Harmoniemusik, in the broadest sense of the term, is music intended for wind instruments as well as the bands that performed this music. In a narrower sense, in the Classical era, this term meant occasional, functional music, often played outdoors by a group of wind players, who accompanied entertainment and ceremonies of court life. 

Harmoniemusik bands were supported mainly by aristocrats, and following their example, the church and cities. They were a characteristic, common phenomenon of the musical culture of their time. It happened that they created a musical background for meetings that often took place in the open air – evening games in the gardens, hunting entertainment, and in church and monastic circles it accompanied religious ceremonies. City musicians played the same repertoire – evening serenades were popular, listened to and applauded by crowds, often demanding that their favourite songs be repeated.

The collection of the Wrocław University Library contains at least one hundred works for a typical sextet consisting of two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons. There are quite a few compositions with richer instrumentation, known as Janissary music, including a number of additional wind and percussion instruments, as well as arrangements for Harmoniemusik ensemble of operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. Although it is difficult to establish the provenance of individual manuscripts, their number undoubtedly proves that at least some were used in Wrocław. Today’s players of these often hastily doted down pieces often encounters difficulties. Not very correct ways of developing the parts are frequent, as well as surprising and unusual harmonic ideas, which cannot be treated only as errors though. Rather, they should be considered as characteristic features of a specific compositional style. This repertoire represents the authentic facet of the popular music-making of those times which is worthy of being introduced to today’s audiences.