring " Wagner almost invariably makesuseofathird clarinet (in additiontothe bass-clarinet),writing passages forthe threeclarinetsin independentparts. A strikingexample of thiswillbefoundinthe prelude and Ist SceneofAct 3 of " Gotterdammerung," wherethethreeBflatclarinetsare very prominent in three-part harmony. Inthe"Fire-music"ofthe finalSceneinthe "Walkyrie" aclarinetinDis employed inits highregister,blending inawonderfulfashionwiththe crackling soundsofthe highharp-strings andthe sparkling notesofthe piccolos. AttheendofthesecondActof"Tristan"there occursa very fine passage forthebass-clarinet.Before leaving Wagner it may beofinterestto say thatin 1905 Isawit somewherestatedthatan unpublishedadagio forclarinetand strings ofhishadbeendiscoveredand played at Wiirzhurg. ItwassaidtobededicatedtoChristian Rummel, a clarinettist, composer, and conductor, whodiedin 1849 Imade inquiries, butwastoldthattherewasnolikelihoodofthiswork being published atthat time, andIhaveseennomentionofitsince. Itwouldhavebeen extremelyinteresting toseehow Wagner treatedtheclarinetinchamber-music. OfRichardStraussit may besaidthathis requirements as regards clarinet-technique arestillmoreadvancedthan Wagner's. Thelatter's passages almost always have beauty and symmetry. Straussseemstostrivetoastonishandstartleaswellas please. He certainly succeedsin doing the former; whetherhe pleases isan openquestion foreachofus individually todecide. Mr. Stutely, whohas played the operas atCoventGardenas principal clarinetunderStrauss himself, tellsmethatthe demandsonthe clarinet-player are very severe.Thereoccur extraordinarilycomplicatedpassages, tobe played atsuch lightningspeed thatthe very mechanismoftheclarinetis inadequate toarticulatethem.AsMr. Stutelyputs it:"You play the beginning andtheendandtrustto providence forthe remainder! " Ontheother hand, thedesiredeffectseemstobe I I0 TheClarinetanditsMusic. made by such methods, forsothe composer himselftoldthe CoventGardenorchestra.In " Elektra " and" Salome" Strauss usesawhole family of clarinets,viz., an Et, two B&'s, twoA's, a bass-clarinet, andtwo basset-horns; thelast-namedbeing used with particularlyhappy effect.One extraordinary instanceofthe useofa" collection " of clarinets, asone might term it, occurs inthefinaleof " Elektra," wherethefive clarinets together sustain Etinaltinunison fortissimo foranumberof bars, while Clytemnestra is being murderedbehindthe scenes.Moreover, in order furtherto intensify this dying shriekor yell, Straussasked the players toholdthebellsoftheirinstrumentsoverthe music-desks.Abetter example of "frightfulness"expressed in termsofmusiccan hardly be imagined! Contrasted withthis andsimilar instancesof frightfulness, wehavethe delightful little melody forsoloclarinetinActIofthe " Rosenkavalier," which is really Mozartian inits beauty and expressiveness. Iwillask Mr. Stutely to play itto you, andtoleave Clytemnestra'shigh Etaloneonthis occasion, forevenwith my assistancehecould notdoit justice. [Illustration from" Rosenkavalier."J Turning tothemoderRussian composers, someoftheir writingis, if possible, evenmoreadvancedthanthatofStrauss. In "Cleopatra," themusicofwhichwaswritten by fiveofthese composers in collaboration, occursa verystrikingexample ofa solofortheE7 clarinet, ofconsiderable length and great technical difficulty. In "Scheherazade,"byRimsky-Korsakov, thereare several important and telling cadenzasfortheclarinetwhich you nodoubtrecollect.In" TheFireBird " and"Petrouchka "of Stravinsky, "Thamar"of Balakirev, andthe"Prince Igor" dancesof Borodin, occurmostelaborate passages of great difficulty. In "Petrouchka," whichwas played twicelastseason at thePhilharmonic Concerts, thereisa very cleverimitationofa hurdy-gurdyplayedby threeclarinetsandbass-clarinet.The usualbrokenand missing notewhichisafeatureofsuch instrumentsasthe hurdy-gurdy, causing a gap inthe melody, is duly omittedintheinstrumentationwithamostrealisticand comiceffect. Indeed, Iunderstand that whenthework wasfirst rehearsedthe players themselvesweresotakeninthat they were asking each other whoseinstrumentit was that was so out oforder! Havingalready mentionedSirCharlesStanfordinconnection withthe Coleridge-Taylorquintet, Iwillnowendeavourtodeal withhis compositions fortheclarinet. First, hehas given usthe "ThreeIntermezzi"forclarinetand pianoforte, an early work fullofcharacter and originality. Thencomestheconcertowith orchestrainAminorand major,Op.8o, awork which, as Mr.Cecil Forsyth has truly remarkedinhisvaluablebookon orchestration,givesabrilliantresuineofthe clarinet-technique III TheClarinetanditsMusic. ofthe presentday." Itiswritteninonecontinuousmovement withoutabreak,andconsistsofan openingallegro, anandante moderato, andafinal allegro. It is,however, soconstructed thattheandantetakesthe place ofthemiddleor development sectionofthe ordinary firstmovement form, andthefinalethat ofthe recapitulation. Thethemesofthe openingallegro recur inthefinaletransformedintoi time, andaretheretreatedin rondofashion.Thecombinationofthesethree sections, there- fore, makesa completesingle movementaswell.The concerto, theMS.ofwhichisdated July,1902, was brilliantlyplayedby Mr.Charles Draper atthePhilharmonicConcerton June2nd, 1904, andIshouldliketo express thewishthatit may soonbe given another hearing. Three excerpts fromitare quoted in Forsyth's "Orchestration"as illustratingmanypoints inthe technique oftheinstrument.Thethird composition isthe sonatainF major,Op.I29, forclarinetand pianoforte, which wasfirstheard only afewweeks ago atoneofMr.Dunhill's concerts. Playedby Mr. Charles Draper andthe concert-giver, itmadea verygreatimpression. A striking featureisthe adagio middlemovemententitled"Caoine" (pronounced " keen "), an Irish lament, in whichthe clarinethassome very fine declamatory passages aswellastender phrases. Takenasa whole, itseems tobeas perfect an example of clarinet-technique as theconcerto. A long cadenzaforasolo instrument, and particularly awind instrument, isIthinkanunusualfeatureinanorchestral work, butsuchan episode, allottedto the clarinet, hasbeenintroduced by Mr.GranvilleBantockinhisorchestraldrama"Fifine attheFair."WrittenfortheAclarinet playing inone flat, itis forty bars in length, andshowsa very intimate knowledge ofthe capacity oftheinstrument bothin bravura and cantabile passages. Aratherremarkable point abouttheuseofthiscadenzaisthat while obviously and unmistakably inthe key ofD major, and seeminglypreparing thelistenerfor something tofollowinthat key, thelastnoteoftheclarinethasnosoonerdied away thanthebassesand trombones, inashort passage ofsix bars, modulatetothedominant-seventhofE major, in which key the subsequent sectionofthework then proceeds. Debussy haswritten prominently fortheclarinetinsomeof his works, suchas" L'Enfant Prodigue" and" L'Apr6s-midi," and has given usa "Rhapsodie" forclarinetandorchestraanda "PetitePiece"forclarinetand pianoforte. Itis quiteimpossible inthis paper eventomention by name the many concertedworks by lesser composers inwhichthe clarinethasa part. Ihave already dealtwiththe subject exhaustively inthearticleon"TheClarinetinChamber-music" whichIhadthehonourtowriteforMr.Cobbett'sChamber- music Supplement tothatvaluablelittle paper TheMusic Studentin November,1914. ButbeforeIconcludeI 112 TheClarinetanditsMusic. shouldliketo say awordaboutworksfortheclarinet and pianoforte, aclassof composition whichis naturally of very great interesttotheamateurin particular. AndfirstIshould like you tohearan example fromthe pen ofthetalented musicianwhohasbeenso ablypresiding atthe pianoforte this evening, Mr.Walthew.The pieces tobe played are two numbersfromhis"MosaicinTen Pieces," aworkof remarkable originality, asIthink you will agree after hearing them. [Illustrations.] Aftertherecent performance ofSirCharlesStanford'ssonata for pianoforte andclarinetwhichIhave alreadymentioned, we weretreatedtosome extraordinary effusionsinthe Press, the tenorofwhichwasthattheclarinetisan unsatisfactory instrumentfor anything inthenatureofasolo sonata,owing (as itwas said) toits comparativeinflexibility andsomewhat monotonous tone-colour; andone gentleman wentsofaras todeliverhimselfofthedictumthat "EvenBrahmscoulddo nothing withit."Ishouldlike emphatically tocontradict thesestatementshereand now,though some may thinkthem unworthy ofnotice.Inanarticle dealing withthelast paper thatwasreadbeforethis Association, the subject ofwhichwas "SomeCuriositiesofMusical Criticism," weweretold by a criticandwriteron music, forwhose opinion Ihavethe highest respect, thatthe object ofcriticism is to promote the development ofthe appreciation ofart by the public. Thatis exactlywhy I thinkitworth whiletonoticesuchcriticismsasthosetowhichI havereferred. They mislead"themaninthe street," who lookstothecriticto help himtoformcorrectviewsabout subjects ofwhichheis ignorant, andthereforeerroneous statementsofthissortdoa great dealofharm anddeserveto benoticedandcontradicted. Of course, thecorrect opinion is diametricallyopposite. The particular beauty oftheclarinetliesinits extraordinary flexibility oftoneandits uniquecapacity for light and shade,ranging from a verypowerful fortissimotoanalmostinaudible pianissimo; in fact, inthewordsofMr. Hadowinthe"Oxford History of Music," itis"aninstrumentwhichweshould probably rank next totheviolinfor beauty and expression." Hence composers such as Weber,Schumann,Brahms, Niels Gade, andourmodern musicians, Sir Charles Stanford, Mr. Walthew, Dr. Harford Lloyd, Mr.Donald Tovey, andthelateW.Y. Hurlstone, besides many eminentFrench composers-and it may be many alsoofother nationalities, ofwhomIam ignorant-have all thought itworth whiletowrite for clarinet and pianoforte, andhave given us many valuableand delightfulexamples oftheir genius underthis heading. I I3 TheClarinetanditsMusic. Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for your very kind attention, and inconclusion Ishould liketo express my warmest thanks to Mr. Stutely not only for his delightfulplaying of the illustrations, but also for much invaluable assistance in the subject-matter of this paper, toMiss Spencer forherbeautiful singing, andto Mr. Walthewfor so ably presiding at the pianoforte. DISCUSSION. THE CHAIRMAN,-The lecturerhasfoundit necessary, on account ofthe hour, to omit a good deal ofthe valuablewritten matter which he brought with him.But a full paper like this is just what iswanted inthe printed volume, where itwilllater appear; and the volume has a good circulation.The programme of illustrationsalso has had to besomewhat curtailed, and Ifear that Icannot invitetheusual discussion;though Iamaware that there are one or two clarinet experts present, and the subject itself is fascinating. There is nothing moredramaticor romantic inmusical technical history than therise oftheclarinet from being the decidedly ugly duckling otwind instruments to being whatitnowis-aswan ofthe orchestra, secondtononein beauty. There is no officialdefinitionofthe time-arrangements atthe meetings ofthis Association, bpt asweare living now underseriously-disturbed conditionsinthe way of securing evening audiences, it may beofservice if Imention here from thechair what those arrangements are.Thechair istaken at 5.15. Afterbusiness.thelecture generallybegins at 5.20. It is expected to occupy in delivery from forty-five minutes toan hour.Ifmusical illustrationsare introduced, the total time for thelecture may be put atfromanhour toanhouranda quarter, thelatter being amaximum.Discussionafterthe lecture istheimmemorial privilege oftheaudienceatthese meetings. Thechairman ofthe day endeavours toterminate proceedings, and liberatethe audience, not later than 6.5o. We cannot part to-day without atribute toourentertainers.Our lecturer, Mr. Oscar W. Street, represents ashon. secretary the oldestmusical society inthe world, theLondon Madrigal Society, foundedin I74I, andso 175years old.Heandhis father, who preceded him, havebetween them representedforty- five years ofhon. secretaryship ofthe Society. Ourown Association, towhich he brings this paper, hasattainedthe 114 TheClarinetanditsMusic. 115 respectableage of forty-two years. Mr.Streetisa distinguished amateur player ofthe clarinet, andanenthusiastic expert onits history andconstruction.Ithink you will say thathis paper is fullofmostusefuland entertaining matter.Mr.HerbertW. Stutely, aformer pupil ofthelateMr. GeorgeClinton, has had, though still veryyoung, a rapid riseasanorchestral player, and isfromthis year onwardsfirstclarinetatthePhilharmonic. Mr.RichardH.Walthewiswell-knownasamusic-directorat theSouthPlaceInstituteand elsewhere, andhasaremarkable talentforchamber-music composition ina verypurestyle. MissBeatrice Spenceris, as you willhave heard, a charming vocalistin manystyles. Itis only dueto the lecturer, andtothe artistswhomhehassecuredforhis purpose, to say thatthe musical performancesto-day havebeenofa standard rarely heard inmereillustrationofa lecture, and exceedinglygratifying to thisAssociation. A hearty voteofthankstolecturerand performers wasthen passed.