Regrettably little is known about the life of Jacques-Jules Bouffil (1783-1868). He was a French composer and clarinetist, a pupil of Xavier Lefèvre at the Paris Conservatoire, where he gained a First Prize in 1806, which carried with it the award of a pair of French- made clarinets in B flat and C. Also in Paris, the Czech-born Anton Reicha (1770-1836) promoted works for wind instruments, forming a quintet combining the five principal instruments, namely, the flute, the oboe, the clarinet, the horn and the bassoon. His quintets for this ensemble became widely known and popular, not in the least due to the high quality of the players, among whom was Bouffil, as clarinet player.

Bouffil’s compositions for clarinet duet and trio are some of the most attractive and original written for the medium. They are full-scale works of considerable substance and were doubtless intended for performance by professionals.

Thanks to eminent Italian clarinetist Luigi Magistrelli these works are recorded here for the first time, a delight for both clarinet players and music lovers alike.