Concerto for 2 Horns and Orchestra Eb major (RWV C57)
In our days, the life work of the bassist, composer and chapel master Antonio Rosetti (1750 - 1792) and his influence on music of the late 18th century is underestimated. Rosetti himself wrote to his prince Kraft Ernst of Öttingen-Wallerstein from his visit in Paris 1782 about the concert life of Paris: "They listen only to symphonies of Haydn and, if I may say, of Rosetti - and sometimes of Ditters." ("Sinfonien hört man keine alß von Haydn und - /: wenn ich´s sagen darf :/ von Rosetti! - hin und wieder noch Ditters.") The early dates of Rosettis biography are not clear. He was born in Leitmeritz/Bohemia. The name Anton Rösler is not proofed. Even today, some librarians call him against better knowledge Franz, although this is never proofed. He signed as Antonio Rosetti, was famous and loved and successful. However, we do not know since when he called himself this way. Sometime between his education in Prague and his employment in Wallerstein.
At this court, Rosetti got to know to excellent horn players like Johann Türrschmidt (1725 - 1800) and his son Carl Türrschmidt (1753 - 1797), Johann Georg Nisle (1731 - 1788) and of course Joseph Nagel (1751 - 1802) and Franz Anton Zwierzina (1751 - 1825). But he had also connections to Giovanni Punto and Franz Lang, for whom he had also composed.
The results: 23 concerti for one or two solo horns. By this unique achievement he found a model for the horn concerto that is: Romance in the middle and 6/8 Rondo movement. This was no doubt also the model for Mozart's horn compositions.
The discussed concerto's source state is dream as well as nightmare for every editor. There exsist five sources but no autograph. The present edition is based on the following four sources:
· the only print of a double horn concerto of Rosetti by Sieber in Paris around 1786
· Copy at the Collectionr Zwierzina/Wallerstein (III 4 ½ 2° 433)
· Copy at Stift Melk /Österreich (IV N 341)
· Copy at the Collection of the Mozarteum/ Salzburg (423c)
Every copy is different. The print of Sieber is even in E and not in E flat major. The new edition is oriented to come closest the the original version. However, in the third movement from bar 103 on, there could be no decision made between the several codas. Every coda seems original possible. Therefore all four versions are printed. In addition, the coda of the Sieber version is similiar to the coda of the horn concerto C 49.
Every copy has its own speciality. The copy from Wallerstein does not have the cadence in the first movement. The copy in Salzburg was made by the hornist Johann Michael Mayr, who changed the solo part according to his facilities. This is also the reason for the two beginning bars of the second movement, which are only written in this copy. The orchestra tutti should made the first tone of corno primo easier, which is a stopped f''. The copy of Melk was once attributed to Mozart, although the copist wrote at the bass part the composer's name Rosetti. The instrumentation is also different. The copy of Wallerstein has also parts for oboe and the copy of Melk has a viola part, made from the first solo horn.
That this work was very popular is proofed by this large number of copies. However, the concerto seems not to be written for the horn players Nagel and Zwierzina. It is known, that 1780 Palsa and Türrschmidt already played a double horn concerto of Rosetti in different cities. The horn concerto C 49 was dedicated to Türrschmidt. The mentioned coda is similiar to this concerto. Another aspect for earlier dating is the instrumentation of flutes and the lacking second viola part which was typical for Wallerstein.
In the appendix, there are two cadenca of the first movement of the copies from Melk and Salzburg. They show two possible ways of the style, that was played at that time and what is possible with the natural horn.