Othon Vandenbroek – Symphonie concertante in E-flat major for 2 Solo Horns and Orchestra
Othon Joseph Vandenbroek (often incorrectly called Vandenbrock or Van den Broeck) was born on 20 December 1758 in Ypres (Flanders) and died on 18 October 1832 in Passy (Paris). He probably came from Holland. He was trained by the horn virtuoso Spandau in The Hague, where he was active from about 1770 to 1780. He also studied theory (with Fuchs, the Kapellmeister of the Prince of Orange) and composition (with J. Schmitt).
In 1781 he became a member of the orchestra at the Théâtre français in Maastricht. He seems to have moved to Paris in 1783, as in January 1784 he performed a horn concerto at the Concert Spirituel. At that time the editor of the Mercure still considered him not ready to appear before the Parisian public. By 1788, however, he was impressing audiences as a successful horn virtuoso at the Concerts de la Loge Olympique. His name appears in the records of several orchestras: as principal horn at the Théâtre de la rue Feydeau (1789–1791), later as fourth horn at the Opéra (1793–1816), and as a "1re classe" musician in the Garde Nationale.
In 1795 he became a professor at the Conservatoire de Musique, but gave up this position in 1800 during the "Réforme de l'an VIII". In 1812 he was "attaché à la chapelle de l'Empereur et Roi", and in 1816 he retired.
The present Symphonie concertante for 2 horns bears the following title in the original:
"Premier / Symphonie / concertante / pour deux cors principaux, deux Violons, Alto, / Basse, Bassons, Cors et Hautbois ad libitum. / dédiée / à Monsieur le Chevalier / De Gilede de Lestang / Capitaine au Regiment de Vintinille / par / Othon Vandenbroek"
It was published around 1790 by the Parisian publisher Boyer. The parts show various spellings of the composer's name, such as VanDenBroek or Vandenbroeck. In addition, "ou Floto" appears to have been added later to the oboe parts.
