Jan Neruda

Concerto in E Flat Major

Jan Krtitel Jiri Neruda - his forenames mean John the Baptist George - received his education in Prague and for a time played the violin in a theater orchestra there, as did his elder brother by about two years Jan Chrysostomus (who took Premonstrate orders in 1726, and lived until his death in 1763 in Strahov Abbey). After a period which was filled with concert tours, Neruda was taken on as a violinist in 1750 in the renowned Dresden court orchestra. Later he became concertmaster, and in 1772 he retired. His compositions include church music, an opera Les Troqueurs, 18 symphonies, 14 instrumental concertos, and several trio sonatas. This Concerto in E flat for horn displays the breath-taking range from c' ' to g' '' (sounding pitch: e' flat to b''flat). It has, then, more or less the same range as Joseph Haydn's trumpet concerto, although to be sure the latter piece descends further (to sounding b flat). Therefore, Neruda's concerto is eminently suited for performance as a trumpet concerto and has already been accepted as such into the repertoire.