"The music of Wranitzky was in fashion when it was new because of his natural melodies and brilliant style…I recall that, in my youth, his works held up very well in comparison with those of Haydn. Their premature abandonment of today has been for me a source of astonishment."
—The famous Belgian critic, musicologist, and composer François-Joseph Fetis
Paul Wranitzky (1756-1808) (Pavel Vranický in the Czech form) was born in the town Nová Ríše (then Neureisch) in Moravia. At age 20, like so many other Czech composers of that period, he moved to Vienna to seek out opportunities within the Austrian imperial capital. Wranitzky played a prominent role in the musical life of Vienna. He was on friendly terms and highly respected by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, who preferred him as the conductor of their new works. Wranitzky was, like so many of his contemporaries, a prolific composer. His chamber works number over 100. Although some scholars believe that Wranitzky studied with Haydn, there is no proof of this. But there can be no question that he studied and was influenced by Haydn. Like Haydn, Wranitzky’s writing went through many stages of development, beginning with the pre-classical and evolving to the finished sonata form of the late Vienna Classics. The majority of Wranitzky’s chamber works are set in the three-movement format favored by the Parisians, a style then in vogue.
Sextet No.4 in C Major is the fourth of a set of six dating from 1790 and published by the Vienna firm of Hoffmeister in 1795. The set is actually an arrangement of six symphonies that Wranitzky wrote. This was a common practice at the time, and composers, including Beethoven, made arrangements of their symphonies for chamber ensembles and home use. Often, the symphonies disappeared, but the chamber works survived. It is in four movements. The Haydn-esque opening movement, Allegro moderato, is genial and bright. The second movement employs a technique of which Wranitzky was quite fond. It could actually be styled as two movements in one. It begins with a stately Adagio. When the Adagio appears to bring the movement to an end, it is suddenly interrupted by a very lively and energetic Allegro, which seems quite unrelated to what has come before. No sooner does it peter out than the Adagio returns to conclude affairs. The third movement is a bright Menuetto allegro. A contrasting playful Ländler-like trio section provides a nice contrast. The finale, Allegro non troppo, is a toe-tapping rondo which brings the Sextet to a satisfying close. The work was originally for an ensemble of flute, oboe, violin, 2 violas, and cello, a combination for which composers at the time frequently wrote, while today this combination is rare. Hence, we created a version which replaces the second viola with a second violin part making it more accessible to modern groups.
