The clarinet and the basset horn, which sounds a third lower than the clarinet, were Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s declared favorite instruments.

The basset horn was the invention of the Passau instrument makers Anton Mayrhofer Senior and Junior. A characteristic feature of the basset horn is the box or ‘buch’ on the lower end of the instrument in which the bore runs in an S-shape, leading to the brass bell. The keys for the lowest notes cover holes bored into the box curved to bring the finger holes and keys of the lower notes within the player’s reach.

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