Konzert C-Dur

Ignaz Joseph Pleyel (1757-1831), a pupil of Haydn whom the master loved as his own son, composed his Concerto in C major in the late 18th century in three versions: for cello, flute and clarinet. In these three pieces only the orchestral accompaniment is identical, the solo parts were elaborated according to the capabilities of the instrument in each case. Thus the composer created three versions of the same work which are of equal value.

An examination of the orchestral material renders it probable that first the cello version was completed, while the first to be printed, presumably in 1797 by Falter in Munich, was the clarinet version. The composer published the three versionssimultaneously in 1799 in his own edition. The work must have been very popular in Pleyel's time which is also shown by the fact that it was printed by ten publishers.