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During the years 1769 and 1770, Johann Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813) a most independent artist, undertook travels from his home base in Vienna to the Italian peninsula, part of which was administered by the Emperor in Vienna. Could it be possible that Vanhal also traveled north to the German principalities of the Holy Roman Empire, and that this oboe concerto, copied at Schloss Wallerstein around 1770, was composed for an oboist in residence there? We know that Josef Fiala, a most remarkable player of the instrument, was not added to the staff until 1774, the year after Prince Kraft Ernst took over the duties of governing the little principality from his mother. So, although he might have played Vanhal's concerto, Fiala was not yet working for the Öttingen-Wallersteins when it was copied there.

The Breitkopf thematic catalogue of 1775 lists this work as a concerto for flute; and it is true that because of the limited tessitura D1 to C3,  it can be played on either the oboe or the flute. The manuscript parts, as they come down to us, are in a very poor hand. There are duplicate parts for violin I, violin II, and basso. The horns and viola are strictly ripieno voices, primarily confined to the ritornelli, and the viola tends to duplicate the basso either at pitch or at the octave. It would appear a C alto crook is in order for the horns.

All three movements are cast in Ritornello form with an overlay of sonata form, so common at the time. The fact that this concerto does not end with a rondo, places it well within the earlier days of the Classic Era. The bulk of the episodes are cast for the soloist accompanied only by first and second violins, a technique common at the time, especially important so that the soft voice of the oboe is not pushed into the background.

At the end of the first movement, I have taken the liberty of including all of the fabulous initial ritornello, instead of just the last part found in the manuscript parts. Provision is made for purists to drop the opening section, but that would be a pity since it includes some of the best music in the entire concerto.

Throughout the oboe manuscript, most of the ritornelli from the violin I part are included; I have confined this line to the final ritornello of the first movement, and in doing so have modified it to suit the oboe's technical limitations. Artists are free to add the entirety of each ritornello their respective movements if they so desire.