Georg Wenzel Ritter (1748-1808) and the Mannheim bassoon school

Abstract

Georg Wenzel Ritter (1748-1808) was one of the greatest bassoon players from the past. He was an indispensable part of the Mannheim orchestra, arguably the finest musical ensemble in Europe at that time. He was known all over Europe as a bassoonist with tremendous ability and frequently traveled abroad as a soloist. He also taught many students throughout his lifetime, including Etienne Ozi and Georg Brandt. The bassoon on which Ritter performed was a six-keyed bassoon. This instrument precedes the earliest known documented evidence of the six-keyed bassoon's existence by nearly fifteen years. Ritter also left us a fingering chart which lists an extreme range, going all the way up to eb2 Ritter composed several works which have been out of print for over 200 years or are only available in manuscript. These works include a set of quartets for bassoon, violin, viola, and bass instrument and a duet for two bassoons. These compositions give us an excellent indication of the high level of Ritter's playing ability through the many technically demanding passages. Moreover, other composers, including W. A. Mozart, knew Ritter's playing well and composed some of their own works with Ritter in mind for the bassoon parts. Some of Mozart's works for Ritter include the bassoon parts to the opera Idomeneo K366 and the Sinfonia Concertante for Winds K297b. Ritter is certainly an important figure in the history and development of bassoon playing and deserves more recognition as a prominent bassoon performer, teacher, and composer from the 18th century.