Concerto IV in B flat by Henry Hargrave is an attractive and very playable concerto for bassoon with either piano or strings.

The five Concertos of Henry Hargrave were published in 1760 or 1765 and were available to customers in London, Grantham and Cambridge, as well as from Henry Hargrave’s home in Nottingham. He has an impressive list of subscribers backing the publication, suggesting that he was a respected musician and a shrewd businessman. They are probably the earliest concerti to be published in parts in Britain. Concertos I, II and IV are scored for bassoon and strings, whereas Nos. II and V are for oboe, bassoon and strings. In Concerto IV, there is a figured bass provided for use by a keyboard player. A string quartet will provide a very successful accompaniment to the concerto, with or without keyboard. The bassoon concerto has been recorded by Daniel Smith with the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Philip Ledger.

This edition and the piano reduction were prepared by C.M.M. Nex, F.H. Nex and K.R. Malloch from the copy held in the British Library (shelf mark g.32. and h.210.j.(1.). Originally published by Phylloscopus Publications.