Everything about The Basset Horn totally explained
The
basset horn (sometimes written
basset-horn) is a
musical instrument, a member of the
clarinet family.
Construction and tone
Like the clarinet, the instrument is a
wind instrument with a
single reed and a cylindrical
bore. However, the basset horn is larger and has a bend near the
mouthpiece rather than an entirely straight body (older instruments are typically curved or bent in the middle), and while the clarinet is typically a
transposing instrument in B flat or A (meaning a written C sounds as a B flat or A), the basset horn is typically in F. Finally, the basset horn has additional keys for an extended range down to written C, which sounds F at the bottom of the bass staff. Its
timbre is similar to the clarinet's, but darker and less brilliant. Basset horns in A, G, E, E flat, and D also were made; the first of these is closely related to the
basset clarinet.
To confuse matters, the basset horn isn't a
horn; its name probably derives from the resemblance of early, curved or angled versions to a horn. The notion that it was invented by a person named Horn appears to be fanciful. Some of the earliest basset horns, dating from the 1760s, bear a maker's stamp claiming they were invented by A. and M. Mayerhofer of
Passau, but while this claim hasn't been discredited, it remains unproved.
Repertoire
A number of composers of the
classical period wrote for the basset horn, and the famous 18th century clarinettist
Anton Stadler played it.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was by far the most notable composer for the basset horn, including it in the
Maurerische Trauermusik (Masonic Funeral Music),
K. 477, the
Gran Partita, K. 361, the
Requiem, K. 626, and several of his operas, like
La Clemenza di Tito which features the great Servilia's aria
Non più di fiori with basset-horn
obbligato, and chamber works. He wrote dozens of pieces for basset horn ensembles. His famous
concerto for clarinet and orchestra in A, K. 622, was originally sketched out as a concerto for basset horn in G. Other early works for basset horn include a concerto for basset horn in G and small orchestra by
Carl Stamitz, which has been arranged for conventional basset horn in F, and a concerto in F by
Heinrich Backofen.
In the 19th century,
Felix Mendelssohn wrote two pieces for the basset horn, clarinet and piano (opus 113 and 114). These were later scored for full orchestra. The instrument was largely abandoned until
Richard Strauss took it up once more in his operas
Elektra,
Der Rosenkavalier, and
Capriccio, and several later works.
Other works
Basset horn soloists and ensembles
The Prague Trio of Basset-horns, based in the
Czech Republic, has a repertoire of music (originally written for, or transcribed for, three basset horns) by composers including Mozart,
Scott Joplin, and
Paul Desmond.
Trivia
The Italian name for the instrument,
corno di bassetto, was used by
Bernard Shaw as a
pseudonym when writing music criticism.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Basset Horn'.
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