Anton Stadler Magnet

Mozart composed the Clarinet Quintet, K. 581 in 1789 and the Clarinet Concerto, K. 622 in 1791 for clarinetist and friend Anton Stadler. Stadler lived from 1753-1812 and performed on a ‘basset clarinet’ with the low range down to low c. He performed and travelled with Mozart and the friendship was stressed due to financial matters. When Mozart died on December 5th, 1791, Stadler owed the composer a good sum of money. The quintet and concerto are among the greatest works ever composed for clarinet. Anton Stadler’s virtuosic facility made him the first clarinetist to inspire a master composer.