Martin-Joseph Mengal
(1784–1851)
Concerto No. 2 in E major for Horn and Orchestra
First edition
For more on the life of Martin-Joseph Mengal, see french-horn.net.
Martin-Joseph Mengal composed several works for horn and orchestra. His “Premier Concerto de Cor à Grand Orchestre”, Op. 20, was printed in Paris around 1815 and was newly edited in 2020 as ROM 401.
The library of the conservatoire in Ghent (Belgium) holds manuscript copies of the parts for the present concerto. There it is titled “Concerto de Cor par Mengal fils”, without a number. The wind parts, however, are headed “1er Concerto de Cor par J: Mengal ainé”. The first title probably distinguishes Mengal from his father, the heading on the wind parts from his younger brother Jean.
Mengal planned a Concerto No. 3, which was later printed as a Solo for horn and orchestra. The present work, published here for the first time, has therefore been classified as Concerto No. 2.
The exact date of composition cannot be determined for lack of sources, but the concerto must have been written around or after 1815. It is notable for having no slow middle movement and for its comparatively long duration of almost 30 minutes. This unusual design may be one reason why it was not printed at the time.