Though labeled Op. 71, this piece for two basoons, two clarinets and two horns was actually written in 1796 and then remained unperformed for over a decade. Beethoven told his publishers that he had written it in a single night -a most probably false claim: Beethoven had the tendency of refining his pieces over and over, sometimes for years, before publishing. The four movements fall into the usual classical patterns, but showcase the young Beethoven's sharper edge. No sketch of the work survives.
