ISBN 9790202036839.
The Adagio KV 411 was written in 1784. In that year Mozart was accepted into one of the numerous Viennese Masonic lodges. So it made sense for him to write different pieces of music for their ceremonies, as well as the Adagio in B flat major for two clarinets and three basset horns. The clarinetist Anton Stadler, a friend and box brother of Mozart, played his favorite instrument, the basset horn, excellently. It was only developed as a kind of tenor clarinet around 1760 and, thanks to its dark, mysterious timbre, it was particularly suitable as a lodge instrument. Since Mozart's Masonic Music was most likely written for a larger clarinet ensemble, it makes sense to cast the Adagio in its arrangement for saxophone both as a soloist and as a chorus. The suggestion of Masonic knocking signs in the rhythm of the stucco could be an indication of its use as the ceremonial opening of a box meeting. (Annette Kutzer).
