Johannes (Matthias) Sperger (1750–1812)
5 Divertimenti for 2 Oboes, 2 Horns and Bassoon (SWV D I/13–17)
Third Series – First Edition
The 5 Divertimenti presented here in print for the first time come from Sperger's extensive estate, which is now preserved in the music collection of the Landesbibliothek Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (State Library of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania).
The fact that these 5 pieces belong together was established through paper comparison. They were composed around 1780 and were probably conceived as open-air music for the park of the Archbishop's summer residence in Pressburg (today Bratislava). Divertimento D I/12 of the Second Series (ROM 283) survives in a second copy in the Hungarian National Library in Budapest, where it forms a unit with Divertimenti D I/13–17.
The works have been numbered according to Adolf Meier's thematic catalogue of Sperger's works (Michaelstein/Blankenburg 1990).
In the autograph, the individual works bear neither a title nor a common heading. Two oboes are always specified; however, in his catalogue Sperger notes “Clarinetto Parthia oder Oboe Parthia”, so 2 clarinets are also possible as an alternative. In this edition, the term “Partie” has been replaced by “Divertimento” as the designation for the works.
