Fomrhi Comm 1920
Albert R. Rice
Early Clarinet Iconography
Daniel Spicka’s photo (Comm. 1902) of an angel playing a clarinet on an organ by
Abraham Strack (1659-1709) dated 1688 in Plassy, West Bohemia is certainly intriguing.
But despite Ute Henning’s enthusiastic response (Comm. 1908), the carving does not
prove that clarinets were available at this time and carved by an artist “from life”. Many
organs and their decorations were repeatedly restored during the 18th, 19th, and 20th
centuries. The two angel musicians playing a violin or fiddle and a clarinet in Spicka’s
photo could have been added to the organ during the mid-18th century or considerably
later. Significantly, Jaroslav Tůma, who recorded several works on this restored Strack
organ gave a thorough report in the liner notes of his recording of organ works
concerning the Strack organ’s subsequent reconstruction and conservation by different
makers and modern firms (see: http://www.arta.cz/index.php?p=shop_item&id=F10157
&site=en#). Its history illustrates some of the ways organs have been restored and
changed since the 18th century.
For example, about 1780 Strack’s organ underwent a fundamental reconstruction
by an unknown maker. “This almost led to its collapse during the late 20th century.
Further changes in order to modernize this organ were carried out by M. Š. Petr in 1909.
In 2001, the Doubek company took the instrument apart, bringing it to their workshop in
Čížov near Jihlava. But because of financial difficulties at this firm the work was not
carried out. Before the firm became bankrupt, Vladimír Šlajch, an organ builder in
Borovany, was selected to complete the restoration. Mr Šlajch, however, indicated from
the start that the original budget was unrealistic and offered a new restoration plan with a
revised budget. Luckily, a U.S. foundation was contacted by Messrs. Mikuláš Hulec and
Daniel Špička, members of the Centre for the Preservation and Restoration of
Architecture (CORA Prague), and an American donor, the Packard Humanities Institute,
contributed seven and a half million crowns for its restoration. In 2003, this sponsor
provided the funds and later the Czech Ministry of Culture also assisted with two and a
half million crowns. Šlajch’s restoration plan was ready. In addition, the carved and
sculpted decoration undertaken by restorer Václav Stádník, was painstakingly completed.
The statues of musicians playing on different instruments and all the other sculptures and
carvings were, like the entire organ, damaged by woodworm and rough handling during
the recent dismantling. Despite this, however, the work was well accomplished and today
the instrument shimmers in all its glory.” The restored Strack organ was initially played
in 2006.
Although the earliest clarinets could have been made by Johann Christoph Denner
of Nuremberg in about 1690, following Curt Sach’s estimate, the earliest documented
date is 1710 when Denner’s son, Jacob, received an order for a number of instruments
including “2 Clarinettes” (City Archive of Nuremberg). Clarinet iconography is not
particularly extensive compared to the flute or oboe and some examples are listed here up
through the mid-18th century:
1) Johann Christoph Weigel, Musikalisches Theatrum (Nuremberg, ca. 1722; fac. Ed.,
Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1961), sheet 14, showing a gentleman playing a two-key clarinet.
2) Martin Engelbrecht, Augsburg, engraving of a “Recorder Player” (ca. 1720-1730) with
several instruments including a two-key clarinet on a nearby table (Sydney Beck and
Elizabeth E. Roth, Music in Prints (New York: The New York Public Library, 1965),
nos. 30, 32.
3) Martin Engelbrecht, Augsburg, “Assemblage nouveau des manouvries habiles” (ca.
1730-1740), colored engraving showing a tradesman wearing a number of different
instruments including a clarinet (Günter Joppig, “Holzblasinstrumente,” in Fünf
Jahrhunderte deutscher Musikinstrumentenbau: ein Jubiläumsbuch, ed. H. Moeck, 3990. Celle: Moeck, 1987.)
4) Joh. Pet. Wolff, engraving of a gentleman playing a two or three-key clarinet, first half
of the 18th century), The Hague, Gemeentemuseum (Albert R. Rice, The Baroque
Clarinet, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992), 141.
5) Anonymous, German engraving of a family (father, mother and son) consisting of a
cellist, singer, and two-key clarinetist (first half of the 18th century), The Hague,
Gemeentemuseum (Rice, The Baroque Clarinet, 142.
6) Johann Christoph Steudner, “Rühmlischster Nachklang die schönste Music.
Dulcissimum melos bon fama” (first half of the 18th century), a small ensemble of
director, clavichord player, viola da gamba player, violinist, recorder, oboe, (two-key)
clarinet, and a pair of singers (Folker Göthel, Musik in Bayern: II. Ausstellungskatalog
Augsburg (Tutzing: H. Schneider, 1972), 172, no. 136, ill. 15).
7) Gilded sculptures of clarinets, chalumeaux, and French horns are depicted on two wall
freizes in the music room of the Markgräfin Wilhelmine von Brandenburg-Culmbach,
Bayreuth (1735; Gunther Joppig, “Die Komponistin Wilhelmine und die
Instrumentendarstellungen in den Musikzimmern der Baureuther Schlösser,” Galli
Bibiena und der Musenhof der Wilhelmine von Bayreuth (München: Prestel, 1998), vol.
2, 46-49; Joppig, “Der Entwicklung der europäischen Klarinette,” Faszination Klarinette
(Berlin 2003), 17-18.)
8) Albericus Hirschberger, “Six Masses” (Burghausen: Johann Jakob Luzenberger,
1743), The frontispiece illustrates several instruments including two clarinets placed
diagonally across a recorder (Göthel, Musik in Bayern, 395-6, no. 544, ill. 51).
9) Gabriel Weiss, painting of two angels playing two-key clarinets on a panel on the front
of the choir loft in the Pfarrkirche Sankt Magnus, Bad Schussenried (ca. 1744-1745),
southern Germany (Eric Hoeprich, “The earliest paintings of the clarinet,” Early Music
23 no. 2 (May 1995), 258-266).
10) M. Faller, wood angel playing a gilded two-key clarinet on the choir organ (ca.
1750), Pfarr-und Seminarkirche, St. Peter, Black Forest, southern Germany (Albert R.
Rice, “The rediscovery of Faber’s 1720 Mass and recent research on the early 18-century
clarinet,” The Clarinet vol. 36, no. 4 (September 2009), 57).
11) Thomas Roberts, stuccoes on the upper walls of upper library in Christ Church,
Oxford (1753). Two-key clarinets appear to be depicted including other instruments
(Eric Halfpenny, “The Christ Church Trophies,” Galpin Society Journal 28 (1975), 8183.
Number 10 is closest in its media and appearance to the angel musician on Starck’s
organ, but its angel (or putti) is playing an instrument that appears to me to be much more
like an early eighteenth century clarinet in its general appearance and smooth round
turning.
Wood angel playing a gilded two-key clarinet on the choir organ, M. Faller (ca. 1750),
Pfaar-und Sminarkirche, St. Peter, Black Forest, southern Germany
Albert R. Rice