The basset clarinet is a type of clarinet, like the common soprano clarinet, but it is longer and has more keys that allow it to play lower notes. It usually has keys that can play down to a low C or B, while the standard clarinet can only reach E or E♭. The basset clarinet is most often a transposing instrument, meaning it plays in the key of A, but some are made in C, B♭, or very rarely in G. The basset horn is another instrument with a similar name and a lower range, usually in the key of F. It was created before the basset clarinet and likely influenced its design.

History

The oldest instruments that have survived and are now in museums in Paris and London were made around 1770. The basset clarinet was most closely linked to Anton Stadler (1753–1812), a skilled clarinet player and friend of Mozart. Stadler used an instrument designed by Theodor Lotz, an instrument maker in the court of Vienna, around 1788. For many years, it was unclear what this instrument looked like. In 1992, concert programs from 1794 were found in a library in Riga. These programs include drawings of Stadler’s instrument. The term "basset clarinet" was used by 1796, though it may have originally described the basset horn.

Mozart wrote his Clarinet Quintet in A major, K.581 and Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K.622 for this instrument. The concerto was partly based on an earlier part of a Concerto for Basset Horn in G, K.584b. In his opera La clemenza di Tito, Mozart gave the basset clarinet in B♭ a major role in the aria Parto parto, ma tu ben mio, meco ritorna in pace, where it performs a solo part lasting about 8 minutes.

Because of the importance of Mozart’s clarinet concerto, the basset clarinet remains an interesting instrument, even though it was not widely used. For the concerto, the instrument needed to have a chromatic range, which the shape of the Viennese basset horn did not allow. On period instruments following the Riga design, a low B note could be played by covering a keyless hole on the "L" joint with the knee or thigh. Editions of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, K.622, and Quintet, K.581, that include this note have been published by Craig Hill.

Despite Stadler’s support, the basset clarinet was not regularly used in orchestras. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, only a few basset clarinets were made, mainly for performances of Mozart’s music, and no new compositions were written for the instrument. However, in the mid-20th century, interest in using original historical instruments led to the revival of the basset clarinet. Some modern composers, including Thomas Adès, Bill Sweeney, Harrison Birtwistle, Alan Hacker, Hannes Pohlit, and Franklin Stover, have written music for the basset clarinet. Joan Tower’s 1988 Clarinet Concerto can be played on either the basset clarinet or the standard clarinet.

Construction

A modern basset clarinet can have a straight shape, similar to a regular clarinet (see the two photos below on the right). However, some clarinets have a bell that is slightly angled upward and forward, connected by an angled piece (see the photo above in the infobox). Charles Neidich owns a basset clarinet with modern features built by Schwenk & Seggelke. This clarinet, like the Stadler clarinet, has an angled barrel and a bell called a Liebesfuß [de]. The bell can be turned backward or forward. The different shapes and directions of the bell affect the sound of the instrument.

Fingering of the basset notes

A basset clarinet is usually an A-clarinet with a longer part that adds lower notes. On historical instruments and those made using the German system, the deep notes C, C#, D, and Eb are played using the right thumb. This is also true for French system instruments made by German companies like Herbert Wurlitzer and Leitner & Kraus. However, French system basset clarinets from other manufacturers often have two extra keys for the small right finger to play D and Eb, and two thumb keys for C and C#. The German company Schwenk & Seggelke provides options for both systems and adds a key for the small left finger to play D, allowing it to be played in two ways. On clarinets made by Stephen Fox in Canada, D is played with the small left finger, and if available, the low B is played with the small right finger. The other deep notes are played with the right thumb. In 2021, the German company F. Arthur Uebel, along with musician Ricardo Morales, created a new Boehm basset clarinet. On this instrument, the two extra keys for the right little finger are used for C# and Eb instead of D and Eb. A separate key on the left little finger is added for D, and a thumb key is used for C.

In the German system, the Austrian company Gerold-Klarinetten made a special version of the basset clarinet with four thumb keys for the deep notes. This design includes a fifth key to improve the sound of the low F and E.

• Fingerings for deep notes on German and French systems
• German system with 4 keys (Seggelke clarinets)
• German system with 5 keys (Gerold clarinets)
• French system: 2 extra keys for the small right finger and 2 thumb keys (standard)
• French system: an extra key for the small left finger (Seggelke)

Compositions

From Mozart to today, there are fewer than 60 musical pieces written for the basset clarinet. The most important ones are:

• W. A. Mozart: Quintet for basset clarinet, two violins, viola, and cello in A major, K 581
• W. A. Mozart: Concerto for basset clarinet and orchestra in A major, K 622
• W. A. Mozart: Opera La Clemenza di Tito, No. 9, aria from Sesto “Parto, parto, ma tu ben mio”, for mezzo-soprano, basset clarinet in B ♭ obbligato and orchestra.

Most other pieces were written after 1950. These include:

• Concertos with a solo basset clarinet: including works by Joan Tower (born 1938, United States), Manfred Trojahn (born 1949, Germany), Helmut Eisel (born 1955, Germany), Shigeru Kan-no (born 1959, Japan), and Wim Henderickx (1962–2022, Netherlands). The Basset Clarinet Concerto 'SUTRA' premiered on March 31, 2021, with Annelien Van Wauwe.
• Solo pieces for basset clarinet: including works by Michiko Kawagoe (Japan), Aribert Reimann (born 1936, Germany), Ondreij Sarek (Czech Republic), and Christopher M. Wicks (born 1975, United States).
• Duets with basset clarinet: including works by Harrison Birtwistle (born 1934, England), Istvan Bozicevik (Croatia), Erika Fox (born 1936, Austria / United Kingdom), Patrick Nunn (born 1969, United Kingdom), Meinrad Schmitt (born 1935, Germany), William Sweeney (born 1950, United Kingdom), and Gary Carpenter (born 1951, United Kingdom).
• Trios with basset clarinet: including works by François Devienne (1759–1803, France) and Helmut Eisel (born 1955, Germany).
• Quintets with basset clarinet: including works by Harrison Birtwistle (born 1934, United Kingdom).
• Larger chamber music ensembles with basset clarinet: including works by Klaus Huber (1924–2017, Switzerland).
• Orchestral music and operas with basset clarinet: including works by Thomas Adés (born 1971, United Kingdom), W. A. Mozart (1756–1791), opera Cosi fan tutte aria by Ferrando (No. 24) “Ah! Io veggio”, and Ferdinando Paer (1771–1839, Italy), opera Sargino (1803), aria “Una voca al cor mi parla”.

Makers

Some clarinet makers now create basset clarinets or longer parts that attach to a standard clarinet to turn it into a basset clarinet. Companies that make basset clarinets using the French (Boehm) system include Buffet Crampon, Stephen Fox, and Backun Musical Services.

Companies that make clarinets using both the French and German (Oehler) systems are Herbert Wurlitzer, Schwenk & Seggelke, and Leitner & Kraus. A company that makes clarinets using only the German system is Hüyng. Companies that make basset lower joints include Fox.

Performers

Many famous clarinetists have recorded music using a basset clarinet. These musicians include Colin Lawson, David Shifrin, Antony Pay, Sabine Meyer, Richard Haynes, and Kari Kriikku. Martin Fröst, Sharon Kam, Shirley Brill, Annelien Van Wauwe, and Sebastian Manz also play Mozart’s concerto on a basset clarinet. The German musician Theo Jörgensmann performed free jazz on a basset clarinet, as does Vinny Golia, a performer based in Los Angeles who also uses the basset horn in his music. The British musician Thea King recorded Mozart’s Quintet and Concerto on a basset clarinet for Hyperion Records, combining both pieces on one CD. Michael Collins, who studied with Thea King, recorded Mozart’s Concerto using a basset clarinet for Deutsche Grammophon, along with a version of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto for clarinet. In 2008, Collins performed a new piece called Ornamental Air with the North Carolina Symphony, which is a concerto for basset clarinet. Another British musician, Joy Farrall, recorded Mozart’s Concerto and Quintet using a basset clarinet for BMG and Meridian, along with the Kegelstatt Trio for clarinet, viola, and piano. Jane Booth recorded Mozart’s Quintet on period instruments with the Eybler Quartet for Analekta in 2010. Colin Lawson’s recording of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto K. 622 with the Hanover Band for Nimbus in 1990, along with his book Cambridge Handbook to Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto published in 1996, is widely respected.

The American clarinetist Charles Neidich, the Italian Luca Lucchetta, the Belgian Vlad Weverbergh, and the Swedish Stefan Harg all use replicas of Stadler’s basset clarinet to perform Mozart’s music. In performances of Mozart’s opera La clemenza di Tito, the aria "Parto, ma tu ben mio" increasingly features a basset clarinet in B♭ instead of a regular clarinet. This change has been used in performances of the aria in Salzburg in 2017 and Amsterdam in 2018, with the German clarinetist Florian Schuele. Richard Haynes, an Australian clarinetist, performs on a basset clarinet d’amore in G and commissions new music for this instrument.

• Theo Jörgensmann
• Sabine Meyer
• Sharon Kam
• Martin Fröst
• Shirley Brill
• Annelien Van Wauwe
• Richard Haynes
• Sebastian Manz