Wind Quintet, Op. 2, No. 1

Henri Brod (1799-1838) was a highly distinguished French oboist, teacher, composer and instrument maker. He entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 12 and graduated with distinction at 20, with first prize. Brod studied composition with Anton Reicha and oboe with August Gustave Vogt (1781-1870), who was the oboist in the wind quintet for whom Reicha wrote his works. Brod shared the oboe desk with his teacher at the Opera and Conservatoire concerts. (The never-dull music critic Fétis found Brods tone sweeter than that of his teacher.) From 1932 he was appointed the second in a line of professors of oboe at the Paris Conservatoire and was awarded the Legion dHonneur in 1838.

Ferdinand Thieriot (1839-1919) was a North German composer, teacher, and choral conductor who worked in several cities, including Hamburg, Leipzig, and Graz. He was a pupil of Brahms teacher, Eduard Marxsen (1806-1887) in Hamburg and also Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901) in Munich. Thieriots primary instrument was the cello, and he performed as a soloist and was a member of several prominent string quartets. Theiriot received one of his positions, Artistic Director of the Musikverein in Graz (1870-1885), based in part on the recommendation of Brahms.