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Robert SCHUMANN Arrangements for Piano Duet • 1 String Quartet in A major Piano Quintet in E flat major Eckerle Piano Duo Robert Schumann (1810-1856) complete score, indispensable for the study and son of a wine merchant, he emigrated in 1848 to America, Arrangements for Piano Duet • 1 dissemination of these works. It was then a normal played a decisive rôle in Boston musical life from 1852 process to think of creating the traditional duet onwards and died in Beverly near Boston on 26th July In an age before sound recording was possible, made under his supervision, as well as a representative arrangement. In the middle of 1848, Otto Dresel, at the 1890. He came back several times to Europe and also arrangements for, initially, solo piano offered the only way choice of other orchestral works and important chamber time 21 years old, who, as a graduate of the Leipzig won great recognition for his arrangements of works by to get to know, play and hear works for larger music music pieces for which musically significant and aurally Conservatory knew and admired Mendelssohn and Bach, Handel and Beethoven, as well as for English groups, for example for orchestra with or without voices convincing arrangements were published, sometimes Schumann, sent his piano duet arrangement of the three translations of the Lieder of his friend Robert Franz. and also for works not yet available for such instruments after Schumann’s death. quartets to the publishers Breitkopf & Härtel who, as the organ. From the early years of the 19th century, as however, first wanted to obtain the authorisation of the Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op. 44 (1842) keyboards became enlarged and produced more powerful String Quartet in A major, Op. 41, No. 3 (1842) composer. As Schumann initially did not react, Dresel Arrangement for piano duet by Clara Schumann (1858) sounds, there was an increasing need for arrangements Arrangement for piano duet by Otto Dresel, asked him personally on 9th October 1848; on that very for piano duets and, occasionally, in the second half of the revised by the composer (1852) day the publishers received Schumann’s approval: he Having successfully explored the possibilities of the string century, for two pianos. In fact, where piano duets are declared the arrangement “very good”. Nevertheless, the quartet, it was an obvious choice for Schumann to concerned the number of published arrangements soon With his personal systematic and logical thinking, Robert edition was delayed until May 1852; moreover, Dresel had combine it with “his” instrument, the piano. He thus wrote greatly exceeded that of original compositions. Schumann dedicated himself, after his revolutionary piano renounced his fee and Schumann had once more revised between 23rd September and 16th October 1842 a Sometimes the arrangements were done by the pieces of the 1830s, to the other major musical genres, in the arrangement and for reasons of sonority had added quintet for piano and string quartet, which gave a brilliant composer himself or by his friends or pupils, but in most particular those that were important for his reputation as a slower metronomic indications than in the original edition, start to the “piano quintet” genre. Among others Brahms, cases they were the work of more or less accomplished composer: in 1840 the Lied, in 1841 symphonic music which is attested in an annotation in the composer’s own Dvořák, César Franck and Béla Bartók followed in professional arrangers in the direct employ of or and in 1842 chamber music, forms which made the hand. Schumann included the edition in the collection of Schumann’s tracks. With this work Schumann also outsourced by the publishing houses. highest demands on composers, performers and his original works and thus authorised it. satisfied the wish of his wife Clara for an impressive piece This is also the case for Robert Schumann, who was audiences. He started at once with the “king of the Schumann’s string quartets did not number among for the concert hall, which at first served as a replacement himself a keen duet player and wrote a series of significant genres”, the string quartet. After a renewed deep study of his most admired works in the 19th century, nor do they for the not yet completed Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. works for that formation, most importantly the Bilder aus the classics – Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven – which in today, although they are unique masterpieces, in which 54, and was later the chamber work by her husband that Osten, Op. 66 (1848). These works were intended, part he already knew well and valued highly, he wrote the classical form is preserved and at the same time she most often played in her long career. It is dedicated to however, not for public concerts but for the home and for three string quartets, in A minor, F major and A major, developed and enriched by the romantic spirit. The her in the published version (Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig, the cultivated salon. In only the rarest cases did between 2nd June and 22nd July, 1842. Their completion Quartet in A major, the longest and most impressive of the September 1843) and was naturally also given its Schumann write the duet arrangements himself (for and a first private rehearsal on 8th September gave him three, is characterised by its originality of form (a variation successful first performance by her on 8th January 1843 example the overture to Hermann and Dorothea, Op. 136) great joy. Clara Schumann received the quartets as a movement instead of a Scherzo) and a major section at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, “a work full of vigour and or in collaboration with his wife Clara. Nevertheless, he present for her 23rd birthday on 13th September 1842 spanning lyricism and polyphonic link-ups of great freshness”, as she already remarked at the end of almost always supervised the arrangements, which were and expressed her delight about “all this splendour” and expressiveness and driving vitality. Owing to the September 1842 in her “marriage diary”. made mostly by highly valued musicians of his entourage, found “everything new, but clearly, finely made and differences of range and texture between piano and string Mendelssohn and even Richard Wagner, who was not such as his brother-in-law Woldemar Bargiel or his faithful always in a true quartet style”. As Mendelssohn, who quartet, arranging such a piece for piano duet was well disposed to Schumann, also praised the Piano disciple Carl Reinecke (Symphony No. 3 ‘Rhenish’, in E heard the quartets in a subsequent rehearsal, also spoke extremely difficult. Otto Dresel solved this task brilliantly Quintet, which has been held in high regard ever since. In flat major, Op. 97), as the success and the dissemination several times in praise of them, Schumann ventured, in by extending and spreading the range to the higher and its successful blend of concerto and chamber music of a piece were also dependent on the quality of the honour of Mendelssohn’s 34th birthday, to dedicate to lower registers, by transposing passages an octave down elements, in the thematic interlinking of the four arrangement. In some cases he even recommended an him, the revered friend and most highly regarded or up, or by doubling in octaves, and by filling in or by movements, the most significant of which is the brilliant arranger, dismissed another one and intervened directly composer in Europe, the first edition in separate parts of modifying the accompaniment figures, since he was not concluding stretta of the Finale, where, the movement’s with his own corrections. the three quartets. These were published as Opus 41 in only a professional arranger, but an eminent composer, main theme, alternating between G minor and E flat major, This series of seven CDs conceived by the February 1843 by Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig. acclaimed by (among others) Franz Liszt. His works is combined with the main theme of the first movement in a Schumann researcher and prizewinner (Zwickau 2003) It was only after Mendelssohn’s premature death on included chamber music, piano pieces and Lieder, but fugato, and, in its unusual construction (a poignant funeral Joachim Draheim presents all the orchestral works which 4th November 1847, which shook Schumann profoundly, only a small portion of them was published. Born in march with two contrasting trios replacing a central slow were arranged for piano duet by Schumann himself or that he succeeded, in September 1848, in producing the Geisenheim on the Rhine on 20th December 1826, the movement), the work has a never-ending fascination. To arrange such a work for piano duet was at the same publishers Breitkopf & Härtel, who refused it, considering it Streichquartett A-Dur op. 41, Nr. 3 (1842) reagierte, fragte Dresel bei ihm am 9. Oktober 1848 nach; time easier than with the string quartets, as one could to be technically too demanding. The manuscript is since Bearbeitung für Klavier zu 4 Händen von Otto Dresel, noch am selben Tag erhielt der Verlag Schumanns occasionally take over certain passages unchanged in the lost; it is nevertheless possible that Clara Schumann used revidiert vom Komponisten (1852) Zustimmung; er nannte das Arrangement „sehr gut“. Secondo part, and much more difficult, because piano and Brahms’s work as a starting point for her own arrangement, Dennoch verzögerte sich die Drucklegung bis zum Mai strings occupy mostly the same range. As early as 1845 completed in the autumn of 1857 and published by Breitkopf Mit der ihm eigenen Systematik und Konsequenz 1852; Dresel hatte übrigens auf ein Honorar verzichtet und Schumann suggested that the publishers have an & Härtel in July 1858.