Clarinet Quintet and the Legacy of the Mannheim Chapel Composers

Abstract

The paper considers the processes of establishment of the clarinet quintet genre in the instrumental chamber music of the composers of the Mannheim chapel. It is noted that the Mannheim chapel was one of the first in Europe to employ clarinetists on a permanent basis. This contributed to the formation of a double composition of the orchestra and the emergence of a solo-ensemble repertoire for the clarinet in the genre of a solo instrumental concerto and in chamber music. It was discovered that the clarinet entered the chamber music of the people of Mannheim as an instrument that could replace the first violin, so the genres of trio and quartet for clarinet and string instruments became the most popular. In the ensembles with a larger number of participants, the search for optimal performing compositions continued. One of them was a quintet for clarinet, two violins, viola, and cello. It required independence of all parts and did not allow the interchangeability of clarinet and violin. Individual works were written for this composition, one of them isin the pieces byC. Stamitz. It isindicated that the connection between composers and clarinetists appeared for the first time in the legacy of Mannheim school. A conclusion is made about the influence of chamber music with the participation of clarinet representatives of the Mannheim chapel on the genre and style priorities of W.A. Mozart, whose works include a clarinet quintet (1789).