Wind Ensembles

Elegy, Op.44, by Alexander Glazunov

Transcribed for Bb Clarinet (and Piano) by John W. Pratt

Clarinet Part — PDF $3.99

Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov (b. St. Petersburg, 1865; d. Paris, 1936) was a major composer in the late Russian romantic tradition. His Elegy, Op.44, was written for viola and piano in 1893, and has been transcribed by John W. Pratt for Bb clarinet. The piece is about 6 minutes long, elegiac but not lugubrious. It consists of a lovely melody in 9/8 enhanced by a simple but warm piano accompaniment. The viola melody is readily transcribed for other instruments, since it is without double stops. The piano part is freely available at IMSLP.org.

Clarinet part, 2 pages; Total, 6 pages.

Early Sonatas, by Franz Joseph Haydn

Arranged as Woodwind Duets by John W. Pratt (originally for keyboard)

Even the earliest of Franz Joseph Haydn’s keyboard sonatas have great rhythmic variety and vitality, and are delightful when played with verve. They are mostly in two voices, and even where not, their early classical harmonies are easily conveyed by two instruments. They incorporate few pianistic effects and lie comfortably within range for flute or oboe and bassoon or clarinet, and thus make natural woodwind duets of lively, interesting music. All these editions include a score and parts.  Those wishing to consult the keyboard editions of the Haydn sonatas, from which Mr. Pratt created his arrangements, can find them at imslp.org.  (Adapted from J. W. Pratt’s preface to the edition.)

Cover image “Decorations of the Sala Terrena, Eszterházy Palace in Fertőd, Hungary“ by Monyesz, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

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This edition includes seven of Haydn's early keyboard sonatas arranged as duets for flute and bassoon. John Pratt's creation of these duets was inspired by a desire to offer two of his music colleagues some new music to enjoy, as they had exhausted their available flute and bassoon duo repertoire. These duets work nicely for winds and are fun to play.  For a sense of how they sound when played by flute and bassoon, click below to listen to a computer-generated audio excerpt: the first 45” of the recording come from the Andante of Sonata 5 (Hob. XVI:11), followed by 25” of the Sonata 6 (Hob. XVI:10) Presto.  Alternatively, the flute part can be played on oboe, making these sonata arrangements nicely amenable to oboe and bassoon duos as well.

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►Early Haydn Sonatas arranged by John W. Pratt as Duets for Flute and B

Fantasia in C major, by F. J. Haydn

Arranged as a Duet for Flute and Clarinet by John W. Pratt

Flute Part, A Clarinet Part, and Mini-Score ― PDF $12.99

Fantasia in C major (Op.58; Hob. XVII:4) was written by Haydn in 1789 for the pianoforte.  Based on a folk song about a farmer's wife chasing her cat, one can easily imagine in the music kittenish scampering, stealthy approaches, unexpected pounces, and mad chases with abrupt changes of direction.   The style and playfulness of the piece lend themselves well to flute and clarinet.  The transcription is able to capture the feel Haydn intended, with new coloring, while at the same time affording flutists and clarinetists the joy of experiencing the work first-hand. (adapted from JWP's foreword to the edition)

Flute part, 6 pages; Clarinet in A part, 6 pages; Mini-score in concert pitch, 6 pages; Total, 24 pages.

Quartet, Op.1, No.1, by Franz Joseph Haydn

Arranged for Clarinet Quartet by John W. Pratt (originally for strings)

Score and Parts for Bb-Clarinet-1, Bb-Clarinet-2, Bb-Clarinet-3 or Eb-Alto Clarinet, and Bass Clarinet, PDF $15.99

The earliest quartets of Franz Joseph Haydn are not precursors of the later works wherein he developed the form and style of the classical string quartet, but rather divertimenti written for four friends when he was about 25.  Most of these early works have five movements: fast, minuet/trio, slow, minuet/trio, fast; and their slow movements feature beautiful, elaborate, gently accompanied melodies.  The divertimento style and instrumental character of these early pieces does not evoke strings specifically or necessarily, and thus arrangement for other instruments is natural and might expand enjoyment of these wonderful first significant Haydn works to other players and audiences.  In this arrangement of Haydn’s Op.1, No.1 (Hob.III:1) by John Pratt, transposition down a step suits the timbre of clarinets, leaving most notes within range and requiring minimal modification.  This lovely, effective arrangement is for a clarinet quartet consisting of either three Bb-clarinets and bass clarinet or two Bb-clarinets, Eb-alto clarinet, and bass clarinet.

Score, 11 pages; Parts for Bb-Clarinet-1, 5 pages; Bb-Clarinet-2, 6 pages; Bb-Clarinet-3, 6 pages; alternative Eb-Alto Clarinet, 6 pages; and Bass Clarinet, 5 pages; Total, 50 pages. 

Trio, Hob. XV:18, by Franz Joseph Haydn

transposed to B-flat major and arranged for Woodwind Quartet by John W. Pratt

Score and Parts for Flute, Oboe, B-flat Clarinet, and Bassoon; PDF $20.97

As noted in the arranger’s forward to the edition, the later piano trios of Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) are superb music, but because they were written for excellent pianists and weak string players, they are dominated by the piano part. This imbalance among the parts actually makes the trios highly amenable to and effective in arrangement for woodwind quartet. Written after Haydn’s first visit to London, the Piano Trio in A major, Hob. XV:18, was first published in 1794. The first of its three movements, a flowing Allegro moderato, is unified by ingenious use of the three-note motif opening its cantabile main theme. The lovely middle Andante, in ABA form and 6/8 meter, features some luxurious ornamentation and proceeds attacca to the spirited and humorous Allegro finale. The resources of a woodwind quartet are well suited to the musical ideas of this trio, and the arrangement adapts Haydn’s piano, violin, and cello lines wonderfully to the range and sonority of the instruments used: flute, oboe, B-flat clarinet, and bassoon. This adaptation is facilitated by transposition from Haydn’s original key of A major to B-flat major. We provide parts plus a score in concert pitch.

Click to listen to computer-generated audio samples from the score; audio clips from movements I (m44.4 - m64.3), II (m0 - m4.5 & m49.6 - m54.5), and III (m36.2.2 - m48) are separated by brief pauses.

Score in concert pitch, 21 pages; Flute part, 8 pages; Oboe part, 6 pages; B♭-Clarinet part, 5 pages; Bassoon part, 5 pages; Total, 52 pages.