Bob Vos

Concertino

Bob Vos (1910-1963) was a Dutch composer who studied composition with Henk Badings at the Brussels Conservatory from 1957. Unfortunately, little is known about his early years, but his work shows a clear development towards a more modern, sometimes experimental sound language.

Vos wrote three well-known works for wind orchestra: the Concertino for E flat clarinet and wind orchestra (1961), Hymne 1962 (1962) and the Suite for wind orchestra (1963). The latter work was commissioned by the then Ministry of Education, Arts and Sciences, not least because of the positive reviews of the Concertino for E-flat clarinet and wind orchestra. The premiere of the Concertino for E-flat Clarinet and Wind Orchestra took place on October 11, 1961 in the Municipal Concert Hall in Haarlem. The work was performed by the Marinierskapelle of the Royal Dutch Navy under the direction of Henk van Lijnschooten, with G. H. Smit as soloist. Both the composer and his teacher Henk Badings were present at this premiere.

A contemporary reviewer noted that the music had stylistic affinities with that of Badings, but that Vos' approach was somewhat more fragmentary - a search for a connection to a more modern tonal language with influences from serial music. Although the accompaniment was described as powerful, the work was received with great enthusiasm. The composer, soloist and orchestra received standing ovations, making the Concertino for E-flat clarinet and wind orchestra a particularly successful premiere.