Der Barbier von Sevilla, Act 1, Part 1 - Sax Quartet SATB

Dating back to circa 1770, Harmoniemusik (music for wind instruments) was originally conceived for wind orchestras. Scored for wood and brass instruments, it was mainly performed at open-air concerts and as Tafelmusik (table music). The standard instrumentation used to include pairs of oboes, clarinets, horns and bassoons forming a wind octet; the ensemble was often complemented by additional bass instruments such as a double bassoon, a double bass or further wind instruments.

Mostly, it was the composers themselves who arranged their works for wind instruments. This does not hold true for the original Barber of Seville Harmoniemusik. It was written by the clarinetist Wenzel Sedlak. The version on hand takes up Harmoniemusik tradition and transposes the magnificent melodies of this opera into a contemporary musical setting via saxophone quartet.