Biography
Carl Baermann (24 October 1810 – 23 May 1885) was a clarinetist and composer from Munich, Germany.
He was the son of noted clarinet virtuoso Heinrich Baermann and Helene Harlas. As a child he was taught the clarinet and the basset-horn by his father. He played occasionally in the Munich court orchestra when he was 14 years old, and was appointed its second clarinetist in 1832.[1] When his father retired in 1834, Carl succeeded his father as principal clarinetist. He held that position until he retired in 1880.[2]
He toured Europe with his father in 1827, 1832 and 1838. In 1833 they premiered Felix Mendelssohn's Konzert Stücke, Opp. 113 & 114, (Concert Pieces) to great acclaim. Carl Baermann's compositions, 88 opus numbers, were popular with clarinet virtuosos.
Baermann developed the Baermann-Ottensteiner key system for the clarinet, which was based on the Müller system. The system was very popular during the late 19th century, partly because of Baermann's Vollständige Clarinett-Schule (Complete School for the Clarinet), one of the leading methods for teaching the clarinet, written between 1864 and 1875.
