Virtuoso Arrangements

Concerto per Clarino sull'opera I Puritani di Bassi, ADD 28, PP.52.08

In spite of its early composition date, this work remained in a sort of Limbo for nearly four years. On the frontispiece of several of the piano scores of Bassi's compositions is the notice that this was originally performed with the civic band of Milan, which would have likely been orchestrated by its leader, Gustavo Rossari. There has been no trace of the library of Rossari's band, so we don't know if that arrangement had any bearing on Ponchielli's.

One rarely finds one of these virtuosic solo parts copied throughout Ponchielli's band version. Though he does make a number of changes in this one that are not to be found in the published piano version. The most striking occurs in measure 31, where Ponchielli's score calls for a high F instead of the C in the published version.

Another bit of miscellania to be mined from the frontispiece of the piano version is that Bassi was also the clarinet instructor for the Institute for the Blind in Molan.

The solo part is here.

Date on score: Wednesday, July 18, 1865 (7:45)

Performances: S, September 19, 1869, Piazza Garibaldi; S, March 3, 1872, Piazza Cavour; S, April 13, 1873, Piazza Cavour;

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