Noteworthy Sheet Music, LLC

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.

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.