By Martin Harlow

Modern clarinet players owe a debt of gratitude to Iwan Müller (1786–1854), whose developments to the clarinet in the early nineteenth century served to shape many of the features found in the instrument that is used today. In 1809, at the Saale zum römischen Kaiser in Vienna, he premiered Philipp Jakob Riotte’s (1776–1856) Clarinet Concerto in C Minor, op. 36, the first known work composed specifically the thirteen-keyed, “omnitonic” instrument he had recently developed. Recently published in A-R’s Recent Researches in the Music of the Classical Era series, this important work offers a new perspective on the clarinet’s development at a seminal point in its history.

By Alexander Dean

A further investigation into accidentals in modern editions of early music, this post deals with the challenges presented by various sources, and how the editor might go about choosing from the available options.

By Pamela Whitcomb

Developing an editorial policy for accidentals can be tricky business, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Converting from archaic conventions to modern ones often means prioritizing either form or function: form-based approaches favor editorial transparency, while function-based approaches prioritize clarity of content. 

By A-R's house editors

’Tis the season for ornaments! Here are a few tips on dealing with trills, turns, mordents, and the like. 

Congratulations to Michael Ochs! His edition of Joseph Rumshinsky's Di goldene kale won the 2018 Claude V. Palisca Prize for best edition or translation, awarded by the American Musicological Society.