Martin-Joseph Mengal
Concerto No. 1 for Horn, Op. 20
The Mengal brothers are often confused in the literature: Martin-Joseph Mengal (1784–1851) and his younger brother Jean Mengal (1796–1878) were both distinguished horn players. Jean studied in Paris with the horn player Domnich and won the First Prize at the Paris Conservatoire in 1814, as his brothers had done in 1809. He was principal horn at the Paris Opéra and composed for his instrument. For this reason, not every composition can be attributed with certainty to one brother or the other.
Martin-Joseph Mengal’s “Premier Concerto de Cor à Grand Orchestre” was probably published in Paris around 1815. The title page names Mengal as “1er Cor au Théâtre Royal de l’Opéra-Comique”. The work was not issued by a publisher but was engraved and printed at Mengal’s own expense. Unusually, the solo horn part bears the inscription “Gravé par Caroline Gebauer”. Mengal dedicated the concerto to his father.
According to the title page, the concerto was used as a test piece at the Paris Conservatoire and was performed before the King by Mengal’s brother Jean (Jeune).