Concerto in F Major

Jan Michal Hataš became in 1770 cantor and rector in nearby Mníšek pod Brdy and died there at the early age of 32. The surviving works of Hataš include mostly religious choral works, but also parthias for wind ensemble, and this viola concerto.

The viola concerto exists as a manuscript copy by Josef Antonín Seydl (1775-1837), a dean, historian, and violinist from Beroun. The cover page reads “Concerto in F a Violetta di Alto Principale, Due Violini, Violetta de Alto Seconda, Due Corni di Caccia in F, con Basso del Sig Giovanni Hattasch.” The concerto is structured in the Italian sonata style with two movements (Allegro and Allegro moderato: Rondo). Interestingly the Hataš concerto shares the same scoring as the concerti by Zelter and F.W.H. Benda (viola, strings, and 2 horns).