Michel Yost (1754-1786) was a Swiss-born clarinetist who spent his playing life in Paris. Michel and his concertos became so popular in Europe that his first name became something of a trademark. This version is the score and parts mailed to you. There is another version where you may download pdf files and print the music yourself. See the "related items" below.
Here are the notes to the piece:
Michèl Yost (1754 – 1786)
Michèl Yost was a Swiss-born clarinetist who spent his playing life in Paris. He was known as having a nimble and gentle tone and was a popular performer at the Concert Spirituel, one of the first public concert series. The actual composition of the 14 known concertos is an interesting question. Michèl and his concertos became so popular in Europe that his first name became something of a trademark. However, there is evidence that Johann Christoph Vogel (1756 – 1788) wrote most of the music. Only in later publications was the dual nature of the composition of the music correctly credited to the Yost – Vogel team. It is likely that Yost related his musical ideas and his virtuoso abilities to Vogel, who put it all into good form and craftsmanship.
There is also some uncertainty about the numbering of the concertos. There are various manuscripts in collections around Europe, but their numbering is inconsistent. The manuscript used for this edition came from the Austrian National Library in Vienna, Austria. The front page is shown on the front of this edition and has no number for the work. On-going research suggests it may be No. 6, although a different manuscript exists in Mantua, Italy with the same number. It may be Concerto No. 1, which was also in Bb.
In making this edition, I strove to use articulations which are consistent with practices of the time. Of great help was the recording by Dieter Klöcker of four Michèl Yost concertos on the MDG label (MDG 301 07182). A separate clarinet part is included with this edition which is the same as the original manuscript as to tempo, articulation and dynamic markings. In accordance with the practices of the day, the markings are sparse and only give clues to how it was actually played. I encourage players to make their own decisions about these matters.
An interesting feature of the manuscript are the cadenzas which were written in the margins in a different hand than the rest of the manuscript. Was this the writing of Michèl Yost, or some other performer of the time? Whoever it was had an intimate knowledge of other Yost concertos, since the cadenza has remarkable similarities to the Rondo of Concerto #9 as heard on the Dieter Klöcker recording. Also, the cadenza as written goes down to a low C, a major third lower than the standard clarinet of today.
Instrumentation:
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solo clarinet
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violin 1
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violin 2
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violas
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cello/bass
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oboe 1 and 2
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F horn 1 and 2
New information April, 2009:
Recent scholarship has established that the particular concerto I publish may not be by Michel Yost after all, but by Josef Michel. Others speculate that the piece may have been written by others, but in my contact with Albert Rice through the Yahoo Early Clarinet Group, his view seems convincing due to his comparison of other known Yost concertos along side those of Michel, Tausch and Kozeluch.
It may not matter in the long run because the piece is still a fine example of writing for the early clarinet. One other thing of interest is the speculation that the cadenzas written in the margins of the manuscript I obtained from the Vienna Library may have been in the hand of Anton Stadler, the clarinetist for whom Mozart wrote his concerto. The cadenza ranges down to a low C below the normal range of the clarinet and it is known that Stadler played on such an instrument. In my edition, I altered the cadenzas so they would be playable on a standard clarinet, but I also include an un-edited copy of the clarinet part that shows the low notes.
Review in the March, 2009 issue of The Clarinet, the magazine of the International Clarinet association:
Swiss clarinetist Michel Yost (1754 - 1786) played in Paris for most of his career. Although 14 clarinet concertos were initially credited to him, it was later discovered that Yost had collaborated with composer Johann Vogel, who put Yost's ideas into written form. This concerto is in three movements: "Allegro Moderato,", "Andante" and "Rondo."
The first movement has a 50-measure tutti introduction in which the clarinetist has the option to play. The clarinet part consists of simple rhythms: half, quarter, and 16th-note passages, with an occasional 32nd-note flourish ending on a high note - the highest note in the piece, contained in this movement, is a high register E. The lengthy solo passages are interspersed with sufficient measures of rest, giving the clarinetist an ample amount of time to recover before playing again. The end of the first movement includes an extensive cadenza.
The clarinetist plays the entire second movement with quarter and eighth rests scattered throughout. The melodies introduced in this movement are delightful, and there is ornamentation provided by the composer. The pianist finishes the movement with an eight-measure transition into the third movement.
The "Rondo" is based on a pleasant, happy tune that is light and fun to listen to. There are time signature changes from duple meter to triple meter (2/4 to 3/8 to 2/4) and some technical sections that would require diligent practice.
This is a delightful piece. As clarinetists, we are always excited to play early Classical period music, and to find music originally written for the instrument is wonderful. If one can reconcile how to play the part endurance-wise, this is a worthwhile piece to play. It is a good solo for high intermediate level to beginning advanced players, although the 32nd notes and change of time signature in the third movement would afford challenges to the intermediate player.
Measure numbers are included in both the clarinet and piano parts. The piano part is in a laminated cover that is spiral bound - always an advantage to the pianist as the part will lie flat when opened. The notes are printed in a font that is easily read on the staves, however there are an inconsistent number of staves on each page of the clarinet part. Pages include from 8-11 staves per page, and the pages with more staves are difficult to read and some of the notes appear to be squished together toward the end of the line. The piano part, on the other hand, is very consistent-four staves per page. The only time when this is not the case is after the clarinet cadenza (the clarinet part is not included) and the staves appear to be closer to each other which is harder on the eye.
A typed copy of the original manuscript version of the clarinet part is included in the back of the piano score. This part includes original articulations, tempi, and dynamic markings and it is helpful to have this part to reference in order to determine the composer's intent. Although markings were not plentiful in the Classical period, it gives us an idea of the freedom performers had in expressing the music. John Gibson's interest and contribution to the clarinet literature is appreciated. Yost and Vogel collaborated on 14 concertos - this reviewer would like to see more! - Alice Meyer March 2009 issue of The Clarinet magazine