Wind Ensembles

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.

Trio, Hob. XV:25 ‘Gypsy’, by Franz Joseph Haydn

arranged for Woodwind Quartet by John W. Pratt

Score and Parts for Flute, Oboe, B♭-Clarinet, and Bassoon; plus, an alternative A-Clarinet part; PDF $16.97

Short summary adapted by NSM from John W. Pratt’s foreword to the edition: The trios Hob. XV: 24-26 were, in Robbins Landon’s account (Haydn, Indiana, 1976), probably the last works Haydn delivered to his publishers before he left England in 1795.  They were written for strong amateur pianists and weak string players, and although the string parts are essential for their effects on sonority, they are not terribly interesting. Such a scenario lends itself beautifully to arrangement of these piano trios for wind quartet.

Haydn labeled the finale of Hob. XV: 25 "in the Gypsies' style", and the trio became an enormous favorite. In the key of G, it opens with a particularly lovely slow movement having alternating minor and major variations.  The third variation is in the relative minor (e), anticipating the key, E major, of the even slower, but subtle and melodically rich, second movement. This retardation heightens the effect of the famous finale.

We have provided alternative parts for clarinet in B-flat and in clarinet in A.  Some players may wish to use the A-clarinet only in the second movement, for the sake of the friendlier key signature and perhaps also for sound, depending on the instrument.

Click to listen to computer-generated audio samples from the score; audio clips from movements I (m42-48, m72-78), II (m57-63), and III (168-190) are separated by brief pauses. 

Score in concert pitch, 17 pages; Flute part, 6 pages; Oboe part, 4 pages; B♭-Clarinet part, 6 pages; Bassoon part, 4 pages; alternative part for A-Clarinet, 6 pages; Total, 56 pages.

Trip to Nahant, by James Hewitt

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

Flute Part, Bb Clarinet Part, alternate A Clarinet Part, and Score ― PDF $5.99

James Hewitt (1770-1827) moved from London to New York in 1792 and was active in both New York and Boston as a composer, arranger, music publisher, performer, teacher, and orchestra conductor.  In Hewitt's time, Nahant was an island connected to the mainland by a sandbar submerged at high tide, now a causeway.  It was a popular, cool place for day trips from Boston and later became a fashionable summer resort.

Hewitt's Trip to Nahant, a favorite Rondo (1811) was written for keyboard, and is typical of American music of the period.  It is charming, light in texture and subject, and well suited to arrangement for flute and clarinet. (adapted from JWP's foreword to the edition) We provide parts for Flute and Clarinet in Bb, along with an alternative part for Clarinet in A and a Score in concert pitch.  

Flute part, 2 pages; Bb Clarinet part, 2 pages; alternate A Clarinet part, 2 pages; Score, 4 pages; Total, 16 pages. 

Sonata in D minor, Op.50, Duo 3, by Franz Anton Hoffmeister

Duet transcribed for Flute and Bb Clarinet

Score and Parts, PDF $11.25

Noteworthy Sheet Music published an edition of the Sonata in D minor, Duo 3 from Hoffmeister's Trois Duos pour Deux Flûtes, Op.50, after being contacted by flutist Richard A. Evans. Years ago, Mr. Evans had located several editions of 18th and 19th century flute duets, long since out of print, at the Library of Congress. Finding them quite enjoyable to play, and believing them undeserving of their current obscurity, he and his music colleague Bronnie Stroud took the initiative of re-typesetting and editing the pieces using a modern music notation software program. Aware of the paucity of repertoire available for flute and clarinet duo, and realizing these pieces would work nicely for that instrument pair as well, he also transcribed the second flute parts for Bb clarinet. We at NSM agreed that these works should be made more readily available to present-day musicians and audiences, and we published them after making only minor stylistic and formatting revisions to Mr. Evans' scores and parts; the articulation and dynamic markings are those suggested by Mr. Evans.

Score, 15 pages; Flute part, 8 pages; Bb Clarinet part 8 pages; Total, 34 pages.

Danzas Mecánicas, by Peter Van Zandt Lane

Contemporary Composition for Wind Quintet, PDF $30.00

Peter Van Zandt Lane is a Boston-based composer and bassoonist.  His compositions have been performed across the United States, as well as in Europe and South America, by acclaimed musicians and ensembles such as The Cleveland Orchestra, SIGNAL, International Contemporary Ensemble, Dinosaur Annex, New York Virtuoso Singers, Triton Brass, Xanthos Ensemble, East Coast Composers Ensemble, EAR Duo, Quux Collective, and NotaRiotous.  He has written for chamber ensemble, wind ensemble, orchestra, and choir, and often employs the use of electronics in his works.

Lane's Danzas Mecánicas - for woodwind quintet (2011) is an exciting 3-movement, 10-minute piece of fairly high difficulty scored for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon.  A recording of the piece performed by the Solar Winds Quintet at Slosberg Hall, Brandeis University, in October, 2013 can be heard on YouTube.

Score, 26 pages; Parts, 49 pages; Total, 78 pages.