Dave Lampson [[log in to unmask]] kindly provide us with a little guide to
opus ones:

>Being a "numbers person" ...

One greets another.

>The works by [...] Crusell [...] standout
>as examples of outstanding first publications.
>CRUSELL           Clarinet Concerto #1, Op. 1  (1810)

Actually, Crusell wrote all his pianoconcertos and thereto other
concertante work and a few songs before 1810.  By then all his works
were printed by Breitkopf and Haertel in Hamburg, and they gave the works
by random the opus numbers 1-15.  From the clarinet concertos I see it
unlikely that "Nr.1, Op.1" was the first written.  The third concerto shows
more "clumsinesses" in the composeing process than nr. 1 or nr. 2.  So I
would on these grounds guess that they were actually written in order nr.3,
nr.1 and nr.2 with some years between them.  Everything under the praemisse
that Crusell undertook and linear development as composer.  But my essence
is: This work might not have been Op.1 if Crusell had got his works
printed in Sweden during the time he was composing those.

But anyway the three clarinet concerts are so charming...not especially
Swedish in style, rather French "Empire" style, even with small touches
and marchrythms in them (notice they were composed during Napoleons time).
Other Crusell works from this time are similar, but as far as I know there
are no commercial recording of those.

Crusell also has a fine output of songs, and in his lifetime he was far
more reknowned for them than the clarinetconcertos.  Most of the songs
were composed after 1820 though.

Mats Norrman
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