Anton Stadler (clarinetist)

Anton Paul Stadler (born June 28, 1753 in Bruck an der Leitha , † June 15, 1812 in Vienna ) was a clarinetist and basset clarinet player for whom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his clarinet quintet KV 581 and his clarinet concerto KV 622.

Life

Stadler was known for his beautiful playing, with masterful command of the low registers of the clarinet and the basset clarinet . He also played with his younger brother Johann Nepomuk Stadler (1755–1804) in the orchestra of the Vienna Burgtheater and in the imperial-royal harmony music . Together with the woodwind instrument maker Theodor Lotz, Anton Stadler expanded the ambitus of his clarinets in B and A down to low C. For this so-called "basset clarinet" Mozart wrote the quintet for clarinet and strings in A major KV 581, also known as the " Stadler quintet", and the clarinet concerto KV 622. Franz Xaver Süßmayr wrote a concerto for bass clarinet in D major for Stadler.

Like Mozart, Stadler was a member of the Freemasons Association . Rumors spread in the literature that Stadler is alleged to have pawned works by Mozart written for him cannot be corroborated by any sources found. Whether the court clarinetist owed his friend 500 gulden at the time of Mozart's death has to remain open in view of the note "without obligo" in Mozart's estate directory. On the other hand, Stadler stood with Theodor Lotz for two basset clarinets specially made for his long concert tour with an amount of 162 guilders in the chalk. At the time of Lotz's death on June 26, 1792, Stadler was in Warsaw. It is unclear whether the arrears towards Lotz's bereaved relatives were settled after the court musician's return to Vienna.

literature

• Constantin von Wurzbach : Stadler, Anton . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 37th part. Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1878, p. 71 ( digitized version ).
• Michael Lorenz : "Mozart's godchild" , Acta Mozartiana 58, vol. 1, June 2011, 57–70.
• Harald Strebel : Anton Stadler: Work and environment of the "Mozart clarinetist". Facts, dates and hypotheses about his biography. Hollitzer, Vienna 2016, ISBN 978-3-99012-367-6 .
• Michael Lorenz : "Unknown Stadler Documents (Part 1)" , Vienna 2020.

Documentation

Radio reports and podcast

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Clarinet Quintet KV 581 . A friendship portrait of Stadler and Mozart. A podcast contribution by the radio station Bayern 2 from the series BR Klassik-Starkeücke from February 4, 2012 on the Bayern 2 website