Johann Georg Lickl – Cassation in E-flat Major for Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and Bassoon
The Cassation in E-flat major (scored for the unusual combination of oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon) by Johann Georg Lickl (1769–1843) was long considered lost. It was first printed in Vienna in 1798 by the Eder publishing house.
The work was reviewed in the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung of 1799, on pages 205/206. The reviewer must have been quite taken with it, as he urged Lickl to compose more works of this kind, remarking that "he could earn himself great merit."
It was only around 20 years ago that a complete copy of this print was discovered in a Hungarian library. Editing from early prints, however, is problematic from today's perspective: such compositions were usually printed on commission by the publishers of the time, since — unlike, say, works for piano — they were not expected to sell in large numbers. For cost reasons, proof copies were therefore not made, and as a result these prints contain numerous errors and very few dynamic markings.
Fortunately, a previously overlooked manuscript copy from around 1800 could be consulted for the present edition. It is held at the Bern University of the Arts (Switzerland).
