Reicha, Joseph - Parthia in F for 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 3 Horns and 2 bassoons (4°490)

Joseph Reicha

was born 12 February 1752 in Chudenice near Klattau (west bohemia) and studied cello in Prague. He got an employment playing the first cello at the court chapel of Wallerstein in 1774. Six years later, he even became chapel-master.  In 1781, he took his nephew Anton Reicha (1770-1836) to him and taught him several instruments as well as probably composition. 
That Prince Kraft Ernst estimated Joseph Reicha can be proved by the fact that he got 750 Gulden, twice as much as the other musicians earned. Nevertheless, Reicha left the chapel in 1785 for an employment of Maximilian Franz, archbishop from Cologne. Short time later, he became concert master of the court chapel in Bonn earning 1000 Gulden. Famous musician like his nephew Anton, playing violin and flute, and the young Beethoven, viola, belonged also to this orchestra. 
In 1790, Joseph Reicha got ill because of gout and died 5 March 1795 in Bonn.
 The main time of composition was at Wallerstein. Within these eleven years, he composed symphonies, solo concerti and chamber music.

Parthia in F  for 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 3 Horns and 2 Bassoons

The presented Parthia in F was composed 1783 in Wallerstein. The choice of three horns and the thematic work of the music near hunting-music was used to illustrate the court hunting also with the court music. The part of the third horn is the most remarkable one because it opens the music with an hunting signal as well as it consists of notes in the deep register which do not belong to the natural notes. These specialities of the third horn part can be a proof for the assumption, that Franz Zwierzina played this horn part. As it can be seen by this example, the seconde horn player could be also a soloist at that time.

The edition in this instrumentation is based on the autograph, set in score, of the Court Library Wallerstein, today kept in the University Library Augsburg with the signature HR III 4 1/2 4°490. There exists additional parts for violone and two flutes. The flute parts were composed later in order to employ the new flutists. The violone plays the same as the basso (second Bassoon)

1. mov. Allegro