Original manuscript of first movement

Franz Krommer (Czech: František Vincenc Kramář) was born in Kamenice in the Jihlavy district in the Czech Republic on 27 November 1759, the son of an innkeeper and mayor of Kamenice. His initial music experience was with his uncle in Turán studying violin and organ. In 1777 he became organist with Turán and then, after a brief stay in Vienna in 1785 he moved to Simontornya in Western Hungaria as a violinist in the orchestra of the Duke of Styrum.

He returned to Vienna in 1795 after five years as Kapellmeister at the Cathedral in Pécs and a member of the court of Prince Grassalkovich de Gyarak. After a time as Kapellmeister for the orchestra of the Count of Limburg Stirum, Krommer succeeded Leopold Koželuch, himself a prolific composer of Harmoniemusik, as composer for the Imperial Court of Austria in about 1818, a post he held until his death in 1831.

Krommer was a prolific composer of symphonies, concerti for strings and wind, string quartets and quintets, as well as works for wind and string trio. He is especially known today for his Harmoniemusik with at leat 30 Partitas for wind octet and sextet. This sextet is based on his Octet Partita in an arrangement probably made in the first part of the 19th century by an unknown hand. The set of parts on which this edition is based left much to be desired in the consistency of its dynamic and articulation, as well as some obvious mistakes. The version here offers a reasonable attempt to resolve this into a playable edition, but should not be considered definitive!