The Mozart Clarinet Concerto from an Historical Perspective: How to Inform your Performance as a Modern Clarinetist

Abstract

At the time Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto was written, music would have been performed very differently than how we interpret it today. From the concepts of phrasing, articulation, and tempo, to the role of the performer as creator through ornamentation and embellishment, historical clarinet specialist, Dr. Marie Ross, will take this lecture through sound worlds of the Classical era. She will demonstrate her Mozart-era five-key boxwood basset clarinet, revealing how the tones of the instrument created the expressive aesthetic of the time and why it is essential for modern players to be familiar with the instrument of the past. As historically informed performance begins to permeate mainstream classical music, knowledge of the classical style can broaden expressive possibilities for modern players as well as embolden their artistic creativity.