[Dixielandjazz] Classical Clarinet Vibrato

[Steve Barbone]

Reginald Kell was not the first classical clarinetist to use vibrato. Note
the below post on "Klarinet" from 1994.

Clarinetist Richard Muhfeld, described below, was born in 1856 and Brahms
declared him "the best wind instrument play I know." Brahms then wrote more
clarinet pieces specifically for him and the clarinet rose to greater
prominence in classical works. Note especially the last 3 sentences about
Muhlfeld's vibrato. Other references to his clarinet playing also talk about
a vibrato as wide as a cellist's on Muhlfeld's clarinet.

BTW, IMO, Brahms is the grandfather of the Great American Songbook. No doubt
many tin pan alley guys listened to his music.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone


The following passage about Richard Muhlfeld, the clarinetist who inspired
Brahms' great chamber works. This quotation is from the book, "Clarinet," by
Jack Brymer, which is one of the Yehudi Menuhin Music Guides:

".........A reminiscence of no less a player than Muhlfeld himself seems to
suggest that the use of vibrato may have fallen out of fashion temporarily
after his day, to return after about thirty years. Just before World War II
a question was put to a very old viola player, sometime conductor of the
Duke of Devonshire's Orchestra, about the playing of Muhlfeld. The old man
had occasionally been called by Joachim to play in his quartet, and on
several occasions had played the Brahms Quintet with the great Muhlfeld. Of
the clarinetist's playing he was most enthusiastic, saying that three things
mainly stuck in his memory. 'He used two clarinets, A and Bb, for the slow
movement, to simplify the gypsy section; he had a fiery technique with a
warm tone -- and a big vibrato.' Asked again by a startled questioner if he
didn't mean to say 'rubato' the old man looked puzzled. 'No' he said,
'vibrato -- much more than Joachim, and as much as the cellist.'"