The concertos of Leopold Hofmann (1738-1793) : a thesis ... University of Auckland

Abstract

The name Leopold Hofmann is most usually associated with the early development of the Viennese symphony and, to the eighteenth-century specialist, the continuation of the church music tradition of Georg Reutter, d.J. However, Hofmann composed prolifically in many other, genres and was also one of the central figures in the early development of the Viennese concerto. Although Hofmann's concertos have fallen into almost unrelieved obscurity, a number of these works reveal Hofmann to have been a concerto composer of considerable ability, one who refined and expanded the pre-classical concerto form of Wagenseil and began to reconcile the concerto with the new stylistic and formal developments being made in the symphony and divertimento. Hofmann wrote solo concertos for harpsichord, organ, flute, oboe, violin and violoncello in addition to several works for two, solo instruments. This thesis presents a detailed introduction to the concertos of Leopold Hofmann, together with a biographical sketch of the composer, an analytical appendix and a thematic catalogue. The possible origins of each type of concerto are discussed in detail and related to other aspects of the composer's work. Since the vast majority of these concertos are totally inaccessible, the writer has included as much music as possible in the main body of the work, in addition to a music supplement in Volume II ,consisting of full scores of eight representative concertos.