Presents
Jan Baptist Vanhal
Trio in B flat Major for Clarinet, Violin and Cello, Op.10 No.6-New Edition
Jan Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813 also spelled Vanhall, Wanhal, Wanhall) was born in the Bohemian town of Nechanice, then part of the Habsburg Empire. His initial studies were with a local musician, but later he moved to Vienna where he studied violin and composition with Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf. He also learned both the cello and bass and became so proficient that he was able to play the cello part in a quartet which consisted of Dittersdorf on first violin, Haydn on second violin and Mozart on the viola. Vanhal tailored his output to economic realities of the day and composed, as did most of his contemporaries, a huge number of compositions in virtually every genre, including some 70 symphonies and numerous operas. A considerable part of his output was for various chamber ensembles and he is thought to have composed more than 90 string quartets not to mention dozens of other chamber works. Today he is remembered mostly for his double bass concerto, but during his lifetime and for most of the first part of the 19th century, several of his works were quite popular. Mozart frequently performed one of his violin concertos in concert. Along with Haydn, Vanhal’s works influenced and shaped Mozart’s ideas and compositions.
The Trio in B flat Major, Op.10 No.6 is the last of a set of six which was published in Paris around 1775 at which time he was working in Vienna and in Hungary. The trios almost certainly were aimed at the emerging home music making market. That they were quite popular is witness ed by the fact that ten years later, they received a second edition by a major Parisian publisher. In three movements, the style is that of the Mannheim School. In all of the three movements---Allegro con spirito, Andantino and Allegro--- the clarinet is primus inter pares, as was typical for this period when a wind instrument was paired with strings. That said, the violin is generously treated and the cello is given occasional solos as well.
This is a pleasant work, sounding good and easy to play, as such it can be warmly recommended to amateurs and students looking for an effective work to bring to a concert.
Parts: $14.95
Parts & Score: $19.95
