The Grand Concerto in F Major for Bassoon and Orchestra was relegated to a place of obscurity until the mid-1950's when Professor Himie Voxman noticed the work in a catalog of manuscripts in the British Museum. Professor Voxman ordered photocopies of the manuscript, and Ronald Tyree edited the manuscript as a part of his doctoral dissertation. Tyree's edition of the Concerto is published by Musica Rara. The precise date of composition is difficult to determine because the autograph has no date or opus number. Because Hummel indicated he was from Vienna when he signed the autograph, Tyree maintains the concerto was written between 1811 and 1816, when Hummel actually lived in Vienna.1 In a Grove's list of Hummel compositions, Sachs indicates the work may be dated about 1805.2

During his life Hummel was a popular composer, however, his early fame resulted from his abilities as a concert pianist. Hummel, an Austrian, was born in Hungary while his father was serving as director of a military music school. His early studies were with his father, however, after the family moved to Vienna, the young Hummel (ages 7-9) was invited to live and study with W. A. Mozart.

By the age of 15, Hummel had developed into one of the leading piano virtuosos of Europe. His skills as an improvisor were second only to those of Beethoven.3 Hummel's success as a piano teacher led to the writing of a book on piano technique (1828) representative of his own refined style.4 He was also a talented conductor and pioneered the development and improvement of international copyright laws.

The Grand Concerto for Bassoon illustrates Hummel's approach to composition as a discipline inspired by the classical principles of his idol, Mozart. The use of trills (to be started on the written note) often adds drama to the arrival of cadences helping in the location of formal divisions.

The first movement (Allegro Moderato) employs sonata allegro form with double exposition (Table 1). The introduction of new thematic material at the beginning of the development is not surprising since this was a favorite compositional device of Mozart. In the recapitulation Hummel presents an abridged version of the primary theme followed by more new material at measure 259. The coda is used as a vehicle for further technical display.

The lyrical, slow movement shows the more serious side of Hummel's personality, and his ability to compose a beautiful lyrical melody. The primary theme of the second movement (Romanza) is cast within a modified sonata allegro form in the key of Bb major (Table 2).

The use of the rondo (Table 3) in the third movement is not surprising since the fantasias, rondo, and variation forms were apparently Hummel's favorites.5 A genuine sense of humor is especially evident in the recurring false return of each refrain. The last false return, and most humorous, seems to indicate that the player cannot remember the refrain. As a last resort, the bassoonist resorts to a chromatic scale to clear the mind and ear for the true recall of the refrain.

Although harmonically conceived and not well suited for development, Hummel's melodies are easily decorated or embellished to create a more interesting entity. Possibly the symmetry inherent in Hummel's themes, along with his elegant style of composition, exemplify the style of piano playing that helped him to become so popular with the nobility of the early nineteenth century.

The rediscovery of this concerto by Professor Voxman provides a welcome edition to the bassoonist's repertoire. Available recordings include those of Jiri Seidl (Supraphon 1110 3386G), Janota (Hungaroton SLPX-12014), John Miller (Cambridge 2818), George Zukerman (Turnabout 34348 or 73002), and Kim Walker (Gallo 30-49).6

2 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie. "Hummel, Johann Nepomuk," by Dr. Joel Sachs, Vol. VIII, p. 786.

3 Nicholas Slonimsky, ed. Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 7th ed. (New York: Schirmer, 1984), p. 1069.

4 Harold Schonberg. The Great Pianists from Mozart to Present (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1963), p. 19.

5 David G. Brock. "Hummel, 1778-1837", Music and Musicians 27 (November, 1978): pg. 16