Hofmann, Leopold (1738-1793)

Leopold Hofmann's Concerto C4 in C has the distinction of being an organ concerto that is preserved exclusively as a work for harpsichord. Although none of the extant copies specifically identifies C4 as an organ concerto, the restricted upper range of the solo part suggests that the work may have been conceived originally for the organ or was at least intended to be suitable for performance on that instrument. The earliest reference to the work is in Breitkopf Supplement IV1769 where it is listed alongside Concerto D1: it was certainly composed before this date and the retransitional function of Ritornello III in the first movement possibly indicates a relatively early date of composition in spite of some of the work’s more progressive aspects. The instrumentation of Concerto C4 is unusual in that the auxiliary parts are assigned in some sources to trumpets (clarini) and in others to horns.