Thaddäus Wolfgang von Dürnitz (1756-1807)
Sonatas for classical bassoon & fortepiano No. 1-6

It has been conjectured that the eighteen-year old Mozart wrote his earliest concerto for wind instruments, the Bassoon Concerto K. 191, to fulfill a commission from Baron Thaddäus von Dürnitz, a wealthy patron for whom Mozart also composed the Duo in B-flat major, K. 292 (K. 196c) for bassoon and cello.
Little is known about Baron Thaddäus Wolfgang von Dürnitz. Born in 1756, the same year as Mozart, he was educated under the Jesuits, after which he completed his military training before becoming chamberlain and Major à la Suite in 1781 to Karl Theodor, Prince-Elector and Duke of Bavaria, in Munich. After his father’s death, Dürnitz took on responsibility for the family estates in the vicinity of Straubing, where he died in 1807. Despite his public office, Dürnitz was not only a passionate music connoisseur, but was also an active musician and composer. It seems that he was not only a distinguished pianist but that he also played bassoon.
The six sonatas for bassoon and fortepiano, written by Baron Dürnitz around 1780, count amongst the earliest works of this genre. The sonatas have two movements and are characterised by a penchant for fast tempi (Allegro). Dürnitz entrusts the musical drive to the pianist, whilst simultaneously offering the bassoonist manifold possibilities to become involved in the musical dialogue with the piano and to exhibit the instrument’s lyrical qualities.