The "Romanze" by August Klughardt (1847-1902) is similar to the first publications for bass clarinet in its stately and simple hymnlike character. The range of the piece, which extends two octaves and a minor third from G to b-flat', is somewhat highet than that of Pillvestre's "Offetoire", but, with the exception of an occasional measure moving in eights, the technical demands are similarly light. The distribution of this compass is:

This concentrates the greatest portion of the piece to a narrow tessitura centered on the break between the instrument's upper and lower register. The "Romanze" is an andante in B-flat major, seventy-nine measures in length, using French notation for the bass clarinet part. The vast majority of motion in note-values shorter than one beat is provided by the accompaniment, for which an orchestral version was published in addition to that for piano. A brief, unaccompanied recitative appears before the final statement of the principal melody by the bass clarinet, emotionally heightened in this last appearance by the indications "drängend (urgent) and langsamer (slower)."

Klughardt's inspiration for writing a work for bass clarinet is unknown. He was employed as music director in the court of Weimar and there composed a great deal of music. Pazdírek's Universal-Handbuch... lists ninety-nine published works by him.¹ Pazdírek lists the "Romanze" as a work for basson, while the publisher, C. F. Schmidt, provided versions for basson, trombone, or bass clarinet. The only indication that the work was likely intended primarily for bass clarinet and not for one of the other two instruments in the fact that the earliest reference to the work, Hofmeister's Handbuch der musikalischen Literatur... 12 (1898-1903), mentions only the bass clarinet and does not include versions of the work for other instruments.² Hofmeister's catalog deals primarily with publications from German-speaking countries and was also closer in time to the first publication of the "Romanze." Therefore, it more likely lists the instrument for which the work initially appeared, the other versions having been provided somewhat later in order to increase the possibility of sales. The limited market potential of a work for bass clarinet would have prompted the composer and publisher to make it available for other instruments of similar range, which appears to have happened. This seems also to be true for another of the works published during the same period by Schmidt, the Adagio by Kühn. It is listed by Hofmeister in 1903 as a work for the bass clarinet, while in Pazdírek's catalog of 1910 versions for basson and trombone are mentioned as well.³

¹ Pazdírek, U-HM 6: 567-569

² Hofmeister, HdmL 12:451.

³ Hofmeister, Hdml 12: 488; and Pazdírek, U-HM 6: 808.