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Think of the great musical institutions of
Vienna and Berlin today, and top of the list
would probably be their orchestras. But
that hasn’t always been the case. Period-
instrument ensemble Boxwood & Brass’s
mission is to recapture the moment when
wind ensembles ruled the roost.

Boxwood
&

Brass

By Robert Percival and
Emily Worthington

oxwood & Brass is a Harmonie, Harmonien became popular in around also played at funerals, processions and
and we play on historical 1780, when the music-loving Austrian weddings, and gave public concerts.
Binstruments, made literally of Emperor Joseph II formed an ensemble There is ample evidence that Harmonien
boxwood and brass. The Harmonie from the finest musicians in Europe, were more than merely a living jukebox,
was an 18th-century wind ensemble, including Mozart’s clarinettist Anton most notably in the music itself. Much of
best known today through a handful of Stadler. It flourished until the 1820s, the repertoire is sophisticated, sometimes
wind serenades and partitas by Mozart, when larger and louder military bands technically exceptionally demanding, and
Beethoven and Krommer, but these took their place. Princes, Electors and certainly intended to be played one-on-a-
pieces are just the tip of the iceberg. Archbishops all employed Harmonien, part – hardly suitable for a lowly band at
Tucked away in libraries, archives, whose size and instrumentation varied the back of a noisy banqueting hall.
monasteries, and private collections according to the local availability of
across Europe are thousands of pieces players. As an example, our recent CD or the nobility of 18th-century
of ‘Harmoniemusik’, most unplayed for project Music for a Prussian Salon, Europe, having a Harmonie was a
two centuries or more, left to moulder includes works for four different Fpublic display of musical culture
in the backs of cupboards, or even combinations of clarinets, horns and and patronage, of power and social status.
walled up, washed over by the turbulent bassoon. Larger ensembles were based Inspired by the example of Emperor
sands of 200 years of central European around pairs of oboes, clarinets, horns, Joseph, courts across Europe used
history. Many of the pieces that now bassoons, double bass or contrabassoon, Harmonien to bring their subjects latest
survive do so only in a single copy, and sometimes supplemented by cors music from Paris, Vienna and Berlin. Court
wind music today still seems to be a anglais, basset horns, trumpet, trombone, musicians became extremely proficient
low priority for digitisation for many serpent or flute. at creating sophisticated arrangements
modern libraries. We are working to for the ensembles in which they played,
revive this repertoire, and raise public odern programme-note not only of opera, but also symphonies,
awareness of the important role that writers often fall back on the oratorios, and even string quartets.
Harmoniemusik played in music history, Mcliché that Harmoniemusik Later, leading players, such as the oboists
through concerts, and resources on our was ‘background music’ for noble Johann Went and Josef Triebensee (both
website. events, but this doesn’t do the ensemble members of the Imperial Harmonie), and
justice. Just like orchestras, Harmonien the clarinettist Wenzal Sedlak, cashed in
www.boxwoodandbrass.co.uk. did play for outdoor events, and on the large volumes of music they had
provide ‘tafelmusik’ (table-music) and created by selling published volumes to
‘nachtmusik’ (night-music), but they the general public.
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