Editor: Colin Lawson, Royal College of Music, London
Date Published: January 1998
Format: Paperback
Part of Cambridge Companions to Music

On its first appearance in 1891, Brahms' Clarinet Quintet was immediately recognised as a remarkable achievement, and a century later it still has the power to claim the hearts and minds of players and audiences alike. Widely regarded as Brahms' supreme achievement in the field of chamber music, the Clarinet Quintet is here placed in the context of the history of the clarinet and its repertory, and of Brahms' own compositions before 1891. The influence of the Meiningen clarinet virtuoso Richard Mühlfeld unleashed a new vein of creativity in Brahms, and this forms a basis for discussion, together with questions of performance practice (in relation to both clarinet and string quartet) and the legacy of Brahms' clarinet music. These chapters are complemented by a comprehensive analysis of the music.

 • The first book devoted to the work which is widely regarded as Brahms' supreme achievement in the field of chamber music
 • The book is written by one of the foremost performers and scholars of the historical clarinet
 • Special attention is given to performance practice, and Brahms' influence on later composers

Sample Pages