The most extensive source of horn music from the first half of the 18th century is a manuscript collection of the Academic Chapel, now held in the University Library of Lund, Sweden. Many of the composers represented in it were connected in one way or another with the Dresden court. The copyist may well have been a horn player who had visited that city.
List of the Horn Concertos in the Lund Collection
The Wenster collection lists 18 concertos for horn. The numbers follow the original numbering of the collection:
No. 1 Schultz – Concerto ex Dis for horn, transverse flute, violin and basso → (ROM 018)
No. 2 Anonymous (Hoffmann) – Concerto ex Dis for horn, 2 oboes and strings → (ROM 013)
No. 3 Quantz (C. G. Fischer?) – Concerto ex Dis for horn and strings
No. 4 Anonymous – Concerto ex Dis for horn, 2 oboes and basso → (ROM 019)
No. 5 Förster – Concerto ex Dis for horn and strings → (ROM 341)
No. 6 Anonymous – Concerto for horn, oboe d’amore and basso → (ROM 020)
No. 7 Graun – Concerto ex D for horn, oboe d’amore and basso → (ROM 181)
No. 8 Graun – Trio ex D for horn, violin and b.c. → (ROM 182)
No. 9 Quantz – Concerto for horn, oboe and strings → (ROM 021)
No. 13 Anonymous (Hampel?) – Concerto ex D for horn and strings → (ROM 184)
No. 14 Röllig – Concerto ex Dis for horn and strings → (ROM 022)
No. 15 Röllig – Concerto ex D for horn and strings → (ROM 023)
No. 16 Graun – Concerto ex D for horn and strings → (ROM 024)
No. 17a Reinhardt – Concerto ex Dis for horn and strings → (ROM 025)
No. 17b Gehra – Concerto ex D for horn and strings → (ROM 026)
No. 14: Johann Georg Roellig (1710–1790)
Concerto ex Dis major for Corno concertato, 2 Violins, Viola and Basso
Only “Roellig” is written in the manuscript. RISM lists Johann Georg Roellig as the composer. Since the composer is to be sought in the Dresden area or in connection with the Dresden court, Johann Georg Roellig is the probable author of this concerto. He was born in Berggießhübel in 1710, attended the Kreuzschule in Dresden and took lessons with Zelenka and Reinhold, financed and supported by Count Brühl. After studying theology in Leipzig, he was also heard there on the organ and cello by Prince Johann August of Anhalt-Zerbst. The prince took Roellig with him to Zerbst, where he became court organist and chamber musician. Later he rose to deputy Kapellmeister and, after Fasch’s death in 1758, was appointed full Kapellmeister in Zerbst.
There is, however, another composer who could be considered: Christian August Roellig was born in Königsbrück near Dresden and was court cantor at the Dresden court chapel from 1730. He is still named in that position in 1741.
