Three Duos WoO 27

The three Duos for Clarinet and Bassoon WoO 27 stylistically belong to Beethoven's earliest creative period. Due to their lively character, the skilful play with timbre, and the fact that they are not very technically demanding, they have always numbered among the wind chamber music showpieces and are also popular works for pupils and students.

The sole source for the musical text is a printed edition which was only published after Beethoven's death, presumably a reprint of lost Parisian editions. The original manuscripts also no longer exist. Our edition follows the musical text in the Beethoven Complete Edition (Volume VI/1); there are two alternative versions for clarinet in B flat and C enclosed with the performance score for bassoon.