Franz Anton Hoffmeister ( 1754 - 1812)

2 Concertos E major for 2 horns and orchestra and Romance for 3 horns and orchestra Hoffmeister arrived in Vienna 1768 where he began to study law. After finishing his studies, he lived only for music. He became one of the first well-known music publishers in Vienna and later in Leipzig. He was the main publisher of Mozart. They were close friends in music and private sphere. On January 24th 1784, he founded his music publishers. In 1798, he planned a concert tourneys to London together with the flute player Franz Thurner. However, Hoffmeister stayed in Leipzig and founded together with the organist Ambrosius Kühnel the "Bureau de musique".

Beside his own works Hoffmeister published  a large number of compositions from well known contemporaries like Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Pleyel, Dittersdorf, Vanhal, Abrechtsberger, Teyber, Mederitsch and others. The works of Beethoven (op. 19-22, 39-42, 44, 65 and some small pieces) were published mainly in Leipzig by him. In 1807, Hoffmeister finished working in his business and composed only a few times in the last years.  His honesty and his true character was praised by his contemporaries.  Hoffmeister belongs to the numerous composers who worked beside the Viennese Masters and pleased the audience often much more than those.  The appreciation of the contemporaries was out of question.These two concertos belong to the estate of Franz Zwirzina, who was one of the musicians of the famous horn playing family, working at the court Öttingen-Wallerstein. On the occasion of this family composers like Rosetti, Amon and Witt composed concertos for two horns.

• Concerto No.1 E major for 2 horns and orchestra

note range of the horn part

Horns in E

first side of the 1. horn part as Adobe Acrobat pdf-file

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• Concerto No.2 E major for 2 horns and orchestra

note range of the horns parts

Hörner in E

first side of the 1.horn part as Adobe Acrobat pdf-file

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• Romance for 3 Horns and Orchestra 

Romance

per

tre Corni Principale

due Violini,

due Oboe

due Corni

Viola 

e

Basso

del Sign: Hoffmeister

This small piece is kept to Meiningen in the archive of the former court chapel. The Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung 1811 reports that the hornist Göpferts and Domnich were deployed in Meiningen. Both were masters of her subject. Domnich is described as the player of the French horn " ...who cannot be surpassed well easily." His brother was also an excellent hornist, composer and teacher at the Parisian Conservatoire. Finally, there are also horn compositions of Göpfert . 

Whether these hornists played the music of Hoffmeister is probable, but can not be proved. It can also only be suspected whether the the Romance was a middle section of a concert for 3 horns . The copy of music does not say anything about this, but is received completely. The music is a wonderful addition to the horn literature as well as a charming "rediscovery" in any case .  

• Romance for 3 Horns and Orchestra 

note range of the horns parts

Horns in E

first side of the score as Adobe Acrobat pdf-file

You can order in the online shop - click here