Johannes Brahms & Richard Mhlfeld

The Iconic Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115

Independent Study
2014 - 2015

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Johannes Brahms & Richard Mhlfeld

The Iconic Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op, 115

The relationship between clarinetists and composers was very important in the 18th

and 19th centuries for the rise in prominence of the instrument. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
was one of the very first composers to write significant pieces of music that featured the
clarinet as soloist. His clarinet companion was Anton Stadler, an Austrian clarinet and basset
horn player, and because of their relationship, we know have three amazing staples in the
clarinet repertoire: the Kegelstatt Trio (K. 498), the Clarinet Quintet (K. 581), and the
Clarinet Concerto (K. 622). Stadler also had connections with composers Joseph Leopold
Eybler and Leopold Koeluch, which probably inspired their clarinet concerti. 1 The clarinet
suffered a stagnant entrance into the western classical music but due to clarinetist like Anton
Stadler and composers like Mozart, the clarinet would rise to be a prominent woodwind
voice for many composers to follow.

One clarinetist-composer relationship that would lead a composer to abandon

thoughts of retirement was the friendship of composer Johannes Brahms and clarinetist
Richard Mhfeld. Because of Mhfeld, Brahms would return from denouncing ever
composing again and would eventually write some of the most prolific music in the clarinet
repertoire. The clarinet compositions opened a new vein in Brahms' genius. The Trio in A
Minor, Op. 114, for piano, cello, and clarinet was written in the summer of 1891. It was first
heard in Meiningen in November of 1891. The Clarinet Quintet, Op. 115, was also written
in the summer of 1891. It was first heard in Meiningen on November 24, 1891, at the Court
of Meiningen. The famous violinist Joseph Joachim, for whom Brahms wrote his Violin
1

Brymer, Jack. Clarinet. New York: Schirmer Books. 1977.

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Concerto, also performed in the ensemble with Mhlfeld. The Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op.
120, and the Sonata No. 2 in Eb, Op. 120, were both composed in the summer of 1894, at
Ischl and were first performed for the Meiningen Circle at the Palace of Berchtesgaden.2
This piece would grow the not only be a staple in the clarinet repertoire but also in staple
piece of the 19th century and its all due the the relationship of a clarinetist and a composer.

Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg, Germany on May 7, 1833. His father,

Johann Jakob Brahms, worked as a freelance musician playing the flute, violin, cello, horn,
and double bass. His mother, Christina Nissen Brahms, was previously Johann Jakob Brahms'
landlord and was seventeen years older than him.3 Because of the conditions of Hamburg at
the time of his birth, there exists a common misconception that the Brahms family was in
poverty. However, the Brahms family was fairly secure financially and had the resources to
pay for Johannes and his brother to attend a private school for boys.4 Johannes graduated
when he was fourteen years old. When he was nineteen, Brahms began a short recital tour
with violinist Eduard Rmenyi. They toured of a few small towns in northern Germany in
order to help Brahms build his own concert career as well as for him to earn some money
and help support his family. This tour also marked the beginning of Brahms' career as a
composer.5 On this trip, Rmenyi took him to Hanover to meet Joseph Joachim, one of the
most highly respected violinists of the time, with whom Brahms remained friends for the rest
of his life. Through Joachim, Brahms was introduced to Liszt, Berlioz, and Robert and Clara

Botstein, Leon. The Compleat Brahms: A Guide to the Musical Works of Johannes Brahms. New York: W.W.
Norton. 1999.
3

Swafford, Jan. Johannes Brahms: A Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1997.

MacDonald, Malcolm. Brahms. New York: Schirmer Books. 1993.

Swafford. Johannes Brahms: A Biography.

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Schumann.6 The Schumanns would both make a profound impact on his professional and
personal life. When Brahms returned to Hamburg in December 1853 after completing the
tour he had seven works that were soon to be printed by leading publishers. Brahms never
earned royalties on his works but was paid a flat fee for each up front.7

After Robert Schumann's death at the sanatorium in 1856, Brahms divided his time

between Hamburg, where he formed and conducted a ladies' choir, and Detmold in the
Principality of Lippe, where he was court music-teacher and conductor.8 He was the soloist at
the premiere of his Piano Concerto No. 1, his first orchestral composition to be performed
publicly, in 1859. He had been composing steadily throughout the 1850s and 60s, but his
music had evoked divided critical responses, and the first Piano Concerto had been badly
received in some of its early performances. His works were labelled old-fashioned by the
'New German School' whose principal figures included Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, and
Hector Berlioz. Brahms admired some of Wagner's music and admired Liszt as a great
pianist, but the conflict between the two schools, known as the War of the Romantics, soon
embroiled all of musical Europe.9 It was the premiere of A German Requiem, his largest
choral work, in Bremen, in 1868, that confirmed Brahms's European reputation and led
many to accept that he had conquered Beethoven and the symphony. This may have given
him the confidence finally to complete a number of works that he had wrestled with over
many years, such as the cantata Rinaldo, his first string quartet, third piano quartet, and most

Brahms, Johannes, and Styra Avins. Johannes Brahms: Life and Letters. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1997.

Swafford, Jan. Johannes Brahms: A Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1997.

Brahms, Johannes, and Styra Avins. Johannes Brahms: Life and Letters. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1997.

MacDonald, Malcolm. Brahms. New York: Schirmer Books. 1993.

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notably his first symphony. This appeared in 1876, though it had been started in the early
1860s. The other three symphonies then followed in 1877, 1883, and 1885.10

During the Summer of 1890, Brahms had plunged himself into the thick volumes of

Heinrich von Sybels Foundation of the German Empire and rejected that ideas that he would ever
compose anything again. Brahms said to friend Eusebius Mandyczewski, Ive been
tormenting myself for a long time with all kinds of things, a symphony, chamber music and
other stuff, and nothing will come of itMy whole life Ive been a hard worker; now for once
Im going to be good and lazy! Brahms had actually already began working on the G Major
String Quintet but was ready to let the lighthearted and succinct work stand as his farewell.
Brahms completed the quintet and it was premiered on November 11, 1980 with great
sensation. The process of the composing the G Major String Quintet and his poignant
farewell to music let to a very dramatic Brahms. He told a friend,

Recently I started various things, symphonies and so on, but nothing would come out

right. Then I thought: Im really old, and resolved energetically to write no more. I

considered that all my life I had been sufficiently industrious and had achieved

enough; here I had before me a carefree old age and found enjoy it in peace. And that

made me so happy, so content, so delightedthat all at once the writing began to

go. 11

This would all change in the following months, as Brahms would make a friendship that
would reawaken all of his musical creativity.

10

Musgrave, Michael. A Brahms Reader. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. 2000.

11

Schauffler, Rober Haven, The Unknown Brahms: His Life, Character and Works; Based on New Material. New York: Dodd,
Mead and Company, 1933.
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In January of 1891, Brahms would travel to Meiningen for a weeklong arts festival

that included a performance of his Fourth Symphony by the court orchestra under Fritz
Steinbach. Most importantly, in this visit, Brahms was amazed by the performances of the
Weber Clarinet Concerto and the Mozart Clarinet quintet by the orchestras principal
clarinetist, Richard Mhlfeld. Brahms became very close to Mhlfeld and sat listening to him
play for hours.12 This maybe one of the first time that Brahms felt something more than
pleasure in a musician and actually experienced an epiphany of an instrument in itself.

Richard Mhlfeld was born in Salzungen, Germany on February 28, 1 856 and died

in Meiningen on June 1, 1907. He was the youngest of four brothers, all of whom studied
music with their father, Leonhard. Leonhard Mhlfeld led a small orchestra with the violin,
but could also play trumpet and double bass with enough skill to receive casual employment
at the court of Saxe-Meiningen. Wilhelm, Mhlfeld first brother, had a successful career in
Wiesbaden as a conductor.13 Mhlfeld began studying both violin and clarinet as a child.
When he was ten years old he performed a clarinet solo at a gathering of friends, and he was
given a silver pocket watch as a reward. With the exception of some instruction from his
father, Mhlfeld was entirely self-taught on clarinet and was able to develop a playing style
that was entirely his own.14 Mhlfeld received some systematic violin instruction from
Friedhold Fleischhauer, who was concertmaster at Meiningen, and music theory lessons from
Emil Bchner. Mhlfeld played the violin and clarinet in the orchestra at Salzungen, a city
most known for its spas, under his father's direction until he became a violinist in the

12

Swafford, Jan. Johannes Brahms: A Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1997.

13

Goltz, Maren, Herta Mller, and Christian Mhlfeld. Der Brahms-Klarinettist Richard Mhlfeld. Balve [Germany]:
ARTIVO Music Publishing. 2007.
14

Ibid

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Meiningen Orchestra in 1873 when he was only seventeen years old. After his move to
Meiningen, Mhlfeld began to study violin with Bchner.15

Mhlfeld began playing clarinet in the Meiningen Orchestra when he was asked to

substitute for their clarinetist, Wilhelm Reif, who was in poor health. Mhlfeld also became
the solo clarinetist for the band of the 32nd Regiment from 1876 - 1879 as part of his
military service. During this time, he was still available to perform as a soloist with the
Meiningen Orchestra in 1877 and to take part in concerts given by the orchestra while
visiting Bayreuth in the summer of 1876 and Christmas of 1878.16 He was appointed
principal clarinet of the Meiningen orchestra in 1879 when Reif resigned the post to him and
held the post until his death. In spite of the fact that he was very critical, Hans von Blow
recognized Mhlfeld's talent and allowed him to lead sectional rehearsals of the wind players.
Those musicians were inspired by his abilities, and the attention to detail they exhibited in
their performances was attributed to Mhlfeld's leadership. Mhlfeld especially enjoyed
Weber's music, and he introduced the Meiningen Orchestra to the Clarinet Concertino in E-flat
Major by playing it on a concert given to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the
composer's birth.

The Meiningen Orchestra visited Bayreuth frequently from 1888 -1896, and during

that time Mhlfeld became one of the Wagner family's most esteemed artists. While he was
in Bayreuth, Richard Wagner heard him play and was so impressed after hearing him
perform Beethoven's Egmont Overture with the orchestra that he told him, "Young friend,
continue in thisway and the whole world is open to you." Wagner also wrote a testimonial for

15

Goltz. Der Brahms-Klarinettist Richard Mhlfeld.

16

Weston, Pamela. Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past. London: Hale, 1971.

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Mhlfeld during the negotiations that took place when Breslau offered him a job as a
clarinetist in their military band, an offer Mhlfeld later declined. Siegfried Wagner,
Richard's son, became good friends with Mhlfeld and would always visit Mhlfelds house
when in Meiningen.17

In addition to his obligations to the Meiningen orchestra, Mhlfeld began conducting

a male voice choir in 1887. This conducting experience prepared him to take on the role of
music director of the Meiningen Orchestra when Reif died in 1890. He was also made music
director of the Meiningen Court Theater in 1890.18 19 As Mhlfeld's reputation grew, both
singers and instrumentalists would come to Meiningen to study interpretation with him.
Other than his orchestral performances, the works Mhlfeld performed most frequently were
the Mozart and Beethoven chamber works, dIndys Trio, Saint-Sans' Tarantelle, Heinrich
Baermann's Concerto, Reissiger's Fantasie, and songs with clarinet obligato by Spohr and
Kalliwoda.19 Pamela Weston, a prominent clarinet teacher and historian, said this of
Mhlfeld's success: "His fame had arrived almost overnight and before long he would be the
most sought after clarinetist in the world.20

Mhlfeld's instrument played an important role in creating the sound and playing

style he was most known for. Mhlfeld played an advanced Muller-system clarinet made by
Georg Ottensteiner in Munich, which is the same type of instrument that was played by Carl
Baermann. Baermann was the principal clarinetist in Munich and worked with Ottensteiner

17

Weston, Pamela. Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past. London: Hale, 1971.

18

Goltz. Der Brahms-Klarinettist Richard Mhlfeld.

19

Brymer, Jack. Clarinet. New York: Schirmer Books. 1977.

20

Weston. Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past.

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to develop the key system that was used for the Ottensteiner clarinets. 21 It was constructed
with eighteen keys and several rollers to facilitate sliding. Mhlfeld also had a thin strip of
metal affixed to the mouthpiece to cushion his top teeth, and he tied his reed to the
mouthpiece instead of using a metal ligature.22 The more modern instruments at this time
were much better suited for playing fast technical passages than Mhlfeld's clarinet, but made
smooth transitions between registers a little more difficult. Mhlfeld's clarinet, on the other
hand, made technical passages more difficult to play, but made it possible for him change
registers with much more grace and ease than was possible on these newer instruments.23 In
other words, Mhlfeld deliberately chose to play an instrument that was a downgrade from
more current models that were readily available in order to preserve his own artistic vision.
This was one of the most important things that set him apart from other clarinetists.

In addition to his choice of instrument, Mhlfeld was used to playing using a lower

pitch center or tuning system. This made his sound much darker and broader than the sound
of instruments tuned to the modern tuning system.24 In Vienna, Mhlfeld's pitch tendency
was criticized as being excessively heavy and over-powering, but in England as well as other
places the depth of pitch was considered a positive contribution to the richness of his tone.
This would often present a problem when Mhlfeld would play with a piano tuned to match
more modern pitch tendencies, since his instrument would be extremely flat when played
with the piano.25 Before meeting with Clara Schumann to play Brahms' sonatas, Mhlfeld
21

Goltz. Der Brahms-Klarinettist Richard Mhlfeld.

22

Ibid

23

Weston, Pamela. Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past. London: Hale, 1971.

24

Goltz. Der Brahms-Klarinettist Richard Mhlfeld.

25

Ibid

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mailed her his tuning fork and Brahms explained that he had difficulties matching his clarinet
to other instruments and hoped that she would alter her piano to match his tuning fork.26
Brahms wrote to Clara in October 1894 to explain the situation:

And now I have to tell you about something which will cause us both a little

annoyance. Mhlfeld will be sending you his tuning fork, so that the grand piano to

which he is to play may be tuned to it. His clarinet only allows him yield very little to

other instruments. In case your piano differs very much in pitch and you do not wish

to use it for this purpose, perhaps Marie will sacrifice herself and allow her grand

piano or her upright piano to be tuned to Mhlfeld's fork?!27

At first glance the fact that Mhlfeld would ask another musician, especially someone as wellrespected as Clara Schumann, to alter her own instrument to suit his may seem
presumptuous, when in fact it was the construction of Mhlfeld' s instrument that made it
impossible for him to play in tune with Clara's piano without retuning it.28

Miihlfeld quickly became well known and built up a reputation for being an excellent

musician and performer. In her book Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past, Pamela Weston says:

. . .not only was he a fine clarinetist, but also an innately perceptive artist, whose

sense of style and wealth of expression enabled him to give the composer's works that

richness and vocal quality that are their very essence. He was able, perhaps as no

other clarinetist has been able, to carry audiences to a real fever of excitement. The

26

Swafford, Jan. Johannes Brahms: A Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1997.

27

Litzmann, Berthold. (ed), Letters of Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms 1853 - 1896. London, 1927.

28

Swafford. Johannes Brahms: A Biography.

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impression he made was less that of a superb executants on the clarinet than of an

ultra fine artist who had merely chosen the clarinet as his medium of expression. 29

Brahms fascination and love of the clarinet and Mhlfelds playing was probably due

to the superimposed layers of the three octaves: the rich reediness of the low register, the
gentle paleness of the throat tones; above that the velvety center of the center of the
instrument, in Mhlfelds hands and breath capable of endless nuances of color and volume;
and finally the high register, flutelike when soft, swelling to a piercing angry cry when loud. 30
In Mhlfeld, Brahms found a clarinetist who could make the instrument should like a violist
or a mezzo-soprano, thus introducing Brahms to another version of the dark, rich sound he
aways loved. Brahms created nicknames for Mhlfeld: Frulein Klarinette, my dear
nightingale, my Primadonna, and sometimes even Frulein von Mhlfeld.31 For much
of Brahms life, he worked on mastering the chamber music and orchestra genre but was
always puzzled by pure instrumental sound. Even though he wrote a great deal of music for
Joachims violin, he still felt uncomfortable in his understanding of any instrument besides
the piano. Frulein Klarinette gave Brahms the same inspiration as a women and propelled
him in the summer of 1891 to write the Clarinet Trio in A minor and then what he called a
far greater folly, the Quintet in B minor for Clarinet and Strings.32

In a letter to Clara Schumann in July of 1891, Brahms expressed his feelings that

during his own lifetime the art of clarinet playing had deteriorated. There may in fact have
been the possibility that Brahms started work on a Clarinet Quintet in E minor. On
29

Weston, Pamela. Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past. London: Hale, 1971.

30

Swafford, Jan. Johannes Brahms: A Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997.

31

Ibid

32

Ibid

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December 14, 1888, Brahms wrote to Clara Schumann confirming the he expected to be
able to come to the Frankfurt Museum for a concert on January 11th of the following year:
But why is it to be a Brahms evening this time? Neither for myself nor for anybody else is
this either necessary or desirable. At all events the brutal clarionet [sic] would not do. I hope
for the first ten they will choose some beautiful chamber-music piece 33 On December 22,
Brahms wrote to Clara again to discuss the forthcoming concert: we cannot begin with the
sonata, and the E minor Quintet is not suitable for the programme. Seeing how Brahms was
scrupulous in destroying material he deemed unworthy for publication, Margit McCorkles
questions as to whether this quintet provided material for the B minor Clarinet Quintet is
undoubtedly justified.34

The Clarinet Trio and Clarinet Quintet offer the last, and one of the most interesting,

examples of Brahms independence of approach to a pair of works written so closely

together and requiring similar compositional demands. The impact of the Quintet was
immediate and the piece became a favorite of Joachim. At a rehearsal on December 8, 1891,
Mhlfeld was reunited with von Blow and there followed a public rehearsal two days later,
at which all seats were filled. At that rehearsal, and at the premiere concert on the 12th of
December, the Adagio of the Quintet was played as an encore, following the works
instantaneous success. It is a bit surprising that the Vienna premiere of both the Trio and
Quintet were played by clarinetist other than Mhlfeld. On January 5, 1892, the Clarinet
Quintet was performed by F. W. Steiner, clarinetist in Baron Albert de Rothschilds private
orchestra, with the Ros Quartet. Mhlfeld performed both works in Vienna later in the

33

Litzmann, Berthold. (ed), Letters of Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms 1853 - 1896. London, 1927.

34

McCorkle, Margit L. Brahms Werkverzeichnis. London, 1901.

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month of January 1892 and before long, he was performing the work with quartets other
than Joachims, such as the Heermann, Skalitzki, and Halir.35 Even though clarinetist around
Europe were enjoying the opportunity to perform the Clarinet Quintet, Joachim still believe
that Mlfeld was the dominant voice of the work. He had written to Stanford in Cambridge
asking for help in securing Quintet performances with Mhlfeld, praising both the work as
one of the sublimest things he [Brahms] ever wrote and the clarinetist as a stupendous
fellow.36 He also added that the manuscript could not be sent for an English player to
practice because so much of the gypsy style in the work couldnt be expressed by anyone
other than Mhlfeld.

Clara Schumann became squinted with the Clarinet Quintet from Paul Klengels

transcription for tow pianos. She later wrote to Brahms from Frankfurt that she was spending
a great deal of time studying this heavenly work and was eagerly looking forward to
hearing Mhlfeld perform it. 37 On March 17, 1892, she wrote in her diary about the finally
hearing the quintet in rehearsal the previous day: It was a really marvelous work, the wailing
clarinet takes hold of one; it is most moving. And was interesting muic, deep and full of
meaning! And how Mhlfeld plays! As if he had been born for this work. His playing
dedicated worm and unaffected and at the same time it shows the most perfect technique and
command of the instrument. 38

Many people believe that Brahms Clarinet Quintet is heavily inspired by Mozarts

Clarinet Quintet. This probably holds some truth due to the fact that Mozart was the first to
35

Lawson, Colin. Brahms, Clarinet Quintet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1998.

36

Ibid

37

Ibid

38

Litzmann, B. Clara Schumann: An Artists Life. Trans. Grace Hadow. London and Leipzig, 1913. p. 422.

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champion this medium and during Brahms first encounter with Mhlfeld, one of the pieces
he played was Mozarts Clarinet Quintet. The relationship between Brahms and Mhlfeld
also great resembles that of Mozart and Anton Stadler. It isnt surprising that Brahms
instrument to the clarinet quintet as a medium would reflect that of Mozart. While no direct
correlation musically can be seen between Brahms Clarinet Quintet and Mozarts Clarinet
Quintet, I believe that most of the similarities lie within the form and inner spirit of the
composition. When observing the overall structure of the two compositions, you find many
similarities. Some of these can be seen in the chart below.39 40
Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A Major

Brahms: Clarint Quintet in B minor

Movement I

Allegro, 2/2

Allegro in B minor, 6/8

Movement II

Larghetto, 3/4 in D major

Adagio, 3/4, B major - B minor - B-flat minor B major

Movement III Menuetto, 3/4 - Trio I - Trio II (Trio I in A

minor)

Andantino, 4/4, D major - Presto non assai, ma

con sentimento, 2/4, B minor

Movement IV Allegretto con Variazioni, 2/2

Con moto, 2/4, B minor - B major - B minor 3/8 - 6/8

Both pieces contain four movements and the four movements are pretty much the

same in nature: allegro first movement in sonata form, slow second movement, minuet & trio
style third movement, and a theme and variations final movement. Another huge
characteristic both quintets have in common is how the clarinet is used with the string
quartet. When Mozart composed his clarinet quintet, the clarinet becomes a dominant voice
in the group due to its timbre, not its writing. Mozart writes for the clarinet like added
member to the string quartet, not like a soloist with string quartet accompaniment. Other
39

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Quintett in A, fr Klarinette, 2 Violinen, Viola und Violoncello, KV 581. Kassel:
Brenreiter. 1986. Score.
40

Brahms, Johannes. Complete Chamber Music for Strings and Clarinet Quintet. New York: Dover Publications.
1968. Score.
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composers who came after Mozart, like Weber and Baermann, wrote for clarinet as a soloist
with string accompaniment. It is interesting to note that when Brahms was presented with
the clarinet & strings chamber music medium, he was presented with both ways of writing
for medium, Mozarts cohesive version and Webers soloist version. It is very clear to see that
Brahms took more to the cohesive way of writing for the group. In his Clarinet Quintet, the
clarinet functions very much as an added member of the string quartet, with the distinctive
difference being its timbre.

Some other noticeable similarities of the two quintets include the following: the

opening of both quintets feature the strings playing a main theme followed by the clarinet
arpeggiating the tonic chord over two octaves of the instrument, in the recapitulation of the
first movement, the clarinet joins in the the re-introduction of the main melody, and the B
section of the second movement contains virtuosic material for the clarinet that displays the
wide range of the instrument.

While they are many things that point to the unique similarities of the two quintets,

they are some changes that Brahms utilizes that make this quintet his own. Brahms changes
the nature of the minuet and trio style third movement by keeping the ternary form but
removing the 3/4 dance nature of the movement. He, instead, writes the minuet section in
4/4 and the trio section in 2/4 with a short, written out da capo (to the beginning). Its
almost as if Brahms trio represents a more Hungarian dance than a courtly dance. Also
Brahms theme and variations in the last movement isnt as explicitly apparent as in Mozarts
Clarinet Quintet. Brahms ends the last movement not with a big, grand statement; instead,
he simply creates interactions between motifs from the first movement and the finale.
References to the first movement have been prepared throughout the variations, so that the

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coda appears as a natural consequence of what has gone before, rather than in any sense an
interpolation.

The issues of performance practice has always been apparent with this Clarinet

Quintet, even in my own study of the work. One of the biggest question we face when
dealing with performance practice is which is more valid, the performance expected by
Brahms or the interpretation of later generations. If we were to hear Richard Mhlfeds
premiere of Brahms Quintet, would we want to adopt of its features? Many people believe
that we as performers should continue to exercise the elements of choice and experiment as
much characteristics of our own day as Mhlfelds. Some people also believe the notation in
Brahms score leaves and number of ambiguities.41 But the mere fact that the original
performance conditions can now seem at all relevant marks a radical shift in our musical
thinking. Now, in our society, players are beginning to think it worthwhile to acquire copies of
the Baermann-Otensteiner clarinets used by Mhlfeld, in attempt to come closer to his sound
world.

Among many individual qualities in Mhlfelds playing, it seems that his powerful

delivery incorporated the liberal use of vibrato. Some evidence for this is offered in a
reminiscence recounted by Jack Brymer:

Just before World War II a question was put to a ver old viola-player, sometime

conductor of the Duck of Devonshires Orchestra, about the playing of Mhlfeld.

The old man had occasionally been called in my Joachim to play in his quartet, and

on several occasions he played the Brahms Quintet with the great Mhlfeld. Of the

clarinettists [sic] playing he was most enthusiastic, saying that three things mainly

41

Lawson, Colin. Brahms, Clarinet Quintet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1998.

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stuck in his memory. He used two clarinets, A and B flat, for the slow movement, to

simplify the gypsy section; he had a fiery technique with a warm tone and a big

vibrato. Asked again by a startled questioner if he didnt mean to say rubato the old

man looked puzzled. No, he said, vibrato much more more than Joachim, and as

much as the cellist. (It will be recalled that Joachim was reputed to play with little or

no vibrato.) This account, while of no authority, does at least give one food for

thought 42

Although vibrato on stringed instruments continued to be regarded as ornamental

throughout the nineteenth century, wind playing it remained controversial. Mhlfelds

background as a violinist makes his use of vibrato all the more plausible and individual and
unusual. Accounts of Mhlfelds playing emphasize both his musicianship and his tone
quality. There is, however, considerable evidence that Mhlfelds tone and delivery on the
instrument, differed markedly from the British tradition. In 1988, Paul Vaughn recalled that
his own teacher, George Garside ( who was known for his full, rich, golden tone) once told
him that he had been taken as a boy to hear Mhlfeld play the Brahms Quintet. Grarside
believed that Brahms was a fine technician but that his tone was comic. 43 Whatever the
judgements of different people, there were certainly a number of people during the time who
were captivated by Mhlfelds playing. Franz List, who probably heard him at Bayreuth,
compared his tone to the tone to the sensation of biting into a ripe peach. 44 Richard Wagner
also admired the playing of Mhfeld and Clara Schumann believe that it was especially

42

Brymer, J. Clarinet. London, 1976.

43

Lawson, Colin. Brahms, Clarinet Quintet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1998.

44

Weston, Pamela. Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past. London: Hale, 1971.

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informative and evocative, both in relation his artistry and craftsmanship.45 Even though
Mhlfelds playing was controversial, theres no denial to the impact it has made on clarinet
playing and clarinet music throughout the rest of history.

Many clarinetists and non-clarinetists alike have been curious about the man whose

playing was able to inspire Brahms to come out of his compositional retirement. The fact
that Mhlfeld was even able to change Brahms' s mind speaks volumes about what type of
musician he must have been. The musicianship of both the clarinetist and the composer is
evident in the Clarinet Quintet, which demonstrates Brahms' talent as a composer combined
with his knowledge of how well Mhlfeld could play his instrument. This work also shows the
relationship that developed between these two men, and it is evident in the fact that the work
was perfectly suited to Mhlfelds style of playing and to the clarinet in general. It was the
collaboration of these two great musical minds resulted in four outstanding pieces that are
permanent and essential elements of the clarinet repertoire.

During my personal journal of preparing Brahms Clarinet Quintet, it was important

for me to take all the research and knowledge I had about the piece, and about Mhlfelds
playing, and use to inform my approach to the work. They are many things that we cant
achieve on our modern instruments due to the fact that Mhlfeld chose to play on the older
and lower pitched instruments. Also, Mhlfelds playing at a lower pitch would change the
pitch the string players tuned at and ultimately would change the timber of their tones.
Trying to duplicate the performances that Brahms might have hear in 1891 would be a very
complicated process that might not yield anything fruitful. Instead, we should take this

45

Weston. Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past.

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knowledge and let it propel use into informative but personal performances and experience
of the Clarinet Quintet.

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Bibliography

Botstein, Leon. The Compleat Brahms: A Guide to the Musical Works of Johannes Brahms. New York:

W.W. Norton. 1999.
Brahms, Johannes. Complete Chamber Music for Strings and Clarinet Quintet. New York: Dover

Publications.1968. Score
Brahms, Johannes, Heinrich von Herzogenberg, Elisabeth von Herzogenberg, Max Kalbeck, and

Hannah Bryant. Johannes Brahms: the Herzogenberg Correspondence. New York: Vienna House.

1971.
Brahms, Johannes, and Styra Avins. Johannes Brahms: Life and Letters. Oxford: Oxford University

Press. 1997.
Brymer, Jack. Clarinet. New York: Schirmer Books. 1977.
Goltz, Maren, Herta Mller, and Christian Mhlfeld. Der Brahms-Klarinettist Richard Mhlfeld. Balve

[Germany]: ARTIVO Music Publishing. 2007.
Keller, James M. Chamber music: A Listener's Guide. New York: Oxford University Press. 2011.
Lawson, Colin. Brahms, Clarinet Quintet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1998.
Litzmann, Berthold. Clara Schumann: An Artist's Life (Based on Material Found in Diaries and Letters.

London: Macmillan. http://books.google.com/books?id=8RI6AQAAIAAJ. 1913.
Litzmann, Berthold. (ed), Letters of Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms 1853 - 1896.

London, 1927.
MacDonald, Malcolm. Brahms. New York: Schirmer Books. 1993.
McCorkle, Margit L. Brahms Werkverzeichnis. London, 1901.
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Quintett in A, fr Klarinette, 2 Violinen, Viola und Violoncello,

KV 581. Kassel: Brenreiter. 1986. Score.

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Musgrave, Michael. A Brahms Reader. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. 2000.
Shaw, Bernard, and Louis Crompton. The Great Composers: Reviews and Bombardments. Berkeley:

University of California Press. 1978.
Schauffler, Rober Haven, The Unknown Brahms: His Life, Character and Works; Based on New

Material. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1933.
Swafford, Jan. Johannes Brahms: A Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1997.
Weston, Pamela. Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past. London: Hale, 1971.

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