commentary to opus 27a

Concertino for Bassett Horn and String Orchestra, op. 27a (1964)

I. Prologue

II. Concerto

III. Epilogue

Duration: 15 Minutes

Publisher: N. Simrock Hamburg-London (Boosey & Hawkes)
piano score and solo part: ISMN 979-0-2211-2071-7

The french folksongs:

Bertold Hummel composed the Concertino for Bassett Horn and Strings in 1964. The piece takes its particular character from the use of French folk melodies in settings combined with original thematic material. In the first movement - Prologue - the solo instrument appears mainly declaiming in quasi recitative. The Concerto, the 2nd movement, takes its orientation from the literal meaning of "concertare" = "compete", letting the soloist and strings in "competing" come together to form a higher unity. The short Epilogue is a fading away in a strict alternation of Bassett Horn and strings.