Heckelphone
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Music for heckelphone
From Richard Strauss and Paul Hindemith to Graham Waterhouse and Paul Winter, many composers have written,
and continue to write, for the heckelphone.
Since May 2020, I've been working with noted heckelphone player and scholar, Peter Hurd, on a new edition
of his extensive repertoire collection for heckelphone and bass oboe.
In December 2020, our first revised and extended edition has been completed, which contains all pieces
for heckelphone, bass oboe and lupophone we have been able to find (or find evidence of), with links to
recordings whenever they could be located. Of course, I am quite certain that this list, extensive though it is,
is far from complete. Please let us know if you know of any pieces that are missing, or if you find any incorrect
information.
Heckelphone / bass oboe repertoire
Some well-known or noteworthy compositions for heckelphone:
- Richard Strauss: Salome (1905; prominent use, e.g., in the Dance of the Seven Veils), Elektra (1909), Festliches Präludium (1913), Josephslegende (1914), Eine Alpensinfonie (1915);
further information on Strauss's use of the heckelphone can be found here
- Frederick Delius: Eine Messe des Lebens (1905), Songs of Sunset (1906/1907), A Dance Rhapsody (1908), Fennimore und Gerda (1910)
- although the parts are labelled "bass oboe", it is now quite certain that Delius intended them to be played on
the heckelphone (see Klapproth 2008 and my blog post from 2020/05/02)
- Max von Schillings: Der Moloch (1906), Mona Lisa (1915)
- Paul Hindemith: Trio for Viola, Heckelphone and Piano, op.47 (1928)
- Hans Mielenz: Concerto für Heckelphon und Orchester, op.60 (1959)
- Paul Winter: Prayer for the Wild Things (1994)
- Graham Waterhouse: Vier Epigraphe nach Escher,
for Viola, Heckelphone and Piano, op.35 (1995)
- Samuel Andreyev: PHP for heckelphone and two pianos (2003 / revised 2011)
Recordings:
- Many recordings of Salome and Elektra by Richard Strauss
(the heckelphone features prominently in the Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome;
a nice video related to this can be found here).
- Many recordings of Paul Hindemith's trio (although this is sometimes performed with tenor saxophone instead of heckelphone).
- Paul Winter: Prayer for the Wild Things
(especially "Buffalo Prairie", wonderfully played by Mark Perchanok).
- Oho - a collection of pieces adapted for heckelphone/oboe and organ (featuring Albrecht Bode on heckelphone and oboe,
available on Apple Music);
this contains an excellent version of Alexandre Tansman's Sonatine for Bassoon and Piano.
- "Arthur Grossman plays Heckelphone", a CD produced by (but sadly no longer available from) the Heckel company;
contains adaptations of 3 Gymnopédies by Erik Satie, Habanera by Maurice Ravel, Pan and Bacchus by Benjamin Britten,
3 Romances op.94 by Robert Schumann, as well as Solo de Concert #2 op.74 and Souvenir of Old Quebec by Stanislas Verroust
(featuring bassoonist Arthur Grossman, accompanied by Lisa Bergman on piano). It's a real pity that this album is now difficult to get
(I found mine on Amazon, at an exorbitant price).
- "Wolfgang Schottstädt spielt Trio für Heckelphon und andere Heckelphonwerke", a CD produced by and available
from the Heckel company that, in addition to the Hindemith trio, contains adaptations of the "Petit Quatuor" by Jean Françaix
and "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Modest Mussorgsky in adaptations for doublereed ensemble, prominently featuring
the heckelphone, as well as a heckelphone version of the Rigoletto fantasy by Giovanni Daelli (originally for oboe and piano),
all arranged by prominent heckelphonist, Wolfgang Schottstädt.
- "Venezianische Träume" by Matthias Bonitz, a CD produced by (and available from) the Heckel company on the occasion of
the centenary of the invention of the heckelphone; this album contains three contemporary pieces for heckelphone
based on texts by Rilke, Goethe and Hesse (featuring oboist Hans-Theo Heinrichs playing heckelphone #5006).
- Robert Schumann: Romance No.3, op.94 (played by Arthur Grossman
on heckelphone).
Film music / soundtracks
The heckelphone is also used in film music, including
the soundtracks for: