Brod: Three Woodwind Quintets

Henri Brod (1799–1839) was a French oboist, instrument-maker, and composer active throughout the early nineteenth century. He studied oboe under Gustave Vogt at the Paris Conservatory, ultimately becoming teacher there himself in 1832. He also played second oboe next to Vogt at the Paris Opéra, where Fétis found Brod’s tone sweeter than that of his teacher. Brod became interested in the construction of the oboe and was perhaps the first builder to add octave keys to the instrument. His Méthode pour le hautbois (Paris, 1835–36) provides valuable technical information concerning the oboe and remains a useful resource for modern players. Brod’s three woodwind quintets most likely date from the second decade of the nineteenth century and were printed by two separate publishers, Pacini and Schonenberger, both of Paris. All three quintets feature a four-movement format: a longer first movement in sonata form, a slow movement, a minuet, and a quick-tempo finale. As a whole, the quintets form a nice complement to those of Danzi, Reicha, and somewhat later, Franz Lachner. Brod remains the only actual woodwind player among these early composers of wind quintets. While not very well known today, Brod’s contributions to the wind quintet literature are significant and worthy of greater attention; this is particularly true in view of the paucity of wind quintets throughout the nineteenth century. It is to be hoped that through this critical edition, Brod’s importance to the early development of the wind quintet will be recognized and his beautiful works heard more often.