Thomas Ryan (1827–1903) was arguably the most important clarinetist in nineteenth-century America, yet today he is virtually unknown. He gave the first documented American performances of several important pieces in the clarinet’s repertoire. He was also himself a composer, authoring numerous clarinet works, some of which still survive but have never been published or performed since Ryan’s lifetime; one of these, the Ballade et Polonaise is offered here for the first time, in versions for clarinet and piano and for clarinet and string quartet.

Born in Templemore, County Tipperary, Ireland, Ryan emigrated to Boston, and made his permanent home there. In his early Boston years Ryan made a living performing in theater orchestras and on concerts given by various musical societies. By 1849 he had become a founding member of the Mendelssohn Quintette Club, which became one of the most important chamber music groups in America in the second half of the nineteenth century. It toured, at first just throughout New England, but later crossed the length and breadth of the US. In 1881, their reputation having grown immensely, the Mendelssohn Quintette Club was invited to tour Australia and New Zealand, stopping to give concerts in Hawaii on the return trip.