A clarinet concerto is a concerto for clarinet; that is, a musical composition for solo clarinet together with a large ensemble (such as an orchestra or concert band). Albert Rice has identified a work by Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli as possibly the earliest known concerto for solo clarinet; its score appears to be titled "Concerto per il Clareto" and may date from 1733. It may, however, be intended for soprano chalumeau.[1] There are earlier concerti grossi with concertino clarinet parts including two by Johann Valentin Rathgeber, published in 1728.[2]
Famed publishing house Breitkopf & Härtel published the first clarinet concerto in 1772. The instrument's popularity soared and a flurry of early clarinet concertos ensued.[3] Many of these early concertos have largely been forgotten, though German clarinettist Dieter Klocker specialized in these "lost" works.[4] Famous clarinet concertos of the Classical and early Romantic era include those of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Carl Maria von Weber and Louis Spohr.
The modern clarinet did not exist before about 1700. There are, however, a number of concertos written for its antecedent, the chalumeau.
The discovery of six clarinet concertos by Johann Melchior Molter (1696–1765) — the first of which may date from 1743[5] — and three concerti grossi for clarinet and oboe written by Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) as far back as 1711[6] have led music historians to revise the common view that the first concerto for the instrument was written by Johann Stamitz around 1755.[citation needed]
Concerto No. 11 in B♭ major for Clarinet and Orchestra
Concerto No. 8 in E♭ major for Clarinet and Orchestra
Concerto No. 9 in B♭ major for Clarinet and Orchestra
Concerto No. 7 in B♭ major for Clarinet and Orchestra
Other concertos from the Classical era include those by Deshayes, Fuchs, Jan Kalous, Joseph Lacher, Lang, Philipp Meissner, Pfeilsticker, J.B. Wanhal, Wenzel Pichel, Johan Stich, and J.C. Stumpf.[3]
Fantasia Da Concerto Su Motivi De La Traviata (Fantasia for Clarinet and Orchestra on the Opera, La Traviata) for Clarinet and Orchestra (Original music/opera by Giuseppe Verdi)
Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind for solo clarinetist (soprano clarinets, basset horn, and bass clarinet) and string quartet, later arranged for solo clarinetist and string orchestra.[19]
^Hoeprich, T. Eric (1983). "Finding a Clarinet for the Three Concertos by Vivaldi". Early Music. 11 (1): 61–64. doi:10.1093/earlyj/11.1.61. JSTOR3137507.
^
Juan José Molero Ramos (September 2019). "A Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in E-Flat Major by James Hook or Jean-Xavier Lefèvre: A Question Of Authorship". The Clarinet.
^ abHoeprich, Eric (2008). The Clarinet. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 135.
^Marina Frolava-Walker. "Rimsky-Korsakov: (1) Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov." Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed December 1, 2006), grovemusic.comArchived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine (subscription access).