During the period 1820–30, the noted pianist, composer, and teacher Johann Nepomuk Hummel was commissioned by the English entrepreneur J. R. Schultz to make arrangements of symphonies, concertos, and twenty-four opera overtures. All are scored for an ensemble of piano, flute, violin, and cello. Twelve Select Overtures, the first of two sets of twelve overture arrangements, appeared in London in the early 1820s.

The practice of arranging large-scale works for small ensembles was very popular d...