Stadler, Anton (Paul)

Stadler, Anton (Paul), famous Austrian clarinetist and basset-horn player; b. Bruck an der Leitha, June 28, 1753; d. Vienna, June 15, 1812. With his brother, Johann (Nepomuk Franz) Stadler (b. Vienna, May 6, 1755; d. there, May 2, 1804), a clarinetist and basset-horn player, he first attracted attention as a soloist with the Vienna Tonkünstler-Sozietät in 1773. After serving Count Dimitri Golitsin, the Russian ambassador to Vienna, they entered the service of the imperial wind band in 1782. They entered the Court Orch. as clarinetists in 1787, Johann taking first position and Anton second. Anton became one of Mozart’s closest friends; the composer wrote his Quintet, K.581, and Clarinet Concerto, K.622, for him. After accompanying Mozart to Prague in 1791, where he played the clarinet and basset-horn obbligatos in La clemenza di Tito to great applause, he toured widely in Europe as a virtuoso. In 1796 he finally returned to his post in Vienna, being pensioned in 1799; then played for several seasons in the opera orch. In 1806 he made his farewell appearance as a solo artist with the Tonkünstler-Sozietät. Anton was also a competent composer, numbering among his works 10 sets of variations for Clarinet (Vienna, 1810), 12 ländlerische Tänze for 2 Clarinets (Vienna, c. 1823), 3 caprices for Clarinets (Vienna, c. 1825), 6 progressive duets for 2 Clarinets (Vienna, c. 1827), 18 trios for 3 Basset Horns, partitas for 6 Wind Instruments, and other pieces.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire