View source for Basset horn

{{Short description|Wind instrument of the clarinet family}}
{{Redirect|Corno di Bassetto|the Irish essayist who used this pen-name|George Bernard Shaw}}
{{Redirect|Bassetto|Italian footballer|Adriano Bassetto}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox Instrument
| name           = Basset horn
| names          = it: corno di bassetto, de: Bassetthorn, fr: cor de basset
| image          = Schwenk+Seggelke Bassetthorn-mue.jpg
| image_size     = 200px
| image_capt     = Modern basset horn (German and French System, [[Schwenk & Seggelke]])
| background     = 
| classification = Woodwind, clarinet family
| range          = Basset horn in F <br><score> { \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f  c2 \glissando \ottava #1 d''''2  \ottava #-1 f,2 \glissando g''2 } </score><br> written: C3-D7, sounding a perfect fifth lower: F2-G6
| related        = [[Clarinet d'amore]], [[Alto clarinet]], [[bass clarinet]], [[tenor saxophone]]. Distinguish: [[Basset clarinet]]
| musicians      = [[Suzanne Stephens]], [[Sabine Meyer]], {{ill|Stephan Siegenthaler|de}}, [[Alessandro Carbonare]] Clarinet Trio
| composers      = [[Carl Stamitz]], [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]], [[Alessandro Rolla]], [[Felix Mendelssohn]], [[Richard Strauss]], [[Roger Sessions]], [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]]
| builders       = [[Schwenk & Seggelke]], [[Herbert Wurlitzer]], [[Leitner & Kraus]], [[Buffet Crampon]], [[Selmer Company]]
| sound sample   = [[File:Beethoven Prometheus Creatures Op. 43 No. 14 - Solo della signora Cassentini.oga|thumb|250px|center|The Creatures of Prometheus by Ludwig Van Beethoven, Op. 43 — 14. Andante (Solo della signora Cassentini), performed by Laila Storch (oboe), William McColl (basset-horn) and Anita Cummings (piano). The basset-horn begins playing about 30 seconds in.]]
}}

The '''basset horn''' (sometimes hyphenated as '''basset-horn''') is a member of the [[clarinet family]] of [[musical instrument]]s.

==Construction and tone==

[[File: Richard Müller Bassetthorn Birne 3.jpg|thumb|100px|left| Angled barrel of a modern basset horn (German System)]]
Like the clarinet, the instrument is a wind instrument with a [[single reed]] and a cylindrical [[bore (wind instruments)|bore]]. However, the basset horn is larger and has a bend or a kink between the [[mouthpiece (woodwind)|mouthpiece]] and the upper joint (older instruments are typically curved or bent in the middle), and while the clarinet is typically a [[transposing instrument]] in B{{Music|flat}} or A (meaning a written C sounds as a B{{Music|flat}} or A), the basset horn is typically in F (less often in G). 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. In comparison, the [[alto clarinet]] typically extends down to written E♭, which sounds G♭, one semitone higher than the basset horn.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bEGFHr_u8g | title=Alto Clarinet vs Basset Horn: Can You Hear the Difference? | website=YouTube | date=10 March 2019 }}</ref> The [[timbre]] of the basset horn is similar to the alto clarinet's, but darker. Basset horns in A, G, E, E{{Music|flat}}, and D were also made; the first of these is closely related to the [[basset clarinet]].<ref>{{cite journal
 | last = Lawson
 | first = Colin
 | title = The Basset Clarinet Revived
 | journal = Early Music
 | volume = 15
 | issue = 4
 |date=November 1987
 | pages = 487–501
 | doi = 10.1093/earlyj/XV.4.487}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
 | last = Rice
 | first = Albert R.
 | title = The Clarinette d'Amour and Basset Horn
 | journal = Galpin Society Journal
 | volume = 39
 |date=September 1986
 | pages = 97–111
 | doi = 10.2307/842136| jstor = 842136
 }}</ref>

The basset horn is not related to the [[Horn (instrument)|horn]], or other members of the [[Brass instrument|brass]] family ([[Sachs-Hornbostel]] classification 423.121.2 or 423.23); it does, however, bear a distant relationship to the [[Hornpipe (instrument)|hornpipe]] and [[cor anglais]]. Its name probably derives from the resemblance of early, curved versions to the horn of some animal.<ref>Jeremy Montagu, "Basset Horn", ''The Oxford Companion to Music'', edited by Alison Latham (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2002).</ref>

Some of the earliest basset horns, which are believed to date from the 1760s, bear an inscription "ANT et MICH MAYRHOFER INVEN. & ELABOR. PASSAVII", which has been interpreted to mean they were made by Anton and Michael Mayrhofer of [[Passau]].<ref>[[Nicholas Shackleton]]. "Basset-horn", ''[[Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians|Grove Music Online]]'', ed. Deane Root (accessed 25 March 2011), [http://www.grovemusic.com/ grovemusic.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516041031/http://www.grovemusic.com/ |date=16 May 2008 }} (subscription access).</ref>

Modern basset horns can be divided into three basic types, distinguished primarily by bore size and, consequently, the mouthpieces with which they are played:

*The small-bore basset horn has a bore diameter in the range of {{convert|15.5|to(-)|16.0|mm|in|abbr=on}} (still somewhat larger than a soprano clarinet bore, though it is often erroneously thought to be the same; even a large bore English clarinet, such as the old B&H 1010 design has a smaller bore of {{convert|15.3|mm|in|abbr=on}}).  It is played with a B{{Music|flat}}/A clarinet mouthpiece. Only [[Henri Selmer Paris|the Selmer Company]] (Paris) and [[Stephen Fox (clarinet maker)|Stephen Fox]] (Canada) currently make this model.<ref name="Fox">{{Cite web|last=Fox|first=Stephen|title=Basset Horn|url=http://www.sfoxclarinets.com/Basset_Horn.html|access-date=29 December 2020|website=Sfoxclarinets.com}}</ref>
*The medium-bore basset horn has a bore diameter in the region of {{convert|17.0|mm|in|abbr=on}} or slightly less.  This is the most common type made by German-system manufacturers (e.g., Otmar Hammerschmidt (Austria)). Since no French-style mouthpiece with an appropriate bore is mass-produced, this model requires a matching German basset-horn mouthpiece. (This model is not usually recognized in North America, where it is confused with the large-bore type described below.) Stephen Fox currently makes this model also.<ref name="Fox" />
*The large-bore basset horn, with a bore diameter of about {{convert|18.0|mm|in|abbr=on}} and played with an alto-clarinet mouthpiece, is in constructional terms an alto clarinet pitched in F and with the extra basset notes. The [[Leblanc (musical instrument manufacturer)|Leblanc]] basset horns (bores about {{convert|18.0|to(-)|18.2|mm|in|abbr=on}}) are of this type.<ref name="Fox" />

The current [[Buffet Crampon|Buffet]] basset horn could be called a hybrid "medium-large bore" model, since it uses an alto-clarinet mouthpiece but has a bore diameter around {{convert|17.2|mm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=118466&t=118384 | title=The Clarinet BBoard }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bEGFHr_u8g | title=Alto Clarinet vs Basset Horn: Can You Hear the Difference? | website=YouTube | date=10 March 2019 }}</ref>

== Historical instruments ==

<gallery mode = packed  heights = "280">
Mozart Divertimento for 3 Basset Horns 102x102cm.jpg|Mozart Divertimento for 3 Basset Horns (Kay Lipton - "Art Informed By Music")
Clarinets and corni di bassetto (1).jpg|Museum of Musical Instruments, Berlin: 18th-century basset horns (with clarinets, a flute, and bassoons)
Bassetthorn in F-Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg-1912.1560.jpg|Basset horn by Jakob Friedrich Grundmann (1787)
Bassetthorn chromatisch nach Lotz (Replica).jpg|Chromatic basset horn after Theodor Lotz (replica)
Bassetthorn gerade (Replica).jpg|Romantic basset horn, elongated shape, 13 keys (replica)
</gallery>

==Repertoire==
A number of composers of the [[Classical music era|classical period]] wrote for the basset horn, and the famous 18th-century clarinettist [[Anton Stadler]], as well as his younger brother [[Johann Stadler|Johann]], played it. [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] was by far the most notable composer for the basset horn, including three basset horns in the ''[[Maurerische Trauermusik]]'' (Masonic Funeral Music), [[Köchel-Verzeichnis|K.]] 477, and two in both the ''[[Serenade No. 10 for winds|Gran Partita]]'', K. 361, and the ''[[Requiem (Mozart)|Requiem]]'', K. 626, and several of his operas, such as ''[[Die Entführung aus dem Serail]]'', ''[[La Clemenza di Tito]]'' which features Vitellia's great aria "Non più di fiori" with basset-horn ''obbligato'', and ''[[Die Zauberflöte]]'', where they prominently accompany the ''March of the Priests'', as well as chamber works. He wrote dozens of pieces for basset horn ensembles. (His [[Clarinet Concerto (Mozart)|Clarinet Concerto in A Major]], KV 622, however, appears originally to have been written for a clarinet with an extended lower range, a [[basset clarinet]] in A, though there is an earlier version of part of the first movement, KV 621b in the [[Köchel catalogue]] of Mozart's works, scored for G basset horn and pitched a major second lower, in the key of G major.) The [[Clarinet Quintet (Mozart)|Clarinet Quintet]] in A major (K. 581) has also been performed on basset horn by Teddy Ezra with other members of the Else Ensemble.<ref>[[Israel Broadcasting Authority#Radio stations|Israel Broadcasting Authority]], Kol Ha-Musika Etnachta broadcast, 30 May 2016</ref>{{Failed verification|date=June 2016}}<!--No mention of this broadcast in either the English or German version of this website; the Quintet has been performed more than once on bassett *clarinet* (an A clarinet with downward extensions), but bassett *horn* (F clarinet with extensions)?-->

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 (it has been recorded on this instrument by [[Sabine Meyer]]), and a concerto in F by [[Johan Georg Heinrich Backofen|Heinrich Backofen]].

In the 19th century [[Felix Mendelssohn]] wrote two pieces for basset horn,  clarinet, and piano (opus 113 and 114). These were later scored for string orchestra. [[Franz Danzi]] wrote a Sonata in F, for basset horn and piano, Op.&nbsp;62 (1824) [[Antonín Dvořák]] attempted a half-hearted revival, using the instrument in his [[Czech Suite (Dvořák)|Czech Suite]] (1879), in which he specifies that an English horn (cor anglais) may be used instead, but the instrument was largely abandoned until [[Richard Strauss]] took it up once more in his operas ''[[Elektra (opera)|Elektra]]'' (1909), ''[[Der Rosenkavalier]]'', ''[[Die Frau ohne Schatten]]'', ''[[Daphne (opera)|Daphne]]'', ''[[Die Liebe der Danae]]'', and ''[[Capriccio (opera)|Capriccio]]'', and several later works, including two wind sonatinas (Happy Workshop and Invalid's Workshop). [[Franz Schreker]] also employed the instrument in a few works including the operas ''[[Die Gezeichneten]]'' and ''[[Irrelohe]]''. [[Roger Sessions]] included a basset horn in the orchestra of his [[Violin Concerto (Sessions)|Violin Concerto]] (1935), where it opens the slow movement in a lengthy duet with the solo violin. In the last quarter of the 20th century and first decade of the 21st, [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]] wrote extensively for basset horn, giving it a prominent place in his cycle of operas ''[[Licht]]'' and other pieces.

===Other works===
*"Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind" for solo clarinetist (soprano clarinets, basset horn, and [[bass clarinet]]) and [[string quartet]] by [[Osvaldo Golijov]]; later arranged for solo clarinetist and [[string orchestra]].<ref>{{cite web
| title = Oakland Symphony performs a clarinetist's 'Dream'
| publisher = Inside Bay Area
| url = http://www.insidebayarea.com/music/ci_5485528
| date = 21 March 2007
| access-date = 21 March 2007}}</ref>
*Serenade on [[Carl Maria von Weber]]'s [[Oberon (Weber)|Oberon]] for basset horn and two guitars, op. 28, written by [[Heinrich Neumann]].
*Etudes for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 39 (1992) by [[Peter Schat]] calls for 3 basset horns in the orchestra.
*Serenade for 12 Instruments, Op. 61b (1915) by [[Josef Holbrooke]] calls for both corni di bassetto and oboe d'amore.
*[[Alessandro Rolla]] – Concerto in F Major BI. 528 for basset horn and orchestra
*[[Bertold Hummel]] – ''Concertino'' for basset horn and strings Op. 27a (1964)<ref>Boosey & Hawkes</ref>
*[[George Benjamin (composer)|George Benjamin]]'s first opera ''Into the Little Hill''
* In his enormous [[Gothic Symphony]] [[Havergal Brian]] enlists two basset horns.
* [[Samuel Andreyev]] – ''La pendule de profil'' for basset horn, bassoon, viola, cello and double bass
* Michael Schneider – ''Licht bei Vermeer'' for basset horn, vibraphone and 8 voices
* [[Howard J. Buss]] – "In Memoriam" for basset horn and piano (2015)

== Basset horn soloists and ensembles ==
[[File:Suzanne Stephens 1990.tif|thumb|upright|left|Suzanne Stephens with a modern basset horn (made by Leblanc, 1974)]]
The Lotz Trio performs on replicas of the basset-horns made by the 18th-century instrument maker [[Theodor Lotz]] of Pressburg (Bratislava) and Vienna. The ensemble presents a repertoire of popular 18th-century ''wind harmonias'' (known in German as ''Harmoniemusik'') represented predominantly by Mozart's music. However, the ensemble also performs music by other central-European composers – [[Georg Druschetzky]], [[Martín I Soler]], [[Anton Stadler]], [[Vojtech Nudera]], [[Johann Josef Rösler]] and [[Anton Wolanek]].

The Prague Trio of Basset-horns, based in the [[Czech Republic]], has a repertoire of music written or transcribed for three basset horns, by composers including Mozart, [[Scott Joplin]], and [[Paul Desmond]].

[[Suzanne Stephens]] was a leading basset-horn specialist in contemporary music. Starting in 1974, the German [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]] composed many new works for her, including a large number for basset-horn with a solo rolo in his opera ''LIGHT''. Other interprets of Stockhausens music are among others the Dutch Fie Schouten and the Italian Michele Marelli.

==Alternative usage==
The Italian name for the instrument, ''corno di bassetto'', was used by [[George Bernard Shaw|Bernard Shaw]] as a pseudonym when writing music criticism.

==See also==
*[[Alto clarinet]] (a somewhat similar instrument that does not have the lower extension keys and has a bass range that typically begins one semitone higher,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bEGFHr_u8g | title=Alto Clarinet vs Basset Horn: Can You Hear the Difference? | website=YouTube | date=10 March 2019 }}</ref> more commonly used in concert bands than as a solo instrument, in chamber music, or in orchestras<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.the-clarinets.net/english/alto-clarinet.html | title=The Clarinets – Alto clarinet and Bassett Horn | access-date=28 August 2022 | archive-date=19 June 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619202600/http://www.the-clarinets.net/english/alto-clarinet.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Dobrée, Georgina. 1995. "The Basset Horn". In ''The Cambridge Companion to the Clarinet'', edited by Colin Lawson, 57–65. [[Cambridge Companions to Music]]. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|0-521-47066-8}} (cloth); {{ISBN|0-521-47668-2}} (pbk).
* Grass, Thomas, Dietrich Demus, and René Hagmann. 2002. ''Das Bassetthorn: seine Entwicklung und seine Musik''. Norderstedt: Books on Demand. {{ISBN|3-8311-4411-7}}.
* Hoeprich, Eric. 2008. ''The Clarinet''. The Yale Musical Instrument Series. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-300-10282-6}}.
* Jungerman, Mary C. 1999. "The Single-reed Music of Karlheinz Stockhausen: How Does One Begin?". ''The Clarinet'' 27: 52.
* [[Pamela Weston|Weston, Pamela T]]. 1997. "Stockhausen's Contributions to the Clarinet and Basset Horn....". ''The Clarinet'' 25, no. 1:60–61.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Basset horns}}
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Basset Horn}}
*[http://www.lotztrio.com Lotz Trio]

{{Clarinet}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Clarinets]]
[[Category:F instruments]]
[[Category:Orchestral instruments]]