Without Werner Reinhard, described as "an amiable Maecenas," the premiere of Stravinsky's L'histoire du soldat (The Soldier's Tale) in 1918 would never have taken place. In Stravinsky's words, Reinhard "paid for everybody and everything, and finally even commissioned my music." In return for his services, Stravinsky arranged a small suite of pieces from L'histoire for Reinhard, an amateur clarinetist, to play. This work was adapted for violin, clarinet, and piano. Both the violin and clarinet had been part of the seven-piece chamber ensemble used in the full production of L'histoire. The piano, however, was a new addition and one that seems to contradict Stravinsky's earlier decision to include only melodic and not polyphonic instruments in the score. The five numbers Stravinsky selected for this petite suite were: 1. "The Soldier's March," 2. "The Soldier's Violin," 3. "The Little Concert," 4. the sequence of dances performed by the Princess—Tango, Waltz and Ragtime, and 5. "The Devil's Dance." The suite was first performed in Lausanne on November 8, 1919, with Reinhard playing the clarinet.

Given the small number of chamber pieces Stravinsky composed featuring the clarinet, the little suite from L'histoire has achieved a certain popularity among clarinetists.

© James Leonard, All Music Guide