The First Complete Edition of the Lieder by Louis Spohr. Introduction
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The First Complete Edition of the Lieder by Louis Spohr. Introduction. Sweetheart, should these songs come to you again to hand, sit down at the piano where your friend usually stood by you. Let the chords quickly sound, and then look inside the book. But no reading! always singing! And each page is yours. Ah, how sad it looks in letters, black on white, this song, at me. That from your mouth can deify, that can tear a heart!1 Louis [Ludwig]2 Spohr (1784 – 1859) forged a significant contribution to the development of the German Lied through his compositions for voice and piano. It is astounding that this "Spohr chapter" of 19th century Art song has until now been largely neglected in music history and by researchers of German Lied. In his essay “Louis Spohr - Ruhm und Vergessenheit eines Komponisten zwischen Romantik und Biedermeier”3 the musicologist Peter Rummenhöller appeals for a revision in the evaluation of the composer Louis Spohr and states: “Almost none of the above mentioned [Spohr’s composer colleagues are meant] were able to unite Beethoven's achievements in such a way with the new tendencies of the Romantic like Louis Spohr.” Spohr's life spans a time period in which very different musical directions and styles emerged and were accepted. In literary history, this period, with the designation “between Goethe-time and Realism”4 proves what is quite applicable to Spohr's life and work, in that it encompasses the time of the “Biedemeier”5, also that of the “Vormärz”6 and the “Junges Deutschland”7. At this point, let that be sufficient for the characterization of the evolving times in which Louis Spohr lived and worked. Spohr's personality was characterized by a pronounced sense of justice and a strong ability to assert himself8. To that extent Spohr, particularly when it came to the political situation of the 1 Poem of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe An Lina (1799).Literal translation. 2 Spohr always signed with his first name Louis, although in the baptism record of St. Ägidii at Braunschweig states his first name as Ludewig: “Des Herrn Doctoris Medicinae Carl Heinrich Spohr Sohn Namens Ludewig ist den 12. April zu St. Ägidii getauft”. Compare: Braunschweigisches Magazin 1909 Nr.10. 3 Peter Rummenhöller. Romantik in der Musik. Analysen, Porträts, Reflexionen. Kassel 1989. 4 Titel of a collection of essays about the theme “Wandel und Spezifik in der Phase des Biedermeier”; edited by Michael Titzmann. Tübingen 2002. 5 “Biedermeier”, politically refers to restoration in the period between the years 1815 (Vienna Congress) and 1848 (beginning of the civil revolution) in the countries of the German federation and Kaiser-ruled Austria. Culturally the expression refers to the development of culture and art in the middle class (for example house music, interior decoration and fashion design), and the literature of the time. 6 “Vormaerz” designates the period of time between the Vienna Congress in 1815 (end of the Napoleonic rule in Europe) and the March revolution in 1848. 7 “Das Junge Deutschland” is the name for a literary movement of young, liberal-minded writers during the period of the Vormaerz, around 1830, which was intensified by the July revolution in France. They became very active as journalists and their writings in 1835 about the resolution of the Federal Parliament were forbidden. 8 See also: Spohr in the evaluation of his students. Moritz Hauptmann (1792 – 1868) in: The Letters of a Leipzig Cantor to Franz Hauser, Ludwig Spohr and other musicians. Translated & arranged by A.D. Coleridge.2 Vols. London 1892. Alexander Malibran (1823 – 1867) in: Louis Spohr. Sein Leben, sein Wirken; Frankfurt a.M. 1860; Hans Michel Schletterer (1824 – 1893) in: Ludwig Spohr. Vortrag, Leipzig 1881. times, was not by any means an “old master of Biedermeier” or a Romantic dreamer turned away from the world. To site one example, in 1852 he brought a lawsuit against the local reigning nobleman, the Kurfürsten (elector) Friedrich Wilhelm von Hessen, to the upper court of Kassel because of "illegal salary extraction”9. Spohr's political attitude is to be recognized clearly as liberal10.That brought him into some difficulties during the restoration period. With his assertive manner he succeeded, despite large resistance, to produce Wagner's “Der Fliegende Holländer” in 1843 and in 1853 “Tannhäuser" at the Hoftheater in Kassel.11 Spohr was, next to Paganini, the most famous violin virtuoso of his time, as well as an internationally esteemed teacher (with 200 students12), a recognized conductor throughout Europe and a composer whose works were successfully performed everywhere during the 19th Century. Many of his compositions are characterized by unusual versatility and willful experimentation, in regard to both ensemble composition (double string quartets, string quartet with orchestral accompaniment, etc.), and in the musical form and harmony (chromaticism)13. Throughout a time period of more than 50 years Spohr dealt with the art form Lied (not counting the early songs of 1802, taking into consideration that the composer in his “Lebenserinnerungen” refers to them as lost)14. The result is 105 one and two voiced Lieder, with two - or four - handed piano accompaniments. In Op.103, Op.154 and the work without opus number WoO 92 an obbligato instrument is added. The research of Louis Spohr's Lieder is not easy due to the situation of unclear sources. As Simon Moser in his musicological study "Das Liedschaffen Louis Spohrs”,15 in two volumes, published in 2005 states: "The traditional delivery of the Lied autographs is incomplete; direct commentaries from Spohr about his Lieder are conveyed only in a few cases [...]. The International Louis Spohr Society e.V. lost the largest part of its valuable holdings, systematically gathered since the year 1908, through confiscation in 1933 and one year later the mayor of Kassel ordered that they be destroyed." The distribution of the Spohr inheritance in the year 1860 contributed to the fact that his estate in the truest sense of the phrase was "scattered to the far ends of the earth"16. In addition to the original and first editions from the assets of the Spohr Society of the United States of America and the publisher Christoph Dohr, and through the inspection of autographs, 9 Herfried Homburg: “Politische Äusserungen Louis Spohrs” (trans.: Political statements of Louis Spohr) in: Zeitschrift des Vereins für Hessische Geschichte und Landeskunde. Bd. 75/76; page 565. Kassel 1964/65. See also: Paul Hadelbach’s documentation based on the files of the lawsuit in: “Kasseler Post” 1935, Nr. 83 (Sonntagspost). 10 Spohr dedicated the string sextet in C major, Op. 140, to the revolution of 1848. On March 10, 1951 he wrote his English friend Edward Taylor(1784 – 1863), translator of several works of Spohr's and the librettist of the oratorio The Fall of Babylon: “I hope nevertheless to yet experience, that the German people throw off their chains again and drive the demoralized princes out of the country!”. 11 Richard Wagner was sought by warrant throughout Germany because of his involvement with the Dresden rebellion of 1849. After 1853 in the state of Hessen, the performances of the works of the composing “barricade fighter” were prohibited until 1866. 12 Among others: Ureli C. Hill, the founder and conductor of the New York Philharmonic Society and publisher of the American edition of Spohr's Violinschule, and Frederic Pacius, known as the “father of Finnish music” and the composer of the Finnish national anthem. 13 In several of Spohr's compositions (string quartets, double string quartets and operas) one finds themes and motives that anticipate the Tristan chords of Wagner (“the gateway to new music”). See also: Wolfram Boder. Die Kasseler Opern Louis Spohrs. 2 Vol. Kassel, 2007. 14 Louis Spohr. Lebenserinnerungen (trans.: Memoirs). For the first time unabridged from the autographed records edited by F. Goethel, 2 Vol. Tutzing 1968. see Vol. 1, p. 30 . See also: Louis Spohr’s Autobiography, New York 1969; reprint of the edition London 1865. 15 Simon Moser. Das Liedschaffen Louis Spohrs. 2 Vols. Kassel 2005. 16 Hermann Glenewinkel. Verzeichnis des musikalischen Nachlasses von Louis Spohr. Archiv für Musikwissenschaft, 1918/1919, p.432-436. further valuable notes for our edition were found in the work of Simon Moser, already quoted, and in Folker Göthels “Thematisch-Bibliographisches Verzeichnis der Werke von Louis Spohr”17. The editors owe thanks for the cooperative work of the German Spohr researcher Wolfram Boder, for his suggestions and assistance in seeking out Lieder believed to be lost. The British Spohr researcher Clive Brown, who wrote the only presently available critical biography of Louis Spohr18, examined the Lied output of Spohr in his Reprint Edition from Garland19 which is today out of print. However, in his publication seven Lieder are designated as unobtainable20.These Lieder are presented here for the first time, together with the previously unpublished Lied WoO 125 Wohin and WoO 80 Matrosenlied, in a complete edition.21 Louis Spohr set the texts of 66 authors to music for his 105 Lieder. There are 11 Lieder that have no specification from which author the poems came. Through our research, the poet Ignaz Franz Castelli is established for the first time without a doubt as the author of the Lied Maria WoO 107 (in Op. 139 as No. 2). With Schottisches Lied, Op. 25, No. 2 it is with considerable certainty that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe can be assumed the author and concerning Jägerlied Op. 139, No. 3, it deals in the most probability with Karl Emil Konstantin von Göchhausen. The women writing under the pseudonyms Amalia (Op. 72, No. 5) and Cäcilie v. W. (Op.