Sinfonia Concertante in Eb Major, K364 (score & parts) - OB/EH/PN

Sinfonia Concertante in Eb Major, K364
for oboe, English horn, and piano
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)- Austrian composer

arranged by Libby Van Cleve

piano part realized by Neely Bruce

This is the printed music.  To purchase the PDF download, click HERE.

FROM THE ARRANGER

What oboist has not wished that Mozart had left behind more than a single concerto and quartet for our instrument?  With this transcription, we have more sublime music to perform and share with our audiences.  The profound and deeply expressive middle movement could have been written for the oboe and English horn, while the virtuosic outer two movements will dazzle and delight.

The initial inspiration for this edition came from my colleagues in Solisti St. Francis who convinced me to adapt the viola part for English horn.  This was no small task since the viola part was not only written in alto clef, but it was also the written in the key of D, and the violist was asked to tune up a half step.  This, plus the English horn transposition and the occasional need for octave displacement, initially presented quite a challenge.  Nonetheless, once the part was adapted, it was convincing.  There’s little else in the English horn repertoire that demands comparable virtuosity.

In general, both solo instruments play the same notes that Mozart wrote for the string soloists.  Some passages are played an octave lower, and a few passages have been slightly rewritten to accommodate the range of the wind instruments.  Mozart’s score includes relatively few dynamic indications for the two solo parts.  There are quite a few more dynamics in the orchestral parts (which are played by the piano.)  This edition follows Mozart’s approach.  Mozart must have trusted his performers to make informed interpretive decisions with respect to dynamics, an approach shared by this editor.  Tutti passages have been included for the soloists in the first and last movements. Playing the tutti passages is optional.  It is recommended to omit them if playing the solo parts with an orchestra and to play them when performing with piano. This arrangement may be played as is, or each wind player can play in duet with the original string parts (i.e., oboe and viola; violin and English horn).  Another convincing combination is flute and English horn.   

Many thanks to my Oboedacious colleagues, Kirsten Lipkens and Neely Bruce, who worked closely with me on the present adaptation.  Not only did Neely Bruce realize the piano part, but his keen composer’s ear was of invaluable help to me as I transcribed the wind parts. Kirsten Lipkens’s generous spirit and excellent musicianship helped me make the English horn part a little friendlier.  T.D. Ellis was the one who first urged me to transcribe the piece for oboe and English horn.  For this -- and all his work to publish repertoire for our instruments -- I am grateful.  I would also like to thank Basil Reeve whose generosity in sharing his astonishingly perceptive insights benefited me greatly – and continue to do so!  This edition is dedicated to my student, friend, and faithful scribe David Westmoreland.

Libby Van Cleve

January, 2025