The Basset Horn is essentially the tenor member in the large clarinet family. It is pitched in F and has four extra semitones below the equivalent clarinet range, thus giving the instrument its «basset» or «little bass» character. It is distinguished from the clarinet by its soft, uniquely dark and velvety timbre. From the evidence of the accounts of the many virtuosi who traveled throughout Europe at this time, it is clear that the instrument had a role very much on a par with the clarinet. The Swiss Clarinet Players, with the support of clarinetist Thomas Friedli, present a selection of works by Mozart, Salieri, Pleyel, Vanerovsky and Anonymous, a bouquet from the golden age of the basset horn.