Description

Hans-Peter Huber

„Ach, wenn wir nur auch Clarinetti hätten!“ – “Ah, if only we also had clarinets!”

On the Clarinet in the Works of Wolfgang Amadé Mozart – Works, Facts, Sources, Opinions

In a letter dated December 3, 1778, to his father, W. A. Mozart expresses his enthusiastic admiration for the clarinet and its unique sound. It was not his first encounter with this woodwind instrument, but this particular letter—which inspired the title of this book—may well mark the beginning of a lifelong musical love affair between composer and instrument, one that is virtually unparalleled in music history.

Hans-Peter Huber, himself a passionate clarinetist and music educator, spent many years researching this fascinating topic. With great attention to detail, he presents in chronological order the appearances of the clarinet in Mozart’s oeuvre—from the early wind works of the fifteen-year-old composer to the clarinet world’s opus magnum, the Clarinet Concerto in A major, KV 622, written near the end of Mozart’s creative life.

This comprehensive book is written from the perspective of a clarinetist and focuses primarily on musical practice, without neglecting relevant musicological questions.