Heckelphone / Bass Oboe Repertoire

Excerpt: Compositions for multiple heckelphones

by Peter Hurd; reorganized and amended by Holger Hoos, editor-in-chief since 2020

version 2 (1 February 2022)

This collection is based on the catalogue of musical works requiring heckelphone or bass oboe instrumentation assembled by Peter Hurd beginning in 1998. For this new edition, the original version of the repertoire list has been edited for accuracy, completeness and consistency, and it has been extended with a number of newly discovered pieces.

Some entries could not (yet) be rigorously verified for accuracy; these were included nonetheless, to provide leads for future investigation, but are marked clearly. Pieces were selected for inclusion based solely on the use of heckelphone, bass oboe or lupophone, without any attempt at assessing their artistic merit. Arrangements of pieces not originally intended for these instruments were included when there was clear evidence that they had found a significant audience.

We gratefully acknowledge contributions by Crawford Best, Ulrich Brokamp, Michael Finkelman, Francis Firth, Alain Girard, Thomas Hiniker, Robert Howe, Gunther Joppig, Georg Otto Klapproth, Mark Perchanok, Andrew Shreeves and Michael Sluman.

B · C · H · L · M · R · T

B

Bantock, Granville (1868-1946): The Witches Frolic (arrangement by John McDougall), 2020

Remarks: arrangement for 3 heckelphones; original version for 3 bassoons, 3 violoncelli or 3 double basses, written as incidental music for a Macbeth production in the 1920s and published by Goodwin & Tabb, London

Duration: 2min

Tags: heckelphone; chamber music, arrangement, multiple

Additional information can be found here; a recording is available here.

Beatty, Stephen W. (1938-): Duet for Two Heckelphones, op. 1912, 2020

Duration: 7min

Tags: heckelphone; chamber music, multiple

Additional information can be found here; a recording is available here.

Bondt, Cornelis de (1953-): Dipl’ ereoo, 1990

Publisher: Donemus (1991)

Remarks: for chorus, 2 cors anglais, 2 heckelphones, 2 basset horns, 2 bass clarinets, 4 horns, 2 violoncellos and 2 double basses

Duration: 24min

Tags: heckelphone; chamber music, multiple

Additional information can be found here.

C

Carturan, Carlo (1858 - 1936): Ascendit Deus (arrangement), 2017

Remarks: arrangement for 3 heckephones recorded in 2017 by Chris Bleth, William May and Lara Wickes; original version for 3 equal voices (TTB or SSA) in Secunda anthologia vocalis, op.66

Duration: 1min

Tags: heckelphone; chamber music, arrangement, multiple

Additional information can be found here; a recording is available here.

Chieregato, Manuel (1978-): Sundays - I want my bells to scream! (No. 4, Version A), 2010

Remarks: musical tribute to René Magritte; for tubular bells and 6 mixed instruments (including 2 heckelphones)

Tags: heckelphone; chamber music, multiple

Additional information can be found here.

Chieregato, Manuel (1978-): Carnivals, Suite No. 1, 2013

Remarks: for 23 wind instruments (including 2 heckelphones) and 24 percussionists

Duration: 6min

Tags: heckelphone; chamber music, multiple

Additional information can be found here; a recording is available here.

Cruz, Luis: Heckelphones, 2018

Remarks: for six heckelphones

Duration: 1min

Tags: heckelphone; chamber music, multiple

A recording is available here.

H

Hindemith, Paul (1895-1963): Des kleinen Heckelphonikers Lieblinge (Des kleinen Elektromusikers Lieblinge, Sieben Stücke für drei Trautonien; arrangement by John McDougall), 2020

Publisher: Schott (ED 8510)

Remarks: arrangement for 3 heckelphones; original score 1930, inscribed "Musik der Rundfunkversuchsstelle"; premiere 1930/06/20 at the Musikfest Neue Musik Berlin, Germany

Duration: 10min

Tags: heckelphone; chamber music, arrangement, multiple

Additional information can be found here; a recording is available here.

L

Lorentzen, Bent (1935-2018): Maiden into Bird (Jomfru i fugleham)

Publisher: Edition Wilhelm Hansen, Copenhagen

Remarks: ballet suite for orchestra and tape (2 heckelphones scored); different versions exist

Duration: 15min

Tags: heckelphone; ballet, multiple

Additional information can be found here.

M

McDougall, John (1963-): Voici les Filles Royales!, 2020

Remarks: for 7 heckelphones; mashup of 'Here Come the Girls' by Allen Toussaint & 'La Marche Royale' by Philidor l'Aîné; arranged and performed by John McDougall

Duration: 3min

Tags: heckelphone; chamber music, popular music, arrangement, multiple

A recording is available here.

R

Rønnes, Robert (1959-): Bassoon Concerto, 2005

Remarks: original version, for bassoon, 4 heckelphones and contraforte

Tags: heckelphone; chamber music, multiple

T

Trojahn, Manfred (1949-): Fünfte Sinfonie für großes Orchester, 2004

Publisher: Bärenreiter Verlag (BA 7753-72, rental)

Remarks: scored for 2 heckelphones; premiere on 29 April 2004 in Munich, Germany, by Münchner Philharmoniker under Sylvain Cambreling

Tags: heckelphone; orchestra, multiple

Additional information can be found here.

To suggest additions or corrections to the repertoire list, please contact heckelphone@gmx.net.
All rights reserved by Peter Hurd and Holger H. Hoos, 2022.