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GEORG WENZEL RTTTER (1748-1808) AND THE

MANNHEIM BASSOON SCHOOL

by

Daniel George Lipori

Copyright © Daiiiel George Lipori 1997

A Document Submitted to the Faculty of the

SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND DANCE

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of

DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS

WTTH A MAJOR IN PERFORMANCE

In the Graduate College

THE UNIVERSTTY OF ARIZONA

1997
 UMI Nxomber: 973 8963

Copyright 1997 by
Llpori, Dcuilel George
All rights reserved.

UMI Microform 9738963

Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved.

This microform edition is protected against unauthorized

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 2

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

GRADUATE COLLEGE

As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have

read the document prepared by Daniel G. Lipori

entitled "Georq Wenzel Ritter (1748-1 808) and the

Mannheim Bassoon School."

and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the requirements

for the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts

^ 4 /4-hi-
/ Wil'liram piatz/^^ Date ' '

^Teryy Kir^bride Datd" /

Date

Date

Final approval and acceptance of this document is contingent upon the

candidate's submission of the final copy of the document to the
Graduate College.

I hereby certify that I have read this document prepared under my

direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the
requirement.

William Dietz
Director Dace
 3

STATEMENT BY AUTHOR

This document has been submitted in partial fulfillment of

requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is
deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under
rules of the Library.

Brief quotations from this document are allowable without special

permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made.
Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this
manuscript in whole or part may be granted by the copyright holder.

SIGNED:
 4

TABLE OF CONTENTS

USTOFnCURES/TABLES 5

ABSTRACT 6

CHAPTER 1: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 7

The Mannheim Court 7
The Bassoon During the 18th Century 16
The Reed of the Period 18
The Bassoonists at the Mannheim Court 20
Georg Wenzel Ritter 21

CHAPTER 2: THE COMPOSITIONS OF GEORG WENZEL RTTTER 31

Lost Works 31
Quartets 32
Quartet No. 1 33
Quartet No. 2 39
Quartet No. 3 44
Quartet No. 4 48
Quartet No. 5 52
Quartet No. 6 56
Summary of Quartets 60
"Duetto" 63
"Quartetto" 66
Doubtful Works 70

CHAPTER 3; WORKS WRITTEN FOR RITTER 73

Mozart's Works for Ritter 73
Sinfonia Concertante, K297b 73
Basta vincesti, K486A 81
"Se il padre perdi" from Idomeneo, K366 85
Reichardt's Work for Ritter 89
"Dei di Roma" from Brenno 89
J. C. Bach's Work for Ritter 95
"Non m'alleta quel riso," from Temistocle 95

CONCLUSIONS 102

REFERENCES 103
 5

LIST OF nCURES/TABLES

FIGURE 1, Bassoon Reeds 19

FIGLFRE 2, Portrait of Georg Wenzel Ritter 27

FIGURE 3, Ritter's Tonleiter des Fagotts 29

TABLE 1, Comparisons of First Movements of Ritter's Quartets 60

TABLE 2, Comparisons of Second Movements of Ritter's Quartets 61

 6

ABSTRACT

Georg Wenzel Ritter (1748-1808) was one of the greatest bassoon players
from the past. He was an indispensable part of the Mannheim orchestra,
arguably the finest musical ensemble in Europe at that time. He was known
all over Europe as a bassoonist with tremendous ability and frequently
traveled abroad as a soloist. He also taught many students throughout his
lifetime, including Etienne Ozi and Georg Brandt. The bassoon on which
Ritter performed was a six-keyed bassoon. This instrument precedes the
earliest known documented evidence of the six-keyed bassoon's existence by
nearly fifteen years. Ritter also left us a fingering chart which lists an extreme
range, going all the way up to e''^. Ritter composed several works which have
been out of print for over 200 years or are only available in manuscript.
These works include a set of quartets for bassoon, violin, viola, and bass
instrument and a duet for two bassoons. These compositions give us an
excellent indication of the high level of Ritter's playing ability through the
many technically demanding passages. Moreover, other composers,
including W. A. Mozart, knew Ritter's pla5^g well and composed some of
their own works with Ritter in mind for the bassoon parts. Some of Mozart's
works for Ritter include the bassoon parts to the opera Idomeneo K366 and
the Sinfonia Concertante for Winds K297h. Ritter is certainly an important
figure in the history and development of bassoon playing and deserves more
recognition as a prominent bassoon performer, teacher, and composer from
the 18th century.
 7

CHAPTER 1: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Georg Wenzel Ritter (1748-1808) was one of the most important

bassoon players from the 18th century. He performed with the Mannheim
orchestra, which at its highpoint, dominated the musical life of Europe in the
18th century. He taught over sixty students during his lifetime, many of
whom had successful careers of their own and whose names like Ritter's, are
linked to the history, literature and pedagogy of the bassoon. Ritter
performed on a six-keyed bassoon. The evidence which supports this fact
precedes the earliest known documentation of this instrument's existence by
fifteen years. Ritter also composed several works for bassoon which have
been unavailable for nearly 200 years and their difficulty attest to the high
level of mastery Ritter must have attained on the instrument. This fact and
the high regard that Mozart and other composers had for him, as shown by
the difficult and important bassoon parts composed for him, clearly
demonstrates the unusual nature of his talent.

The Mannheim Court

The city of Maiuiheim, despite its relatively small population, was one
of the principal music centers of Europe during the 18th century. Maruiheim
was conveniently located between the Rhine and Neckar rivers, making it
easily accessible to more populated areas.^ This fact surely contributed to its
fame. The Marmheim orchestra at its zeruth was coi\sidered by many to be

^Reinhard G. Pauly, Music in the Classic Period, 3rd ed. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice-Hall, 1988), 48.
 8

the finest musical ensemble in Germany and many believed that it was the
best orchestra in all of Europe.^ Musical performances at the court were given
by the court orchestra, the opera, and by visiting musicians. Music was also
used for drama, balls, and hunting parties.^
The patron primarily responsible for the musical success at Maimheim
was Duke Carl Theodor (1724-99), ruler of the ducal court of Mannheim.
During his life he spent approximately 35 million florins ($5,801,850) on
artistic and scientific institutions, including museums, libraries, and
especially musical endeavors. All the people associated with these
undertakings were employed by the court, thereby enhancing its unity.-'
Johann Kaspar Riesbeck (1754-86), a well known traveler whose letters
leave us a documented history of the 18th century, commented on the duke's
love of the arts and sciences:

As to his leaniing, he is reported able in several sciences,

particularly in mathematics, and speaks French, Italian, and English.
But the fine arts are his forte, and he has sacrificed liberally to them.
His orchestra and opera are the best in Europe, next to those of Naples
and Turin; and his magnificent collection of prints, antiques, and other
things, are perpetual monuments of his friendship for the muses.^

^Adam Carse, Musical Wind Instruments (London: Macmillan, 1939; reprint ed.. New
York: Da Capo, 1965), 58.

^Pauly, 51.

''Paul Henry Lang, Music in Western Civilization (New York: W. W. Norton, 1941), 608.

^Johann Kaspar Riesbeck, Travels Through Germany In a Series of Letters Written in

German by Baron Riesbeck, translated by Rev. Mr. Maty (Philadelphia: Kimber and Conrad,
1812), 26.
 9

Carl Theodor enthusiastically supported the music at the court. He himself

played the flute and started several music schools in Mannheim. He also
purchased compositions from all over Europe for his musicians to perform
and allowed members of his orchestra to travel abroad.®
The city was a mecca for the arts, attracting tourists, music lovers, and
many others from all over Europe, who came not only to hear the
Mannheim musicians but also to partake in the many other artistic
attractions that the city had to offer. The city itself often amazed visitors, as
reported in this vivid description of the court by the famous traveler Dr.
Charles Bumey (1726-1814):

The expense and magnificence of the court of this little city are
prodigious; the palace and offices extend over almost half the town;
and one half of the inhabitants who are in office, prey on the other,
who seem to be in the utmost indigence.... His electoral highness's
suite at Schwetzingen, during the summer, amounts to fifteen
hundred persons, who are all lodged in this little village, at his
expence[sic]. To anyone walking through the streets of Schwetzingen,
during the summer, this palace must seem to be irUiabited only by a
colony of musicians, who are constantly exercising their profession: at
one house a fine player on the violin is heard: at another a German
flute: Here an excellent hautbois; there a bassoon, a clarinet, a
violoncello, or a concert of several instruments together. Music seems
to be the chief and most constant of his Electoral highness's
amusements: and the operas, and concerts to which all his subjects
have admission forms the judgment, and establishes a taste for music,
throughout the electorate.^

^Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart, Ideen zii einer Asthetik der Tonkiinst
(Darmstadt: Hessisches Landes and Hochshulbibliothek, 1806; reprint ed., Hildesheim: Georg
Oims Verlagsbuc±ihandlung, 1969), 129.

^Charles Bumey, The Present State of Music in Germany, the Netherlands and United
Provinces, 2 vols., in Monuments of Music and Music Literature (New York: Broude Brothers,
1969), 117: 83-99.
 10

Bumey also commented on the excellent orchestra at Mannheim:

Good discipline, indeed there are more solo players, and good
composers in this, than perhaps any other orchestra in Europe; it is an
army of generals, equally fit to plan a battle, as to fight it.^

Mannheim music was highly irmovative- The composers employed by

the court were the first to consistently add the minuet-trio movement to the
heretofore standard three-movement symphony. This added a new
component to the symphony and introduced the courtly dance style into
symphonic music, which developed in Maimheim at least a decade before it
was introduced at Esterhaza by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809).^
Mannheim symphonies had many distinct characteristics. One trait
was a head motive or opening flourish. The motive was stated at the
begiiming of the first or last movement and was not normally repeated again,
except possibly at concluding cadences or at main recapitulations. Principal
themes of the symphonies were usually based on rhythmic motives rather
than melodic ones. If thematic material from the opeiting section returned
later in the movement it was often used as a transposed sequence unless it
was near a closing section in which case it returned in the tonic. Movements
or sections that used crescendi and diminuendi were normally longer than
other passages in order to better enhance these dynamic contrasts.^°

Sibid., 94-95.

^Eugene K. Wolf, "The Mannheim Court," Tlie Classical Era, edited by Neal Zasiaw
(London: Macmillan, 1989), 229-30.

•^Louise Cuyler, Vie Symphony (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1973), 15-
 11

Many of the traits which we associate with Mannheim symphonies

actually originated from the Italian opera overture. The composers at
Marmheim used these Italianate features much more consistently than the
Italians did themselves. These musical features quickly became known as
characteristics of Marmheim symphonies. Some of these traits include the
consistent use of crescendi and diminendi, the Marmheim "sigh," a stepwise
appogiatura figure, and the Mannheim "rocket," a rapidly rising arpegiated
theme."
Joharm Friedrich Reichardt (1752-1814), composer and opera conductor
of the Royal Berlin Opera commented on the orchestra's expertise of some of
these techniques:

Most orchestras know and practice only forte and piano

without troubling themselves about the finer degrees or the whole
shading. It is difficult, colossally difficult, to do with a whole orchestra
what causes even single virtuosi so much trouble. However, it is
possible: people have heard it in Marmheim and Stuttgart.12

The German writer and musician Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart

(1739-91) was also tremendously impressed with the orchestra's mastery of
dynamics:

One believed oneself to be trarisported to a magic island of

sound.... No orchestra in the world ever equaled the Mannheimer's
execution. Its forte is like thunder; its crescendo like a mighty
waterfall; its diminuendo a gentle river disappearing into the distance;

ilWoIf, 230-32.

^^Sinfonien der Pfalzbayerischen Schule, edited by Hugo Riemarm, in Denkmdler der

Tonkunst in Bayem, 38 vols. (Leipzig; Breitkopf and Hartel, 1900-38), 3: xx.
 12

its piano is a breath of spring. The wind instruments could not be used
to better advantage; they lift and carry, they reinforce and give life to
the storm of violins.^^

The orchestra was well trained and rehearsed, and consisted of

internationally renowned performers and composers from throughout
Europe-i"* Some of the better known figures at Maimheim included Johann
Stamitz (1717-57), Franz Xavier Richter (1709-89), and Antonin Fils (1733-60)
from Bohemia; Ignaz Holzbauer (1711-88) from Vienna; and the Italian Carl
Joseph Toeschi (1731-88).i5
Joharm Stamitz was the first leader of the Maimheim orchestra. He
played violin and led the orchestra from the concertmaster position as
opposed to the older tradition of leading from the keyboard. Stamitz was
succeeded by Christian Cannabich (1731-98) and later by Joharm's son Carl
Stamitz (1745-1801).i6
Stamitz was also an important composer at Mannheim and during his
tenure there, several new irmovations began to occur. As mentioned, the
four-movement symphony became the standard symphonic format. Also,
the clarinet was introduced into the symphony and the viola began to receive

^^Schubart, 130.

^''Joan Peyser, ed.. The Orchestra: Origins and Transformations (New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons, 1986), 51.

^^Giorgio Pestelli, The Age of Mozart and Beethoven, translated by Eric Cross
(Cambridge: Cambridge Urxiversity Press, 1984), 35.

i^Pauly, 52.
 13

more melodic material. Stamitz's style of writing also created a much more
consistent blend between the strings and woodwinds.^^
In regard to sonata form Stamitz introduced a much stronger
distinction between first and second themes. Frequently the first theme was
characterized by a rhythmic motive with wind fanfares while the second
theme featured soft string textures. Stamitz also employed a slower change in
harmony which easily lent itself to the usage of crescendi and [Link]
The symphonies written at Mannheim showed off the orchestra's
abilities tremendously and were often written with these features in mind:

And it is true that the sjnnphonies of the Maiinheim school

were concerned above all with exhibiting the qualities of the
Mannheim orchestra: its precision, its skill in making the most sudden
changes in expression, its excellence in passages bringing out particular
groups of wind instruments, and finally its famous crescendo which
consisted in raising a motive from the level of pianissimo to that of
fortissimo until it finally exploded in a noisy tutti.^'

The Mannheim orchestra was so well known throughout Europe that

it most certainly inspired Haydn and W. A. Mozart (1756-91) to consider
possibilities of composition far beyond what they had thought was ever
possible.20 Mozart knew the Mani\heim orchestra well since he resided in

i^Pestelli, 34.

isibid.

Alfred Einstein, Mozart, translated by Arthur Mendel and Nathan Broder (London:
Oxford University Press, 1945), 226.

20pgysgr^ 52.
 14

Mannheim for a period of time in 1777-78 while trying to obtain a court

position there.21
The orchestra in Mannheim became one of the largest in Europe, and
by 1778 was twice the size that Haydn had at Esterhaza.22 By 1782 it had grown
to 23 violins, 3 violas, 4 cellos, 3 basses, 4 flutes, 3 oboes, 4 clarinets, 4
bassoons, 6 horns, plus tnmipets and percussion.23 In the wind section there
were typically two strong players in each section. These players were often
supplemented by young musicians, the so-called Accesisten, and the older
players were eventually replaced by these talented younger players.^"^
Opera was also very important at Mannheim. Performances usually
began at four in the afternoon and featured a procession starting at the
Electoress' apartments in the left wing of the palace. Following a trumpet
fanfare, the Elector and Electoress were seated in their box. Many opera
performances lasted as long as five hours, and often hundreds of people who
could not obtain tickets to the performance would have to be turned away.^
Chamber music was also an integral part of the court life at Marmheim.
Concerts were given in the evening when there was no opera or before
supper. Chamber music performances were also used to open meetings of

^^Robert D. Levin, Yfho Wrote the Mozart Four-Wind Concertante? (Stuyvesant, NY:
Pendragon Press, 1988), 2.

22Wolf, 228.

23lbid., 50.

2'^Mary Alyce Groman, "The Mannheim Orchestra Under the Leadership of Christian
Caru\abich" (Ph.D. dissertation. University of California at Berkeley, 1979), 226.

^Paul Edward Comeilson, "Opera at Marmheim 1770-1778" (Ph.D. dissertation.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1992), 33-34.
 15

informal social gatherings called academies,^^ during which the members of

the court and visiting dignitaries occupied themselves at small tables with
card playing, tea, and conversation.^^
Marinheim was considered the musical center of Europe into the 1780s.
Its decline began, however, in 1777 when Duke Karl Theodor became the
Elector of Bavaria. He moved to Munich and took most of his musical
establishment with him including many members of the orchestra. In just a
few years Mannheim had lost most of its musical establishment since, for the
most part, only amateur musicians were left in the city^s
Riesbeck commented on the lack of music in Mannheim in 1780, just
two years after the majority of the musical court had moved to Munich:

Marmheim is a very regularly built pretty little city, containing

about twenty-five thousand inhabitants, of which, since the court
resides in Mtmich, it has lost about two thousand. The Mannheimers
very much want the elector to reside with them, and leave Bavaria,
which is at least fifty times as large as the palatinate, to be governed by a
deputy. They cannot yet understand what it is their prince sees in
MuniA to give it the preference. Indeed they are so conscious of the
beauty of their own city, that they laugh in the face of any one who tells
them there are finer places in the world than Mannheim; which, after
all, it is doing too much honour to call it a miniature of Turin or
Berlin, or other towns. Indeed, if you except the dull regularity of it,
Munich is a much finer city than Marmheim, which has nothing
worth seeing in it but the castle and the church of the Jesuits.

26jane BuUard, "Some Formal Aspects of the Instrumental Music in Mannheim, 1743-
1778" (MA thesis, Columbia University, 1941), 12.

^^Eugene K. Wolf, The Symphonies of johann Stamilz: A Study in the Formation of the
Classic Style (Antwerp; Utrecht, 1981), 15.

2®Pauly, 55.
 16

Everything else that is called fine here is so little and artificial, as to

inspire a knowing eye only with disgust.^^

Mannheim was clearly one of the most important musical centers of

Europe during the 18th century. The orchestra and opera there were
unrivaled and consisted of some of the best performers throughout the lands.
Nearly everyone who traveled through Mannheim had nothing but positive
things to say about their visits.

The Bassoon During the 18th Century

The bassoon that was common during the 18th century was quite
different from today's instrument. Between the late 1600s and early 1800's
many important developments occurred. Most of these modifications were
for structural or acoustical reasons.^" The 18th century bassoon consisted of
five main sectior\s as it does today; the bocal, wing joint, boot joint, tenor
joint, and bell. The instrument was normally constructed from maple and
the keys were made of brass.^^
The 18th century bassoon had a range from b'' to f' or g\ It usually had
between four and six keys. The first keys added were the low F, D, and b''
keys. The G key, the first chromatic key, was the fourth key and was added

»Riesbeck, 267.

30Don Arlen Homer, "The Teachmg of the Bassoon from c. 1700 to c. 1825: A Survey of
Selected Pedagogical Material" (DMA dissertation. University of Oregon, 1980), 9.

^^Carse, 190.
 17

early in the 18th century. Several fingering charts appeared for this
instrument between the years 1738-1801. The four-keyed bassoon is the
instrument that would have been used by J. S. Bach (1685-1750), G. F. Handel
(1685-1759), and Mozart and was probably the common instmment in
Mannheim.32

The four-keyed bassoon had many awkward features. Many technical

aspects of the instrument such as quickly alternating between slurring and
tonguing, playing wide leaps between accidentals, and producing a rapid
alternating sixteenth-note accompaniment were quite difficult on the
instrument. There was no key for the low B so one had to "lip" the b'' up a
half step in order to obtain that pitch.33
The fifth key, low e'', was originally arranged to be operated by the left
thumb and was later moved to the left little finger. This key was added in the
last third of the century with the earliest reference to it being in 1765 and
other references appearing around 1780. The addition of the sixth key, F , was
soon to follow. The six-keyed instrument became common at the end of the
18th century. The seventh and eighth keys were not added until the end of
the 18th century. The eight-keyed bassoon became standard during the life of
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827).^

^^Homer, 9-10.

^Martha Kingdon Ward, "Mozart and the Bassoon" Music and Letters 30 (January
1949): 8.

^Horner, 10-12.
 18

The Reed of The Period

The bassoon reeds of the 18th century were quite similar to the modem
French system bassoon reed, perhaps because the early bassoon more closely
resembles the modem French system bassoon rather than the modem
German system bassoon. In comparison to a modem German reed, this early
reed had a very thin tip while the remaining portions of the reed were very
thick, even along the edges of the blades. This is very similar to the French
bassoon reed and is quite different from the modem German bassoon reed, in
which the center of the reed is the thickest and the edges are much thirmer.^^
An early diagram of an 18th century bassoon reed shows that the reed
was much larger than the modem bassoon reed. The approximate length of
the 18th century reed was sixty-three millimeters, considerably longer than
today's reeds which normally range from between fifty-two to fifty-six
millimeters. The width of the tip of the reed was around eighteen
millimeters, or between three and five millimeters larger than our present
reeds. Also, the width of the 18th century reed at the first wire was about
twelve and one half millimeters, over four millimeters wider than modern
reeds.36 A sampling of some early bassoon reeds show the extreme length and
width of the reeds that most bassoonists performed on.(Figure 1)

^David Hogan Smith, Reed Design for Early Woodwinds (Bloomington; Indiana
University Press, 1992), 84-85.

^Thomas Warner, "Two Late Eighteenth-Century Instructions for Making Double

Reeds," Calpin Society Journal 15 (1962): 30-31.
 19

Figure 1: Bassoori Reeds.

The first reed, dated circa 1761, has a total length of 75 millimeters and
a width of 12 millimeters. The second reed is dated circa 1787 and has a
length of 63 millimeters and a width of 18 millimeters. The third and fourth
reeds, dated circa 1811, have lengths between 60-65 millimeters and widths of
17 millimeters, while the fifth reed, dated circa 1842, has a length of 70
millimeters and a width of 17 millimeters. The sixth reed is a modem
German system bassoon reed with a length of 55 millimeters and a width of
15 millimeters. Clearly these early reeds are substantially longer than modem
reeds and most are somewhat wider.
Even during this period, the reed was considered cmcial to successful
bassoon playing. Johaim Phillip Eisel (1698-1763), author of a well-known
early instrument tutor, stated that there were five requirements for a good
bassoon player. Having a good bassoon reed was listed as the most important
requirement. Also mentioned were the ability to tongue quickly, having
 20

adroit fingers, the disciplirie to practice daily, having an inborn natural

disposition, and having a good pair of lungs.^^

The Bassoonists at the Mannheim Court

There were several excellent bassoonists employed at the Marmheim

court. One of the earliest members of the bassoon section was Johann
Heinrich Lederer who was employed there from 1745-52. In 1745 he was
listed as being paid a salary of 300 florins ($50).^ The orchestra personnel
listed in Mannheim in 1756 included bassoonists Anton Strasser and
Heinrich Ritter (d. c. 1777).^ Strasser was listed in 1776 as having a salary of
400 florins ($66). It is not known how long Heirurich Ritter was at Mannheim
but it is believed that he began his association with the orchestra around 1747
and probably continued there at least through 1781 since a string quartet he
had composed was published in Georg Joseph Vogler's (1749-1814)
Betrachtungen der Mannheimer Tonschule (c. 1780-81).''°

Other bassoonists at the court were Johann Wendelin Schafer who was
employed there between 1759-68, and Sebastian Holzbauer (1741-1800), who

^^Johann Phillip Eisel, Musiats aiilodidactus (Erfurt: J. M. Funck, 1738), 104.

3®Friedrich Walter, Geschichte des Theaters und der Miisik am Kurpfalzischen Hofe
(Leipzig: Breitkopf ar\d Hartel, 1898), 102.

Adam Carse, Tlie Orchestra in the XVIIIth Century (Cambridge: W. Heffer and Sons,
1940; reprint ed.. New York: Broude Brothers, 1969), 55.

•^''Grotnan, 211.
 21

resided in Mannheim from 1770-78.'*^ Holzbauer's son Nicholas is believed to

have played bassoon at the court for a period of time as well.'*^ Nicholas was
sometimes referred to as "Holzbauer Juiuor" and was listed as working in
Mannheim in 1794.'*3 Joseph Steidel joined the Mannheim orchestra in 1776
with a salary of 90 gulden ($15) but by 1778 his salary had increased to 220
gulden ($36)
Several members of the Maimheim orchestra followed Duke Carl
Theodor to Munich in the late 1770's when he became Elector of Bavaria, and
the orchestra in Munich in the early 1780's was often referred to as the
Marmheim orchestra because of this. The orchestra persormel list of the
Munich orchestra in 1782 contained four bassoon players that were
transplanted from Mannheim: Holzbauer, Strasser, Steidel, and Georg
Wenzel Ritter.'^s

Georg Wenzel Ritter

Georg Weiizel Ritter was considered the finest bassoon player of his
time. He was an important member of the Mannheim orchestra and is said

•^^John P. Newhill, "The Contributions of the Mannheim School to Clarinet Literature,"

Music Revieiv 40, no. 2 (May 1979): 91.

•^Will Jansen, The Bassoon, 5 vols. (Netherlands: Fritz Knuf, 1979), 4: 1739.

•^^Woodrow Joe Hodges, "A Biographical Dictionary of Bassoonists Bom Before 1825"
(Ph.D. dissertation. University of Iowa, 1980), 321.

•t^Ibid., 614.

•^^Carse, Orchestra in the XVIIIth Century, 58.

 22

to have moved the prince to tears by his bassoon playing on one occasion.^^
Ritter was bom on 7 April 1748 in Mannheim w^here his father
Heinrich was already a bassoonist in the court orchestra. When Georg was
eight years old his father purchased for him a used bassoon from a regimental
musician for one thaler ($2.45). Ritter became so attached to this instrument
that he performed on it his entire life. Will Jansen, author of The Bassoon,
states that Ritter performed everything to the utmost perfection on this
bassoon though other players who tried the instrument could barely get a
sound on it.'*^
Ritter quickly became well-known all over Europe and gave
performances in many different countries. In 1763 he traveled to the
Wallerstein court of Count Phillip Carl (ruled 1745-66). It is not known why
he was there, however. Perhaps he was visiting as a prospective court
musician or he was performing a concert there. Still it is possible that he was
there to start and teach a new bassoon player, Joseph Jandoffsky (1748/49-88).-'^
Ritter was also in London on a concert tour for a period of time in 1774.
It is unclear as to when Ritter joined the Marmheim orchestra. Sources
vary as to the dates of his employment there listing starting dates between
1758 and 1768.^9

''^Martha Jane Gilreath, "The Violoncello Concertos of Peter Ritter" (MA thesis.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1961), 8-9.

••^Jansen, 4:1779.

''^Jon R. Piersol, "The Oettingen-Wallerstein Hofkapelle and its Wind Music" (Ph.D.
dissertation. University of Iowa, 1972), 31.

•^^Hodges, 548.
 23

In the fall of 1777, Mozart visited Mannheim for a few months and
met Ritter as well as Johaim Baptist Wendling (1723-97), the great flute
virtuoso at the court, and Fredrich Ramm (1744- 71811), the Mannheim's
principal oboist. Mozart wrote a letter to his father just before the Maiinheim
musicians were leaving to go to Paris which mentioned his desire to visit that

<If I stay here, I am going to Paris in Lent> in the company of

Wendling, Ramm, who plays very beautifully, and Lauchery, the
balletmaster. Wendling assures me that I shall never regret it. He has
been twice to Paris and has only just returned. He maintains that it is
still the only place where one can make money and a great
reputation.... Wendling is an experienced traveler. Please let me have
your views about this scheme, which strikes me as being useful and
sensible.... Herr Ritter, a fine bassoon player, is off to Paris on
December 12. Now if I had been alone, this would have been an
excellent opportunity for me [to go along] (Mozart's mother
accompanied him to Marmheim). He mentioned it to me himself.
Ramm, the oboist is a very good, jolly, honest fellow of about 35, who
has already traveled a great deal, and consequently has plenty of
experience. The chief and best musicians here are very fond of me and
show me great respect.^o

Ritter remained in Paris through the summer of 1778 and performed

frequently with the Concert Spirituel. He is listed as having performed as a
soloist six times, more than any other bassoonist not of French origin. He
played his own concertos twice, performed a Sinfonia Concertante by
Giuseppe Maria Cambini (1746-1825) twice, and accompanied an Italian air by

5*^EiniIy Anderson, The Letters of Mozart and His Family (London: Macmillan, 1985),
401-02.
 24

Johann Christian Bach (1735-82) It was during his stay in Paris, that Ritter
gave bassoon lessons to the great French bassoonist Etieime Ozi (1753-1813).52
Mozart eventually came to Paris while the Mannheim musicians were
still there. It was during this period that the Sinfonia Concertante for Winds,
K297b was supposedly composed.53

Ritter and Mozart appeared to get along quite well. Mozart often
referred to him as "our good wood-biter" (a pun on bassoon reeds). They
talked on many subjects:

I dropped into conversation with Ritter and among other things

I said that I was not very happy here; and I added: The chief reason is of
course, the music. Besides, I can find no soulagement (comfort) here,
no recreation, no pleasant and sociable intercourse with anyone,
especially with women, for most of them are prostitutes and the few
who are not, have no savoir vivre (good manners). Ritter could not
deny that I was right.^^

In the fall of 1778 Ritter moved to Munich with the court of Duke Carl
Theodor. In 1780, Ritter was listed as being paid a salary of 900 gulden ($150).
In 1783 Ritter began to teach another talented student, Philipp Ruppert (1776-
after 1819).55 Ritter was not happy with his salary and left Munich on 10 June
1788 to join the Royal Prussian Kapelle in Berlin under King Freidrich

^^Harold Eugene Griswold, "Etierme Ozi (1754-1813): Bassoonist, Teacher, and

Composer" (DMA dissertation, Peabody Conservatory of Music, 1979), 66.

^^Hodges, 549-50.

^^Levin, 4-5.

^Anderson, 570-71.

^^Hodges, 552-53.
 25

Wilhelm 11 (1744-97) where his salary more than doubled, increasing to 1600
thalers ($400)
Ritter was a very active performer and teacher in Berlin. He taught
over sixty bassoonists during his stay there, including Georg Fredrich Brandt
(1773-after 1827) (for whom Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) wrote the
Concerto and Andante et Rondo Ongarese), Carl Barmen (1782-1842), Captain

Wilhelm von Bredow (dates unknown), Johann Heinrich Griebel (1769-1852),

and Christoph Gottlob Schwartz (1768-1829).57 Several issues of Allgemeine
miisikalische Zeitung list performances given by Ritter.
A performance on 18 October 1807 included the Concerto for four
bassoons by Georg Abraham Schneider (1770-1839) with bassoonists Christoph
Gottlob Schwartz, Johaim Heinrich Griebel, and Captain Wilhelm von
Bredow.58 Also, on 7 February 1808 Ritter and von Bredow performed
Schneider's Double Concerto.^' These pieces are not listed in any catalogue
and are presumed to be lost.
Ritter's playing was highly regarded throughout Europe and was even
compared to bassoonists in other countries. The Berlinische miisikalische
Zeitung of 1793 printed the following review which mentions Ritter:

^Robert Eitner, Biographisch-Bibliographisches Quellen-Lexikon der Musiker iind

Musikgelehrten der christlichen Zeitrechming bis zur Mitte des 19. Jahrhiinderts, 11 vols.
(Leipzig; Breitkopf and Hartel, 1900-04), 8: 253.

^Hodges, 553-54.

^Allgemeine miisikalische Zeitung 10 (1807-08): 85.

S^Ibid., 347.
 26

Holmes (John; 7-1820), an Englishman, plays the bassoon, has

the fullest tone I have ever heard, and executes both soli and ripieni
very neatly; but he does not on the whole possess the exceptional
elegance and class which so delighted me in Ritter's playing.^

Ritter was certainly an extremely well-known as a bassoonist

throughout Europe. Ritter's popularity even led to him having a portrait
made of himself by F. W. Bollinger in 1805.(Figure 2)

C. Robbins Landon, The Symphonies of Joseph Haydn, (London: Universal Edition,

1955), 504.
 27

Figure 2: Portrait of Georg Wenzel Ritter.

yftr/t/yZ:'

The July 1808 issue of Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung printed

Ritter's obituary and listed that he passed away on 16 June 1808. The obituary
mentioned that he studied composition with Georg Joseph Vogler and that
his last performance was given at a concert at the Schneider residence. It was
at this concert that Ritter first began to feel ill. Ritter's beloved instrument
 28

was bequeathed to one of his students. Captain Wilhehn von Bredow. A

memorial concert for Ritter was held on 23 June 1808.
The April 1812 issue of Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung includes the
announcement of an estate sale by Ritter's widow. Included items for sale
were a very good bassoon, twenty concertos, and scores of many great
composers, including Peter von Winter (1754-1825), Franz Danzi (1763-1826),
and Ritter. Mrs. Ritter's address was also listed so one could obtain more
information.^^ This estate sale is the only mention of Ritter's spouse.
Ritter published an item titled Tonleiter des Fagotts near the end of his
life. A copy of this item is held at the Institut fur Musikwissenschaft in
Vienna (Catalog No. AR 593). From the title one would assume that this
work is either a scale study or etude book as many sources indicate. However,
after obtaining a reproduction of this item, it actually is a bassoon fingering
chart.(Figure 3)

Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung 14 (1812): 19.

 29

Figure 3: Ritter's Tonleiter des Fagotts.

O-O-CV

—4-^

ttf--
» -4^ _ ^ ^ ^6

•* oo ^
^ o o•

.s

.• ri S3
^ M' ,,

Ritter published this fingering chart near the end of his career which
includes a diagram of a bassoon. We can assume that the bassoon shown is a
 30

reproduction of his instrument. The bassoon pictured is a six-keyed

instrument. The range listed on the fingering chart is from B*' to d"^, a much
larger range than any contemporary source includes with the exception of
LaBorde's Essai sur la musique ancienne et moderne.^^ Also, since Ritter
obtained a used bassoon when he was eight, in 1756, we can safely date the
instrument to circa 1750, fifteen years earlier than the first documented
evidence of a six-keyed bassoon.

^2jean Benjamin de LaBorde, Essai sur la musique ancienne et modeme , 4 vols. (Paris: P.
D. Pierres, 1780; reprint ed. New York: AMS Press, 1978), 1: 342.
 31

CHAPTER 2: COMPOSITIONS OF GEORG WENZEL RITTER

Ritter composed several works for bassoon during his lifetime. These
works include two concerti; a set of six quartets for bassoon, violin, viola, and
bass instrument; a separate quartet for bassoon, violin, viola, and cello; a duet
for two bassoons; and a variation set for flute and bassoon.

Lost Works

Ritter's composition for flute and bassoon was titled 6 Airs Varie and
was published in Paris in 1793. This work is apparently lost.
The two concerti were published in Paris by Bailleux circa 1790. These
works are lost, but several issues of Allgemeine miisikalische Zeitiing list
performances of these concerti. Several sources have listed the keys of these
works to be B'' Major and F Major respectively. However, the two concerti are
also listed in the Breitkopf Thematic Catalogue which gives the opening
themes of the two concerti. The keys for the concerti in the Breitkopf Catalog
are G Major and C Major. (Example 1)

Example 1: Opening Themes to Ritter Concerti.

Since the Breitkopf Catalogue is the only portion of actual music

available today, it would seem a logical assumption that the keys of the
 32

concerti are G Major and C Major, not B*" Major and F Major as several
sources mistakenly indicated.

Quartets

Ritter wrote a set of six quartets under the title Six Quatoiirs d un
basson, violon, alto et basse. These were published in Paris by Sieber circa

1779. Copies of these works are available and can be found at the Bibliotheque
Nationale in Paris (Catalog Number Vm. 7 6384), and at the Fiirstlich
Bentheimsche Bibliothek in Burgsteinfurt.
From the title of these works, Ritter did not specify what iiistrument
was to be used for the bottom voice. During this period the term "basse" was
used to denote the line to be played by whatever bass instrument was
available. This line could have easily been played by cello, double bass,
keyboard, or even another bassoon.^^
A dedication page is also included with the quartets. The dedication
reads:

Sir. To honor my work with your name, it is to bestow upon it

all the success I dare claim. I beg of you to accept homage and the most
profound respect with which I have the honor of being. Sir, your most
humble and loyal servant. Ritter.

There is no indication anywhere as to who these quartets were dedicated to.

^James Webster, "Bass (I)/' The Neiu Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, edited
by Stanley Sadie, 3 vols. (Londor\; Macmillan, 1984), 1: 168.
 33

All six quartets have two movements with all the first movements
marked "Allegro" or some variant and all the second movements either
titled "Rondo" or "Minuet." The bassoon is the predominant line
throughout all the quartets with the violin, viola, and bass instnament
mainly being accompanimental. Some additional markings have been added
to the scores by this author. Suggested slurs are dotted and suggested dynamic
markings and articulations are in brackets. An asterisk over a note indicates a
note that has been changed from the original part. The majority of these are
changes in accidentals.

Quartet No. 1

The first movement of Quartet No. 1 is marked "Allegro" with a

common time meter. The range of the bassoon part is from G to g^ The
movement is divided into two sections both with repeats indicated and is in a
sonata-allegro form beginning in the key of C Major with a motive that is
played by all four voices.(Example 2)

Example 2: Measures 1-4.

 34

The bassoon then plays melody alone in the fifth bar and quickly
reveals the difficulty of its part. In measure 12 the bassoon moves between
eighth notes, eighth note triplets, sixteenth notes, and S5mcopated quarter
notes.(Example 3)

Example 3; Measures 12-16.

The quartet then moves to the dominant key, G Major, in measure 17.
The bassoon has a short rest beginning in measure 25 where the violin plays
the melody for ten measures. The bassoon only has a few accompanjdng long
notes throughout this section.(Example 4)

Example 4: Measures 29-32.

? = S te g
 35

A short solo for the viola theri ends the exposition. The development
section begins in measure 43 with the operung motive played in the
dominant key. The piece then continues with the violin and viola playing
melodic material in thirds and later the bassoon playing another syncopated
melody. Beginning in measure 63 there is some interplay between the
bassoon and violin during this section.(Example 5)

Example 5: Measures 65-68.

The movement shifts to A Minor in measure 76 and continues with

another violin melody while the bassoon rests. The bassoon quickly takes
over the melodic material and plays a triplet figure a short while later
beginning in measure 87.(Example 6)
 36

Example 6: Measures 87-90.

The movement shifts back to C Major in measure 98 just before the

recapitulation occurs in measure 100, but only the first four measures of the
opening melody return before new material is introduced featuring the
bassoon playing some technical nms which begin in measure 105.(Example 7)

Example 7: Measures 105-07.

The movement ends on a motive somewhat similar to the end of the

first section, but in this instance the bassoon, rather than the viola, plays the
melodic material.
The second movement of Quartet No. 1 is marked "Rondeau" with a
3/4 meter with the range of the bassoon line being from G to g'. The form of
the movement fits an ABACADA rondo with the second and last returns of
 37

the A theme not being complete restatements. This movement also begins in
C Major with the bassoon playing the rondo theme while the other voices
accompany.(Example 8)

Example 8: Measures 1-4.

Rondeau

Rondtau

Rondeau

The violin begins the B section in measure 17 in the dominant key, G

Major, where the bassoon has a few measures rest. The bassoon quickly
returris and plays some very technically demanding passages in measure
21.(Example 9)

Example 9: Measures 21-24.

The A section returns in measure 27 to the toruc key but orUy the first
eight measures of the theme are played. The C theme then begins in measure
 38

35 in the key of C Minor and starts with an alternation of a motive between

the bassoon and vioIa.(Example 10)

Example 10: Measures 35-38.

E £ c C * » boj 2

The violin assumes the melody in measure 51 while the bassoon rests
but quickly returns continuing this melody before the main theme of the C
section returns in measure 59.
There is a fermata in measure 66 which leads back to the rondo theme
in C Major. The D section begins in measure 83 and showcases the bassoon
player's technical ability with almost coristant sixteenth notes
throughout.(Example 11)

Example 11: Measures 85-88,

 39

A short lead in to another fermata in measure 104 brings in the final

statement of the rondo theme. There is a clear build up to the 16/4 chord on
the fermata indicating that this fermata should be ornamented.

Quartet No. 1

The first movement of Quartet No. 2 is marked "Allegro non tanto"

and is in a 2/4 meter with the range of the bassoon part going from A to g'. It
is divided into two sections with repeats indicated. This movement follows a
sonata-allegro form and begins in the key of F Major with a short quarter note
motive played by all parts.(Example 12)

Example 12: Measures 1-4.

Ait non tanto

All non tanto

All non tanto

The piece quickly moves to the dominant key, C Major, in measure 10.
During this section one of the more unusual chords in the quartets, a German
sixth, occurs in measure 13.(Example 13)
 40

Example 13: Measures 11-14.

In measure 25 the violin plays its first melodic idea v/hich is

immediately repeated by the viola. The bassoon then regains the melody in
measure 28.(Example 14)

Example 14: Measures 25-28.

The development begins after the repeat in measure 43 with the

bassoon having an extended rest at the begirming of this section. The other
voices start the development by playing the opening motive in the dominant
key. The piece then shifts to D Minor in measure 56 with the viola taking the
melody in measure 57.(Example 15)
 41

Example 15: Measures 57-60.

The bassoor\ and violin then alternate a 32nd note arpeggiated figure
until the recapitulation occurs in measure 73. After the opening theme is
restated the alternating 32nd notes between the bassoon, violin, and viola
return in measure 81.(Example 16)

Example 16: Measures 82-85.

The second movement of Quartet No. 2 is titled "Tempo di Minuetto"

and is in a 3/4 meter. The range of the bassoon part is from A to g'. The
movement is in the key of F Major and has a modified sonata-allegro form.
It begins with a motive that is passed between the bassoon and
violin.(Example 17)
 42

Example 17: Measures 1-4.

rempa di Minuetto

Jempo di Mimtetto

Tempo di Minuetto

Tempo di Minuetto

The movement quickly moves to the dominant key, C Major, in

measure 9 with the bassoon playing a dotted half note melody while the
violin and viola play accompanying eighth notes.(Example 18)

Example 18: Measures 9-12.

—V—1 1+ —

r-^ y ^ r1 F -j

The bassoon introduces a new theme in measure 21 which continues

through measure 28 where the violin begins a new motive in the key of G
Major but the bassoon melody returns later in measure 39 in C
Major.(Example 19)
 Example 19: Measures 21-24.

The development begms in the key of D Minor in measure 49 with

small fragments of the motive being passed between the bassoon, violin, and
viola beginning in measure 57.(Example 20)

Example 20: Measures 57-60.

In measure 81 the movement shifts back to the opening key, F Major,

and the recapitulation begiiis in measure 83. The theme from measure 21
returns in measure 97 in the tonic key rather than the dominant which leads
to the close of the movement.
 44

Quartet No. 3

The first movement of the Quartet No. 3, marked "Allegro," is marked

in a common time meter with the range of the bassoon line being from c to
g^ The form of this first movement is again sonata-allegro and begins in the
key of B'' Major with the operung theme stated by the bassoon.(Example 21)

Example 21: Measures 1-4.

»
fj "F p ,. • p >

j Aliegro f ipi
* , —

\ *^AlUgro f
[ p ^ r * ^ 1* r i' 1 P « • » N ^ >
Allegro f

Alicgro J*

The piece quickly modulates into the dominant key, F Major, in

measure 9. After a brief rest the bassoon returns in measure 15 with a very
technically difficult passage.(Example 22)

Example 22: Measures 15-17.

 45

The violin begins the development section in measure 25 introducing

a new theme which is quickly taken over by the bassoon four bars later. The
movement then shifts between several different key areas, hinting mostly at
G Minor but never cadencing until the return of B'' Major at the
recapitulation in measure 75.
After the opening theme is restated, the violin and bassoon alternate
some scale patterns in measure 87 before another violin theme eventually
ends the movement.(Example 23)

Example 23: Measiores 87-89.

The second movement of Quartet No. 3 is titled "Rondeau" and

written in a 3/4 meter with the range of the bassoon part being from B'' to a"".
It fits into an ABACABA rondo form with the final statement of the A theme
not being a complete repetition. It begins in the key of B'' Major with the
bassoon presenting the opening theme.(Example 24)
 46

Example 24: Measures 1-4.

A. if ^
^ p y • f r r P f i f r r r f T i p ^ r
Rondeau

^mdeau
« 1

Rondeau

Rondeau

The A section is divided into two 8 measure sections. The bassoon

plays the melody alone during the first 8 measures and is then doubled by the
violin during the final 8 measures of the A theme. The first B section then
begins in measure 17 in the key of F Major and contains another fairly
technically difficult passage for the bassoon. (Example 25)

Example 25; Measures 28-31.

There is a fermata marked at the end of the B section in measure 44 before the
return of the A section in the opening key, B'' Major.
The C section of the rondo is marked "Trio" in the parts and is in the
key of E'' Major. It begins in measure 53 with an eight measure section that
 47

immediately repeated with the bassoorx playing the theme of this

section.(Example 26)

Example 26: Measures 53-56.

After a second fermata in measure 75 the violin plays the melody for
eight measures begirming in measure 77 while the bassoon rests before the
return of the A section in measure 85.(Example 27)

Example 27: Measvires 77-80.

The B section returns in measure 93 in the key of F Major. It again

concludes on a fermata in measure 120 before the final statement of the A
section. This final A section is only 8 measures in length as opposed to the
other two A sections, which were 16 measures each.
 48

Quartet No. 4

The first movement of Quartet No. 4 has a tempo marking of

"Allegro" and is the first quartet that begir\s with the violin stating the
opening theme instead of the bassoon. The range of the bassoon part is from
c to a*" and is in a sonata-allegro form. This movement is in common time
and begiris in the key of Major.(Example 28)

Example 28: Measures 1-4.

p * « ,« PP m

Allegro ipi

Allegro
Ipl P - ' '
« • 0 & •

Allegro Ipl

' t| j j j l| 1 1 1 11 ^ J

The bassoon plays a different melody in measure 9 in the dominant

key, B** Major. A third theme is introduced in the dominant key by the
bassoon in measure 18. It is during this section of the quartet that one of the
more difficult bassoon passages occurs in measure 36.(Example 29)
 49

Example 29: Measures 36-38.

The development begins in measure 50 with a return of the third

theme played by the violin while the bassoon rests. The bassoon then returns
in measure 55 playing the opening theme in the dominant key. A brief
section in C Minor begins in measure 66 which quickly moves to C Major in
measure 76. In measure 82, some more technical passages for the bassoon are
encountered.(Example 30)

Example 30: Measures 84-86.

The movement shifts back to the tonic in measure 90 with the

recapitulation occurring in measure 100. Only the first few measures of the
piece return before the movement goes into a closing section beginning in
measure 105 that features several long notes in the upper parts.(Example 31)
 50

Example 31: Measures 108-112.

,r r ,r
p

«l « « xs B

i^rrrrrrrrlrrrrrrrrlrrrrrrrrlf r 1. - 1

The second movement of Quartet No. 4 is titled "Rondo Gracioso" and

is in a 2/4 meter. The range of the bassoon line is from G to a''' and is in the
key of E'' Major. The movement is not in any standard rondo form but one
could argue, however, for the movement's form to be an ABACA form. It
begir\s with the A theme played by the bassoon which is immediately
repeated by the violin in measure 9.(Example 32)

Example 32: Measures 1-4.

Ipl
iiA. v > m . m i„ r r i > r T 3 i , r i . 11 ^
-Sjj/ ' J W » f »
iPl

IPl

The B theme occurs next in measure 17, which is somewhat of a

variation of the opening theme. The A theme returns in measure 24 before
the C theme begins in measure 33 in the key of C Minor. The C section is
 51

quite long and begins with a short motive played by all four parts.(Example
33)
;[ Example 33: Measures 33-36.

i i

fI
fI
3 i ^
ri t " - - - - \ J i s , .

1 , 1 J .r ' f
t L1 i J J r i r1 - 1 J "r J "r
L-V P ^

The movement then modulates to G Major in measure 47 and in

measure 51 there is a change in meter to common time and a new tempo
indication of "Allegro." During this section, beginning in measure 59, one of
the bassoon's more technically difficult passages occurs.(Example 34)

Example 34: Measures 64-66.

This section ends on a fermata before shifting back to the 2/4 meter and
the original tempo in measure 85. This new section begins in G Minor but
nearly every part has a different key signature in the original parts. Both the
bassoon and the basse parts have no key signature (no flats or sharps). The
 52

violin part has two flats in the key signature while the viola has one sharp in
it's key signature. In measure 96 the piece settles back into E'' Major but there
is no change in key signature until measure 105, where all the parts move
back to three flats, and there is one final statement of the A theme. There
does not appear to be any logical reason as to why there are differences in the
key signatures between the four parts. In the original part the violin has
accidental flats marked throughout this section so perhaps its key change was
an error on the copyist's part, but this does not explain the differences in the
other part's key signatures.

Quartet No. 5

The first movement of Quartet No. 5 begins with the violin

introducing the principal theme. The range of the bassoon part is from F* to
g' and the movement is marked in a cut time meter in the key of G Major. It
is marked "Allegro" and is divided into two sections, both marked with
repeats. This sonata-allegro form movement begins with the bassoon playing
accompanying eighth notes.(Example 35)
 53

Example 35: Measures 1-4.

The violin continues with the majority of the melodic material

through most of the exposition. The movement shifts to the dominant key,
D Major, in measure 17. The bassoon continues to have only short melodic
motives throughout this section.(Example 36)

Example 36: Measures 24-28.

f r?r p r r ^ iMr

The development begins after the first repeat in measure 45 with the
violin again playing the main theme in the dominant key. The movement
shifts to E Minor in measure 62, where the bassoon begins to get more
melodic material.(Example 37)
 54

Example 37: Measures 62-65.

The recapitulation occurs in measure 86 with just a small section of the

opening material returriing before quickly closing out the movement a few
bars later.
The second movement of Quartet No. 5 is titled "Minuetto" and has a
3/4 meter marking. The range of the bassoon part is from c to a''^ and follows
the standard minuet and trio form. It begins in the key of G Major with the
opening theme stated in the bassoon.(Example 38)

Example 38: Measures 1-4.

Minuetto

\nttuetto If'pl

Minuetto l^'Pl

Minuetto If^*Pl

The second section of the minuet moves to the dominant key, D

Major in measure 9. At the beginning of this section there is much
interaction between all the voices.(Example 39)
 55

Example 39: Measures 9-13.

h

•*i n 1 p « 1r r r I' r 3 .1 , ff- —

tn
1; j ^ t —
in

The opening theme and key then return in measure 17. Afterwards
the trio begins in the key of C Major with the key signature also changed. It
starts with a simple theme which is basically a variation of the opening
minuet theme.
The second section of the trio begins in measure 37 and features several
diminished seventh chords throughout with a syncopated motive played by
the bassoon in measure 41.(Example 40)

Example 40: Measures 41-44.

1 (Pi
a# p
!Pl ^ errs p errs

--T7 X
(Pl

The trio theme returns in measure 49 with the viola playing the
melody instead of the bassoon. A marked da capo returns the piece to the
 56

beginning of the minuet where the movement concludes at the end of the
minuet section.

Quartet No. 6

The first movement of Quartet No. 6 is marked "Allegro moderato"

with a cut time meter and fits into a sonata-allegro form. The range of the
bassoon part is from A to g' and begins in the key of F Major with a motive
that is stated in all four parts. The bassoon picks up the main melody
immediately after the opening motive.(Example 41)

Example 41: Measures 1-4.

a
m-t — - .p m. ,
AIL moderato in p

AIL modmto tn — p • • •• j ji

-•»y - — —« " —
AIL modento in ^ p
m.t
Mjt • ^ g
AU. modtnto in

The movement quickly modulates to the dominant key, C Major, in

measure 12. It is during the section in C Major that the bassoon has many of
its more technically demanding passages beginning in measure 25.(Example
42)
 57

Example 42: Measures 25-27.

There is a small closing section beginning in measure 34 before the

development section in the key of C Minor begins in measure 40. Beginning
in measure 46 there is a small bit of interplay between the bassoon and
viola.(Example 43)

Example 43: Measures 46-49.

The movement quickly shifts back to the C Major section in measure

52 but only for a brief period. The piece then moves to D Minor in measure
61. During this section the bassoon rests while the violin introduces a new
melodic idea in measure 70.(Example 44)
 58

Example 44: Measures 70-73.

The piece shifts back to F major in measure 83 with the recapitulation

occurring in measure 84. The viola and violin get much of the melodic
material after the opening statement is heard. A closing section begirming in
measure 106 leads to the conclusion of the movement.
The second movement of Quartet No. 6 is marked "Tempo di
Minuetto" and has a 3/4 meter. The range of the bassoon part is from c to g'
and the piece is in a modified written out minuet and trio form. It begins in
the key of F Major with the opening theme stated by the bassoon.(Example 45)

Example 45: Measures 1-4.

iTtmpo di Mittutao

tn Tempo di MiMuetto

|f] Tempo£ Minuetto

 59

The first section of the minuet nms through measure 10 and is

immediately repeated. The second section of the minuet then begins in
measure 21 and uses a sjmcopated rhythm in the bassoon part.(Example 46)

Example 46: Measures 21-24.

uii, :i. 0 r I'P" L '^r r r r'F L*r =

f

The second section of the minuet is not repeated and moves

immediately into the trio section which begins in measure 33. There is no
marking of the word trio, but there is a key change to F Minor and an
indication "Minor" in the parts. It begins with a motive that is somewhat of a
variant on earlier melodic material.(Example 47)

Example 47: Measures 33-36.

Minor [p]
 60

The first section of the trio lasts for eight measures and is immediately
repeated with the viola playing the melody this time and the bassoon resting.
The second section of the trio begins in measure 49 and is not repeated, as in
the second section of the minuet. All the melodic material in this section has
been seen previously in some variation.
The second section of the trio ends on a fermata which then leads back
to the minuet in measure 69. The movement concludes with a restatement
of both sections of the minuet, as is standard with minuet forms.

Summary of Quartets

The movements of Ritter's quartets can be charted to show some of the

similarities and differences between keys, ranges, and other aspects of the
compositions.(Tables 1 and 2)

Table 1; Comparisons of First Movements of Ritter's Quartets.

Title Key Meter Range Movement Number of

Type Measures
Quartet 1 Allegro CM 4/4 G-g' Sonata 115
Quartet 2 Allegro FM 2/4 A-g' Sonata 97
non tanto
Quartet 3 Allegro B'M 4/4 c-g' Sonata 100
Quartet 4 Allegro E'M 4/4 c-a"' Sonata 112
Quartet 5 Allegro GM 2/2 p.g. Sonata 100
Quartet 6 Allegro FM 2/2 A-g' Sonata 111
moderato
 61

Table 2: Comparisons of Second Movements of Hitter's Quartets.

Title Key Meter Range Movement Number of

type Measures
Quartet 1 Rondeau CM 3/4 G-g' ABACADA 114
Quartet 2 Tempo di FM 3/4 A-g^ Sonata 104
Minuetto
Quartet 3 Rondeau B^M 3/4 B'-a"' ABACABA 128
Quartet 4 Rondo E^M 2/4 G-a"' ABACA 120
Gracioso
Quartet 5 Minuetto GM 3/4 c-a" Minuet and 60
Trio
Quartet 6 Tempo di FM 3/4 c-g' Minuet and 90
Minuetto Trio

From these tables, one can see many similarities between different
movements of the quartets. All of the first movements are titled "Allegro" or
some variant and are in a sonata-allegro form. All of the second movements
are either titled "Rondo," "Minuetto," or some variant. The ranges of all the
movements employ the upper register of the bassoon, but do not utilize the
extreme low register.
The keys of the works are not awkward ones for the bassoon and
within each movement, do not modulate to any tonalities far from the
opening key. The one exception to this is the second movement of Quartet
No. 4, which begins in E'' Major and shifts to G Major for a portion of the

work. The meters remain constant throughout each movement with the
exception again being the last movement of Quartet No. 4 which begins in a
2/4 meter and shifts to a 4/4 meter within the movement.
 62

All of the first movements are of about the same length. The second
movements that are in a minuet and trio form are slightly shorter than the
other second movements.
There is little stylistic development in the writing for the bassoon from
Quartet No. 1 to Quartet No. 6. All of the quartets are of about the same

difficulty leading one to believe that they all were composed at approximately
the same period.
Rhythmically the quartets are fairly common for the time period.
There are no unusual rhythms used. Occasionally Ritter will vary rhythms
fairly quickly, moving between triplets and s5mcopated sections one after the
other for example, but does not introduce anything that has not been seen
before.
The are many cadential points where and eingang or cadenza would be
appropriate. Since Ritter was such an incredible performer he could have
easily added a cadenza within a movement to show of his amazing virtuosity.
The bassoon writing in all the quartets is quite virtuosic. It dominates
each movement, playing the main melodic material in almost every instance
it plays. There are many technically difficult passages throughout. These
works are very demanding by today's standards and would have been
considered nearly impossible for 18th century bassoon players. Ritter must
have been an incredible performer to be able to play these compositions.
The combination of bassoon and strings is rare but most of the works
for this instrumentation are from close to this time period. Carl Stamitz and
Franz Danzi were two such composers who also wrote for this combination.
 63

It is very possible that these composer's works were written for Ritter but
there is no evidence to support this theory.

"Duetto"

The bassoon duet is believed to have been written between 1798-1808.

A manuscript copy exists at the Mecklenburgische Landesbibliothek in
Schwerin, MS # 4508, with the title "EHietto pour Fagotto I et Fagotto EE." This
work consists of three movements, unlike the quartets, which are only two
movements in length.
This duet was published in 1995 through the Bassoon Heritage Edition
edited by Helge Bartholomaus. A careful examination of this edition with the
manuscript reveals that Bartholomaus has copied the manuscript exactly
with just a few small exceptions. There are, however, several instances
throughout the work where Bartholomaus makes editorial corrections and
gives no indication that he has done so. These mainly include articulations
and accidentals within the duet.
The first movement of the duet is titled "Allegro non tanto" and is in a
common time meter. The range of the bassoon line is from C to g' and the
piece is divided into two sections, both with repeats. It begins in the key of F
Major in a sonata-allegro form with a short canonic figure.(Example 48)
 64

Example 48: Measures 1-3.

Att mon tanio

The movement quickly modulates to the dominant key, C Major, in

measure 9 and continues with much imitation between the two parts. After
the repeat, the development begins in measure 19 with the opening canonic
motive played in the dominant.
The movement then shifts to D Minor in measure 27. During this
section some less canonic material is introduced.(Example 49)

Example 49: Measures 30-33.

The recapitulation occurs in measure 41 and begins with a slight

variation of the opening themes which quickly leads to the end of the
movement.
The second movement of the duet is titled "Adagio" and is in a 2/4
meter with the range of the bassoon line from F to g'. It remains in the key of
B'' throughout the entire movement and begins with a simple motive played
in thirds.(Example 50)
 65

Example 50: Measures 1-3.

Adafia J*

Begiruiing in measure 19 the second voice plays more of the melodic

material while the first part accompanies.(Example 51)

Example 51: Measures 19-22.

Iin r r r . .m ^ r r , ..>

At measure 27 the movement shifts to a 6/8 meter and a new tempo

marking of "Allegretto." This short section then closes out the
movement.(Example 52)

Example 52: Measures 27-30.

AUtgntto

AlUfrtao

The third movement of the duet is titled "Minuet" and follows the
standard minuet and trio form with the range of the bassoon line from F to f.
This piece, in a 3/4 meter, begins in the key of F Major with a very simple
dotted half note melody.(Example 53)
 66

Example 53: Measures 1-4.

i Mtn p f P f
Upp—^
1 M -

After the repeat the second section of the minuet begins and is very
similar to the first section. The trio begins in measure 17 in the key of B''
Major and starts with an imitative figure.(Example 54)

Example 54: Measures 17-20.

^
1 li :jtt—^ r' r ^
r r r r L r r r
j Trio
0' • #
Uyt r f) : hu * ' * f

Trio

The second section of the trio begins with the bassoons playing a
simple motive in thirds. After the repeat the piece returns to the minuet
section which then concludes the movement.
Neither part in this work is extremely difficult technically. The piece is
relatively short but it is an enjoyable composition for both the audience and
performers.

"Quartetto"

Ritter also wrote another quartet under the title "Quartetto pour le

Basson principal avec accomp: Violin, Viola, et Violoncello." This piece has

never been published, but the manuscript is located at the Sachische

 67

Landesbibliothek in Dresden, MS # 5350. This work is believed to have been

composed circa 1780-90.

This quartet is the only composition in v^hich Ritter's surname, Georg

Wenzel, was not listed. The question of its authenticity, however, can easily
be proven. The "Quartetto" is in three movements, unlike the other quartets,
which are two movements in length. The first and last movements of this
quartet are almost identical transcriptions of the first quartet of the collection
of quartets. The main difference is the key of the work. The first quartet of
the collection is in the key of C Major while this quartet is in the key of B"
Major. The B'' Major quartet also has many articulations indicated, as
opposed to the C Major quartet, which has few articulations. Also, the B''
Major quartet contains two short eingangs written out, whereas the C Major
quartet does not.
One could speculate several reasons as to why these changes were
made. The reason that seems most likely is that the B'' Major quartet was not
intended to be performed by Ritter but either by a student or someone whom
Ritter did not feel was learned enough in the art of adding articiilations and
improvising cadenzas. Ritter hence included all the articulations and
cadenzas so the less-skilled performer could play his composition properly.
There is no known reason as to why Ritter changed the key of this work from
C Major to B'' Major. This quartet also specifies the bottom voice to be played
by cello, whereas the C Major quartet does not specify a bass instrument for
this line.
 68

Along with the two outer movements is an added middle movement,

titled "Romance." This movement also has articulatioris notated throughout
the entire piece.
The "Romance" begins in the key of F Major with the range of the
bassoon line going from B'' to g'. The movement is a written out minuet and
trio with a small coda at the end and begins with a very singing melody in the
bassoon.(Example 55)

Example 55; Measures 1-4.

The first section of the minuet is immediately repeated and then

moves to the second section of the minuet in measure 9 which also begins
with a very beautiful bassoon solo.(Example 56)
 69

Example 56: Measures 9-12.

After the second section of the minuet is repeated the piece then
moves into the trio section in measure 17. The trio begins in the key of B''
Major and the bassoon rests during this section while the violin plays the
meIody.(Example 57)

Example 57: Measures 17-20.

•V\, <'}|;—- 1 " 1 " 1 "

i^1
- l.»
l» (fl: J K= i • t-r • f—i— 1 — p i ^
f ' " •f ipi
I r ' ->
1
3 ^ (n

1. <«l|: T' P —g [f—P—^ F U 1 P— —

f •/
ipi in

f ' ^ 'f p '

After the first trio section is repeated the work then moves into the
second section of the trio where the bassoon rejoins the ensemble in measure
25 and plays the melody once again.(Example 58)
 70

Example 58: Measures 25-28.

After this section repeats there is a one measure transition leading back
to the minuet theme, and the first and second sections of the minuet are
played once. A coda section begins Ln measure 50, where the bassoon rests
and the strings close out the movement.(Example 59)

Example 59; Measures 50-53.

Doubtful Works

There are a few more compositions that some have attributed to Ritter
yet there is no documented evidence to support this. The first is a bassoon
 71

concerto composed by Peter Ritter (1763-1846). Peter Ritter was the nephew of
Georg Werizel and was an excellent cello player at the Mannheim court. He
composed several cello concertos and has one bassoon concerto to his credit.
Peter Ritter's manuscripts are located at the Library of Congress in
Washington D. C. The title of the bassoon concerto is "Concert pur le fagotto
di J. P. Ritter, 1778."
Loren Bartlett briefly examined this work in his dissertation and
believes the work to be by Georg Werizel though gives no substantial
reasoning to back up this theory. He states that after examining the title page
of the score, the initials of the author appear to be "F. A." rather than "J. P."
thus questioning whether this work is actually by Peter Ritter^. There is no
reference to an F. A. Ritter anywhere leading Bartlett to assign this work to
Georg Wenzel Ritter.
Though this author has only seen the opening motives of this work, it
seems unlikely that this composition is by Georg Wenzel Ritter. The opening
themes are in no way similar to any composition by Georg Weiuel. The first
movement is titled "Allegro Majesto." Majesto is not a tempo indication that
has been used in any of Georg Werizel's compositions. The third movement
is titled "Rondeau AUemande." Again, AJlemande has not been used in any
of Georg Wenzel's works. Also the third movement is in a 3/8 meter, foreign
to any known work by Georg Wenzel. If the irutials on the title page are

^Loren Wayne Bartlett, "A Survey and Qiecklist of Representative Eighteenth-

Century Concertos and Sonatas for Bassoon" (Ph.D. dissertation. State University of Iowa,
1961), 84.
 72

indeed "F. A.," these initials are no more similar to "G. W." than "J. P." so it
seems highly unlikely that this concerto is by Georg Wenzel Ritter.
There is also one reference to a set of eight bassoon quartets. This
reference occurs in a book titled Das Fagottensemble by Helge Bartholomaus.^^

It is listed as being available only in manuscript form but there is no mention

of where the manuscript is located. The citation only states that this
manuscript is in a private collection and it is not known if it is available to
the public. The citation also lists a total timing of these quartets to be sixteen
minutes.
Bartholomaus gives no mention whatsoever as to where he obtained
this information. If there is a known timing of these works it would seem
logical that someone has seen these works. It is this author's assumption that
Bartholomaus obtained this information from some other source without
giving any documentation. It seems very imlikely that these bassoon quartets
exist, for if they were in existence, there would be a reference to them is some
scholarly source. One possibility is that these works were mistaken in some
source for the Quartets for bassoon, violin, viola, and basse. This still,
however, does not explain the listing of eight quartets, rather than six, or the
listing of a timing for the works which is much shorter then the total timing
of the six quartets. There have been no responses to attempts to contact Mr.
Bartholomaus.

^Helge Bartholomaus, Das Fagottensemble (Berlin: Musik und Buchverlag Werner

Feja, 1992), 37.
 73

CHAPTER 3: WORKS WRTITEN FOR RITTER

Mozart's Works for Ritter

Mozart wrote several works with Ritter in mind. These works include
the bassoon parts to the opera Idomeneo K366, a concert aria Bastiavincesti
K486A, and the Sinfonia Concertante for Winds K297b.

Sinfonia Concertante. K297b

Much has been written about the authenticity of the Sinfonia

Concertante. Robert Levin, a well-known Mozart scholar, has even written a

book titled Who Wrote the Mozart Four-Wind Concertante? which discusses
the work in great detail. The main reasons the work's authenticity is
questioned is the instrumentation. In Mozart's letters he stated that he was
going to compose a work for flute, oboe, horn, and bassoon, but the work we
are familiar with today is scored for oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon.
A brief history of this piece begins while Mozart and many of the
Mannheim musicians were in Paris. A letter of Mozart's dated 5 April 1778
states that he was going to begin composing a Sinfonia Concertante for flute
(Wendling), oboe (Ramm), horn (Punto), and bassoon (Ritter).^^
In another letter on 1 May 1778 Mozart wrote:

^Anderson, 521-22.
 74

I had to write the Sinfonia Concertante in a hurry. The four

performers were and still are quite in love with it. Le Gros (Jean: 1739-
93) kept it for four days to have it copied but I always found it lying in
the same place. The day before yesterday I couldn't find it - I searched
carefully among the music - and discovered it hidden away. I
pretended not to notice it, but just said to Le Gros "Have your given the
Sinfonia Concertante to be copied?" "No"' he replied. "I forgot all
about it." As of course I could not command him to have it copied and
performed, I said nothing; but when I went to the concert on the two
days when it should have been performed, Ramm and Punto came up
to me greatly enraged to ask me why my Sinforua Concertante was not
being played. "I really don't know," I replied. "It's the first I've heard
of it. I know nothing about it." Ramm flew into a passion and in the
music room he cursed Le Gros in French, saying it was a dirty trick and
so forth. What annoys me the most in the whole affair is that Le Gros
never said a word to me about it - I alone was to be kept in the dark. If
he had even made an excuse - that the time was too short or something
of the kind - but to say nothing at all! I believe however, that Cambini,
an Italian maestro here, is at the bottom of the business.^^[A work of
Cambini's for the same instrumentation was performed on the concert
in place of Mozart's].

Later on 3 October 1778 Mozart wrote that Le Gros had purchased the
Sinfonia Concertante. Mozart wrote in a letter that he still had the music in
his head and would write it out again later.^
After this there is no mention of the work until 1870, when Mozart
scholar Otto Jahn's(1813-69) collection of Mozart manuscripts was auctioned
off. In the auction catalog was listed a Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe,
Clarinet, Horn, and Bassoon, number 2365. No editor was listed for this

work.^^

67lbid., 532-33.

^Ibid., 622.

^^Levin, 18.
 75

This "new" version of the Concertante was in the handwriting of a

copyist who prepared over 100 Mozart scores for Jahn. Jahn had never
mentioned anything about the origin of this score, but the fact that he went to
the expense of having it copied out, has led some scholars to assume that
Jahn believed the work to be by [Link]
Another Mozart scholar, Friedrich Blume, believes the work with
clarinet to be written by Mozart:

All four instruments are treated quite idiomatically and entirely

in Mozartean style. The oboe part shows no sign of being rewritten
from what was originally a flute part, while the clarinet part is a perfect
model of "clarinet" writing; it fully exploits the low register, the
favorite common chord arpeggios, as well as the best register for
cantabile playing. From the maimer in which Mozart rewrote the oboe
concerto as the flute concerto (K314), we know that Mozart was a
virtuoso at reshaping a solo line for another instrument by sheer
sleight of hand. The orchestral layout is closely akin to that of the
concerto for two pianos (K365), and the concerto for flute and harp
(K299).7i

This raises the question of whether or not the Concertante with

clarinet is actually by Mozart or not. We have no version with flute available
to compare to the clarinet edition. The clarinet version is not in Mozart's
hand, but done by a well-known copyist who worked for Jahn. Robert Levin
has recently reconstructed a Concertante with flute based on the clarinet

^^Daniel N. Leeson, "Whatever Happened to the Sinfonia Concertante" Clarinet 12

No. 1 (1984): 24.

^^Friedrich Blume, "The Concertos: (I) Their Sources," Mozart Companion, edited by H.
C. Robbins Landon and Donald Mitchell (New York: W. W. Norton, 1956), 211-12.
 76

version.^ The score of the Concertante with clarinet is included in the

Mozart Werke collection. It is listed in the Kochel catalog of 1862 as lost and

in the Neue Mozart Ausgabe is listed under works of doubtful authenticity.

Since this piece has been discussed in such great detail by other authors,
the work will be examined mainly in terms of the bassoon line. The bassoon
for the most part is mainly an accompanying voice throughout this
composition. Most of the main melodic material is given either to the oboe
or clarinet.
The first movement is titled "Allegro" and is in a 4/4 meter. The range
of the bassoon part is from E'' to a''', quite a large range for this time period.
The movement follows a standard sonata-allegro form and begins in the key
of E'' Major. After a long orchestral introduction, the opening soli theme is
played by all four voices.(Example 60)

Example 60: Measures 88-92.

The bassoon immediately moves into an accompanying role a few measures

later as the oboe takes the main line in measure 95.(Example 61)

^W. A. Mozart, Sinfonia Concertante in E Flat Major, reconstructed by Robert Levin

(Kassel: Barenreiter, 1991).
 77

Example 61: Measures 95-98.

The bassoon only has brief fragments of melodic material throughout the
majority of the movement the first of which occurs in measure 106.(Example
62)

Example 62; 106-08.

•

1 ^lll_
—^ ft

^ r r r r~r ir— p * r > —1

^o J J J J J J : i; ^ r
r r « r r

The entire range of the bassoon is used in some sections of the

movement. In one accompanying section starting in measure 341, the
bassoon moves through a large portion of its range from E'' to g^(Example 63)
 78

Example 63: Measures 341-44.

The second movement of the Sinfonia Concertante is titled "Adagio"

and in a 4/4 meter. The range of the bassoon part is from F to g^ and the
movement is also a sonata-allegro form in the key of E'' Major. The bassoon
is the first solo instrument to enter with melodic material in measure
5.(Example 64)

Example 64: Measures 5-7.

J ^l.| ^ = pf r—- •»
doUt
1

. . ,- -r9- .. - -•

doUt

The bassoon acts in an answering role in this movement with melodic

fragments being passed between each solo instrument. The bassoon begins
the development section of the movement in measure 54 where the work
begins to move away from the dominant key.(ExampIe 65)
 Example 65: Measures 54-58.

ft)
P

t-lr - -J
doict

Still for the most part, the bassoon line only serves as an accompan5dng
voice.(Example 66)

Example 66: Measures 72-74.

The third movement titled "Andantino con variazoni" and in a 2/4

meter has the range of the bassoon part going from E'' to g^ The movement
consists of ten variations. The last variation moves into an "Adagio" section
in C Minor before introducing a coda in E*" Major.
Variation two, which begins in measure 49, features the bassoon and
begins with bassoon alone with a sparse orchestral accompaniment.(Example
67)
 80

Example 67: Measures 49-52.

In the third variation the bassoon plays an awkward triplet figure in

alternation of the clarinet.(Example 68)

Example 68: Measures 82-85.

In variation seven the bassoon begins this section in measure 168 with
the main melodic material but then quickly moves to playing
accompaniment.(Example 69)
 81

Example 69: Measures 168-72.

Though the bassoon is not the predominant melodic instrument in the

Sinfonia Concertante, it certainly is an indispensable part of the composition.

If this work is indeed by Mozart, he must have thought very highly of Ritter's
playing in the virtuosic accompanying passages throughout.
In the reconstructed version of this work by Robert Levin the bassoon
is much more prominent. The bassoon plays the melody more frequently
and several times the part moves up to b''^ where in the clarinet version the
range only moves up to a''^ in one instance.

Basti vincesta. K486A

The concert aria Basta vincesti (K486A) was written for Mannheim
singer Dorothea Wendling (1736-1811), wife of the flutist Jean Baptist
Wendling.^ This work has a large obligato bassoon part which was written
specifically for Ritter. The text is from Pietro Metastasio's (1698-1782) Didone

^David Humphries, "Voice and Orchestra," Mozart Compendium, edited by H. C.

Robbins Landon (London: Thames and Hudson, 1990), 324.
 82

abbandonata, Act 2 Scene 4 and was composed on 27 February 1778 in

Mannlieim7'^
Wendling asked Mozart to set one particular scene of Metastasio's text.
In this scene. Dido is pleading with Aeneas not to leave her. The text, divided
into three stanzas, tries to show Dido's anguish as she resigns herself to fate."^
The work is scored for pairs of flutes, bassoons, and horns along with
strings. Outside of the first bassoon the other wind players are purely
accompanimental except for occasional flute melodies during tutti sections.
The range of the bassoon line is from B*" to g^ It begins with a recitative for
soprano and strings in the key of Major. The first stanza of the text is used
here before the piece moves immediately into the aria and the second stanza
of text. The bassoon quickly shows its prominence doubling the soprano
through the first phrase begiruiing in measure 17.(Exainple 70)

74lbid., 327.

^Comeilson, 254.
 83

Example 70: Measures 17-22.

rinf K

The second stanza of text is then repeated minus the second line of the
text. The first line is altered while the third and fourth lines of text are
basically sung the same way as previously stated. During the third line of text
in measure 33 the bassoon continues to be of prominence
throughout.(Example 71)
 84

Example 71: Measures 33-37.

During the third stanza of text the piece shifts to B'' Minor. This section
leads into a short, four measure recitative before returning to the aria and the
second stanza of text. The music is the same during the first statement of the
stanza but changes during the second statement of the stanza. Again the
second line of text is left out of this repeat. Beginning in measure 95 the
bassoon doubles the voice as it sings the fourth line of text.(Example 72)
 85

Example 72: Measures 95-99.

>- ^

Clearly the bassoori is the most prominerit wind part in the aria Basti
vincesti. Though not very technically demanding, the instrument's

prominence must have been inspired by Ritter's ability.

"Se il padre perdi" from I do men eo. K366

Mozart's opera Idomeneo (K366 ) was written specifically for the singers
and orchestra at Marmheim. Dorothea Wendling was to play the main
female lead. Ilia. One of Ilia's arias in the second act, "Se il padre perdei," has
a wind quartet accompaniment and featured the Marmheim wind players.
Joharm Baptist Wendling was to play flute, Ramm oboe, Ritter the bassoon,
while the horn player was not specified.^^

^^Julian Rushton, W. A. Mozart Idomeneo (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,

1993), 56.
 86

The aria is in binary form and in a 2/4 meter with the range of the
bassoon line from A to b''^ It is scored for single flute, oboe, bassoon, and
horn with strings. The text is divided into two stanzas of five lines each.
The piece begins in the key of E** Major with a fourteen bar introduction
before the singer enters. The strings predominate the first half of the
introduction while the winds dominate the second. The wind parts show
their importance immediately and even have a short transition section all to
themselves. (Example 73)

Example 73: Measures 24-28.

The B section of the aria begins in measure 34 in B'' Minor for a brief
period. Throughout this section, the wind parts continue to be of importance,
particularly near cadences, such as the area leading to the cadence in measure
53.(Example 74)
 87

Example 74: Measures 49-52.

f p "**-

The A section returns in measure 58 and is nearly an identical

statement of the first A section. The second B section, however, is quite
different from the first B section. This B section begins in measure 77 in the
key of E'' Minor. It is during this section that the bassoon plays an obligate
part previously played by the horn in measure 84.(Example 75)
 Example 75: Measures 84-87.

The second B section is slightly longer than the first and has an added coda
which concludes the aria.
Once again, Mozart has given Ritter a very important part in one of his
compositions showing his high regard for Ritter's playing. This is true
throughout Idomeneo, where the bassoon line rises to b''^ an extremely high
note for this time period.
It is interesting to note that all three of Mozart's works for Ritter are in
the key of E** Major. There is no known explanation as to whether this was
done intentionally or not. It is possible that other works by Mozart were
composed with Ritter in mind but there is no documented evidence to
sustain this assumption.
 89

Reichardt's Work

"Dei di Roma" from B r e n n o

Johaim Friedrich Reichardt also was forid of Ritter's playing. In his

opera Brenno he assigned Ritter an important obligate part in the aria "Dei di
Roma." Brenno is an opera seria in three acts and was first performed in
Berlin at the Konligches Theater on 16 October 1789. The librettist was
Antonio de' Filistri da Caramondani (fl. 1778-1803).^
The aria is scored for solo bassoon, cello, and horr\s along with strings.
The cello line was written for Ferdinand Haiisman (1764-1843) while the horn
parts were written for Johann Falsa (1752-92) and Carl Tiirrschmidt (1753-97).
The horn parts, however, are not nearly as elaborate as the bassoon and cello
lines. The vocal soloist for the aria was Luisa Rosa Todi (1753-1833). The
range of the bassoon line is from F to c^. The aria begins the key of B'' Major
and in a 2/4 meter. The text is divided into three stanzas. In the original
printing, as in the forthcoming examples, the cello line is the fourth line of
the score while the bassoon is the fifth line. The piece starts with a short
motive played by all before the solo instruments immediately begin to show
off in measure 4.(Example 76)

^Thomas Bauman, "Brenno," The Nezu Grove Dictionary of Opera, edited by Stanley
Sadie, 4 vols. (London: Macmillan, 1992), 1: 595-96.
 Example 76: Measures 4-8.

The solo voice eriters in measure 18 while the solo instruments

continue their prominence.(Example 77)
 Example 77: Measures 18-22.

During the second stanza the bassoon continues its prominence. In

this example beginning in measure 64, it is playing in imitation to the voice
while the solo cello accompanies.(Example 78)
 Example 78: Measures 64-68.

The first stanza is then repeated exactly before the piece moves into an
Allegro section in measure 99. Again here the solo instruments are of
extreme importance, even in the tutti sections.(Example 79)
 93

Example 79: Measures 99-103.

jQT cuO'arco

AlUpn jQT

The solo instruments continue to receive prominent roles during tutti

sections. Occasionally the principal hom also has some solo material along
with the bassoon and cello.(Example 80)
 94

Example 80; Measures 170-72.

• »

In the section following starting in measure 176, the entire range of the
bassoon is used, going all the way up to c^, an extremely uncommon note for
this time period.(Example 81)
 95

Example 81: Measures 176-79.

^ ^

t;
= =
i . f B ,r
j V r 1 1 >^=1 \^'
j 1 1 1

1 . P
« r
.
1 1
-•
j Ht'
-
r
^ p F
! 1 1 9* i J J * LL r i* J * Jr—'
9

1
** 1, a Li ^ ^ 8»
lia" f " 1 - 1 • - ~

1 • 1

Again, the difficulty of the part indicates Reichardt's high regard for
Ritter's playing. Utilizing a very wide range, the bassoon part demonstrates
its importance throughout the aria both in solo and accompanying roles.

J. C. Bach's Work

"Non m'alleta quel riso" from Temistocle

Johann Christian Bach's opera Temistocle was composed for the

Mannheim singers and orchestra and was premiered in Mannheim on 5
November 1772. Dorothea Wendling again had the female lead and the great
Marmheim tenor Anton Raaf (1714-97) sang the role of Temistocle.
Temistocle is an opera seria with the libretto by Pietro Metastasio with
 96

alterations and additions by Mattia Verazi (c. 1730-1794). One of Temistocle's

arias, "Non m' alletta quel riso," has a very large obligato bassoon part.
The aria starts in the key of B*" Major with a 4/4 meter. The range of
the bassoon part is from B" to g\ The tempo indication is "Allegro" and it is
scored for pairs of oboes and horns, along with strings. The aria fits into a da
capo form with two stanzas of text. The first stanza is repeated three times
with each repetition set to different music while the second stanza is sung
only once. There is a lengthy 57 bar introduction before the voice enters.
Throughout this introductory section the bassoon plays many technically
difficult passages. The bassoon first enters in measure 10 and after a long held
note immediately takes over the dominant melodic material.(Example 82)

Example 82: Measures 12-15.

 97

The bassoon continues to be pronxinent throughout the entire

introduction, showing off the virtuosity and difficulty of the part.(Examples
83,84,85)

Example 83: Measures 26-29.

 98

Example 84: Measures 33-36.

Example 85: Measures 43-46.

 99

The voice finally enters in measure 58 but the bassoon line is by no

means diminished in importance. After the voice presents its opening

phrase the bassoon plays alone beginning in measure 73 before being joined

by the voice in measure 76.(Example 86)

Example 86; Measures 76-79.

The two solo parts continue to show off their virtuosity throughout the aria.
Even during a long voice melisma, which began in measure 83, the bassoon
continues to play a dominant role in the aria.(Example 87)
 100

Example 87: Measures 88-90.

The solo parts get more technically difficult as the aria progresses. In this
example, both parts have sixteenth notes before leading up to a cadence point
which occurs in measure 104.(Example 88)
 101

Example 88: Measures 99-101.

^
ItJ 'll. ^ 1

m p
1"^' f—k \ =

I'.
^
b n
f

The bassoon gets its only lengthy rest during the second stanza of text.
The aria shifts to E'' Major during the B section of the piece. After the text is
sung once the bassoon returns for a short transition which leads to the da
capa.
J. C. Bach's aria is by far the most difficult of all the bassoon parts
written by other composers for Ritter. It is extremely demanding technically
and some might even argue that it is more difficult than the solo voice line.
J. C. Bach certainly knew Ritter's playing well and that he might possibly be
the only bassoon player at this time able to perform this difficult obligato part.
 102

CONCLUSIONS

Clearly Georg Wenzel Ritter was one of the most important bassoonists
from the past. There is much dociimentation of the high regard important
composers of the period had for him. He was a very active performer and
taught many students who, like Ritter, are extremely important in the history
and pedagogy of the bassoon. He was a very important part of the Maimheim
orchestra, the finest musical ensemble of his time. Mozart and other
composers knew Ritter's playing extremely well and thought highly enough
of it to give the bassoon parts Ritter was to play unusual importance in their
compositions. There is much evidence to support the theory that Ritter
performed on a six-keyed bassoon fifteen years earlier than the first
documentation of this instrument's existence. Ritter's fingering chart shows
us the incredible range that Ritter had, a range that was hardly common at
that time and is considered extreme, even by today's standards. Moreover,
Ritter's own compositional output give us many new pieces to perform, that
for some reason have not yet been reissued in modem editions. These works
are very technically demanding and will be a welcome addition to the
available bassoon repertoire.
 103

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