Much of the classical repertoire for wind instruments arose from close contact between composers and their musician friends.
Instruments
The Clarinet Concerto, kv 622, was written for a basset clarinet, an instrument with an extended compass that could play two notes lower than a conventional clarinet.
Composition History
Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante kv 297b was written in 1778 after three wind players of the Mannheimer Hofkapelle invited him to compose a concerto.
Composition History
Mozart's original manuscript for the Clarinet Concerto, kv 622, has been lost, with some suggesting it was stolen or pawned by the clarinettist Anton Stadler.
Instruments
The horn in Mozart's time was a natural instrument, similar to a hunting horn, without valves, where intermediate tones were produced by 'hand-stopping'.
Composer Biography
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was likely the record-holder for the most wind-player friends among composers.
