The solo clarinet compositions of Antonio Cartellieri (1772-1807), court's composer and violinist, are
comparatively unknown in these days, although during his lifetime his works were widely acclaimed in the Viennese and Boehmian Courts.
This research has a threefold purpose that will answer the following questions: who was Antonio Casimir Cartellieri and why are his clarinet compositions important for clarinetists today? The first purpose is to reconstruct the life of Antonio Casimir Cartellieri and the second is to locate and procure as many of Cartellieri’s works as possible. The last purpose is to analyze the selected compositions to assess both his historical role in the clarinet repertory and to understand the value of his compositions for the clarinet.
The results are presented in three chapters. The first one contains a biography of Cartellieri, the second deals with Cartellieri’s repertoire and the last chapter, the most important, contains the analysis of the clarinet solo works.
Observation upon Cartellieri’s compositional style and treatment of the clarinet will draw from the analysis of the four clarinet concertos and the four clarinet quartets. With regards to the nowadays clarinet performer, Cartellieri’s compositions serve as model representing the best traits of the late eighteenth century wind virtuoso school. Furthermore, they provide a repertory bridging the gap between the old style of Stamitz and Mozart, and the new style of Crusell, Weber and Spohr.
