Baermann family

Pamela Weston

https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.01754
Published in print: 20 January 2001
Published online: 2001
updated and revised, 11 February 2013

German family of musicians.

(1) Heinrich (Joseph) Baermann

(b Potsdam, Feb 14, 1784; d Munich, June 11, 1847). Clarinettist. He and his brother Carl Baerman (i)
(1782–1842), a bassoonist in the Berlin court orchestra, were sent by their soldier father to the School
of Military Music in Potsdam. At 14, having first studied the oboe, Heinrich became a bandsman in the
Prussian Life Guards and during this time studied the clarinet with Beer. In 1805, under the patronage
of Prince Louis Ferdinand, he had lessons with Tausch. He fought at the battles of Saalfeld and Jena
and was captured, but escaped and found his way to Munich. Here he obtained a court appointment,
which he held until his retirement in 1834.

Baermann toured extensively, first to Switzerland and France in 1808. In 1811, after successful
performances at Munich of Weber’s newly composed Concertino and concertos, clarinettist and
composer toured together through Austria and Germany. At Berlin Baermann’s artistry helped to
convince the musical public of the composer’s worth. In Vienna and Prague in 1813, Italy in 1815–16
and Berlin in 1818, Baermann gave concerts with the Munich prima donna, Helene Harlas (1785–
1818); she had four children by him. Paris gave him a phenomenal reception in 1817 and 1838, as did
Russia in 1822–3 and 1832. In 1819 Baermann was invited to England, where he played for the Prince
Regent at Brighton and, during six months of concerts in London, performed his own compositions on
two occasions for the Philharmonic Society.

Heinrich Baermann was sometimes called the Rubini of the clarinet on account of his expressive
playing and his luxurious, velvety tone, in contrast to the shriller style of some earlier players. Weber
referred in his diary to the ‘welcome homogeneity of tone from top to bottom’, and gave great credit to
Baermann for the success of his clarinet works. All of these except the Grand Duo were dedicated to
Baermann, as were Mendelssohn’s concert pieces and Meyerbeer’s Quintet and (also for Helene
Harlas) his cantata Gli amori. His liveliness of mind and his companionable nature made him widely
popular, and he became a close friend of these composers, who made frequent reference to him in their
correspondence. His own works include quartets, quintets and concertinos for clarinet and various
instrumental combinations. His instrument was first a ten-keyed clarinet made by Griesling & Schlott;
by 1819 he had one of twelve keys.

(2) Carl Baermann (ii)

(b Munich, Oct 24, 1810; d Munich, May 23, 1885). Clarinettist and basset-horn player, son of (1)
Heinrich Baermann and Helene Harlas. He was taught the clarinet by his father and by the age of 14
was occasionally playing in the court orchestra. In 1832 he was officially appointed second clarinettist

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and in 1834 succeeded his father as principal. Carl accompanied his father on concert tours in 1827,
1832 and 1838, attracting much attention playing the basset-horn. Conscious of his father’s superior
talent as a soloist, he turned to teaching, making a great success of this as professor at the Königliche
Musikschule in Munich. His Vollständige Clarinett-Schule (1864–75) remains one of the most used
methods. His other compositions, comprising 88 opus numbers in all, were once popular with
virtuosos. In 1860, in conjunction with Ottensteiner of Munich, he produced an 18-keyed Müller-type
clarinet, which found favour with many players, including Mühlfeld. He was pensioned from the court
orchestra in 1880 and retired from teaching in 1882.

(3) Carl Baermann (iii)

(b Munich, July 9, 1839; d Newton, nr Boston, MA, Jan 17, 1913). Pianist, son of (2) Carl Baermann (ii).
He studied in Munich with Franz Lachner and Peter Cornelius and later became a pupil and close
friend of Liszt. He taught for many years at the Königliche Musikschule in Munich, becoming a
professor in 1876. In 1881 he moved to the USA, where he made a successful début as a pianist in
Boston and also became highly esteemed as a teacher (Amy Beach and Frederick Converse were
among his pupils). His compositions include a Festival March for orchestra and a number of piano
compositions including a set of 12 Etüden op.4 (1877) and a Polonaise pathétique (1914).

Bibliography
NDB (H. Becker)

A. Lewald: ‘Heinrich Baermann’, Der Freimüthige, 31 (1834), 649–63

A. Lewald Panorama von München: (Stuttgart, 1840), 130–48

M.M. von Weber: Carl Maria von Weber: ein Lebensbild (London, 1864–6, abridged 2/1912 by R.
Pechel; Eng. trans., 1865/R)

M. Zenger: Geschichte der Münchener Oper, ed. T. Kroyer (Munich, 1923)

H. Becker, ed.: Giacomo Meyerbeer: Briefwechsel und Tagebücher (Berlin, 1960–85)

J. Warrack: Carl Maria von Weber (London, 1968, 2/1976)

P. Weston: Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past (London, 1971), 114–53

P. Weston More Clarinet: Virtuosi of the Past (London, 1977), 35–8

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