SKU: BA.BA10303-01
ISBN 9790006559503. 33 x 26 cm inches. Key: C minor. Preface: Michael Stegemann.
The third symphony by Camille Saint-Saens, known as the Organ Symphony, is the first publication in a complete historical-critical edition of the French composer's instrumental works.I gave everything I was able to give in this work. [...] What I have done here I will never be able to do again.Camille Saint-Saens was rightly proud of his third Symphony in C minor Op.78, dedicated to the memory of Franz Liszt. Called theOrgan Symphonybecause of its novel scoring, the work was a commission from the Philharmonic Society in London, as was Beethoven's Ninth, and was premiered there on 19 May 1886. The first performance in Paris followed on 9 January 1887 and confirmed the composer's reputation asprobably the most significant, and certainly the most independent French symphonistof his time, as Ludwig Finscher wrote in MGG. In fact the work remains the only one in the history of that genre in France to the present day, composed a good half century after the Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz and a good half century before Olivier Messiaen's Turangalila Symphonie.You would think that such a famous, much-performed and much recorded opus could not hold any more secrets, but far from it: in the first historical-critical edition of the Symphony, numerous inconsistencies and mistakes in the Durand edition in general use until now, have been uncovered and corrected. An examination and evaluation of the sources ranged from two early sketches, now preserved in Paris and Washington (in which the Symphony was still in B minor!) via the autograph manuscript and a set of proofs corrected by Saint-Saens himself, to the first and subsequent editions of the full score and parts. The versions for piano duet (by Leon Roques) and for two pianos (by the composer himself) were also consulted. Further crucial information was finally found in his extensive correspondence, encompassing thousands of previously unpublished letters. The discoveries made in producing this edition include the fact that at its London premiere, the Symphony probably looked quite different from its present appearance ...No less exciting than the work itself is the history of its composition and reception, which are described in an extensive foreword. With his Symphony, Saint-Saens entered right into the dispute which divided French musical life into pro and contra Wagner in the 1880s and 1890s. At the same time, the work succeeded in preserving the balance between tradition and modernism in masterly fashion, as a contemporary critic stated:The C minor Symphony by Saint-Saens creates a bridge from the past into the future, from immortal richness to progress, from ideas to their implementation.On 19 March 1886 Saint-Saens wrote to the London Philharmonic Society, which commissioned the work:Work on the symphony is in full swing. But I warn you, it will be terrible. Here is the precise instrumentation: 3 flutes / 2 oboes / 1 cor anglais / 2 clarinets / 1 bass clarinet / 2 bassoons / 1 contrabassoon / 2 natural horns / [3 trumpets / Saint-Saens had forgotten these in his listing.] 2 chromatic horns / 3 trombones / 1 tuba / 3 timpani / organ / 1 piano duet and the strings, of course. Fortunately, there are no harps. Unfortunately it will be difficult. I am doing what I can to mitigate the difficulties.As in my 4th Concerto [for piano] and my [1st] Violin Sonata [in D minor Op.75] at first glance there appear to be just two parts: the first Allegro and the Adagio, the Scherzo and the Finale, each attacca. This fiendish symphony has crept up by a semitone; it did not want to stay in B minor, and is now in C minor.It would be a pleasure for me to conduct this symphony. Whether it would be a pleasure for others to hear it? That is the question. It is you who wanted it, I wash my hands of it. I will bring the orchestral parts carefully corrected with me, and if anyone wants to give me a nice rehearsal for the symphony after the full rehearsal, everything will be fine.When Saint-Saens hit upon the idea of adding an organ and a piano to the usual orchestral scoring is not known. The idea of adding an organ part to a secular orchestral work intended for the concert hall was thoroughly novel - and not without controversy. On the other hand, Franz Liszt, whose music Saint-Saens' Symphony is so close to, had already demonstrated that the organ could easily be an orchestral instrument in his symphonic poem Hunnenschlacht (1856/57). There was also a model for the piano duet part which Saint-Saens knew and may possibly have used quite consciously as an exemplar: theFantaisie sur la Tempetefrom the lyrical monodrama Lelio, ou le retour a la Vie op. 14bis (1831) by Berlioz. The name of the organist at the premiere ist unknown, as, incidentally, was also the case with many of the later performances; the organ part is indeed not soloistic, but should be understood as part of the orchestral texture.In fact the subsequent success of the symphony seems to have represented a kind of breakthrough for the composer, who was then over 50 years of age.My dear composer of a famous symphony, wrote Saint-Saens' friend and pupil Gabriel Faure:You will never be able to imagine what a pleasure I had last Sunday [at the second performance on 16 January 1887]! And I had the score and did not miss a single note of this Symphony, which will endure much longer than we two, even if we were to join together our two lifespans!
About Barenreiter Urtext
What can I expect from a Barenreiter Urtext edition?
MUSICOLOGICALLY SOUND - A reliable musical text based on all available sources - A description of the sources - Information on the genesis and history of the work - Valuable notes on performance practice - Includes an introduction with critical commentary explaining source discrepancies and editorial decisions ... AND PRACTICAL - Page-turns, fold-out pages, and cues where you need them - A well-presented layout and a user-friendly format - Excellent print quality - Superior paper and binding
SKU: HL.49007008
ISBN 9783795717872. German.
Die franzosische Musik der zweiten Halfte des 19. Jahrhunderts stand ganz im Zeichen zweier Pole: Oper und Salon. Die weitgehende Missachtung der Instrumentalmusik tragt die Verantwortung fur das falsche Licht, in dem viele franzosische Meister dieser Zeit immer noch erscheinen. Unter ihnen kommt vor allem Charles-Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921) grosste Bedeutung zu, dessen Auseinandersetzung mit der Gattung des Solokonzerts von weit uber die Grenzen Frankreichs hinausreichendem Einfluss war.Diese Arbeit korrigiert das heutige Bild Saint-Saens' in wesentlichen Punkten und macht deutlich, dass sein konzertantes Oeuvre zum Besten gehort, was die franzosische Romantik hervorgebracht hat.Uber den analytischen Teil hinaus, der durch zahlreiche Notenbeispiele erganzt wird, enthalt der Band die erste vollstandige Biographie des Komponisten in deutscher Sprache; ausfuhrliche Biographie, thematisches Verzeichnis der untersuchten Werke und vor allem eine chronologische Tabelle von nahezu 200 franzosischen Solokonzerten der Zeit machen den Band zu einer wertvollen Quelle fur die Musikgeschichtsschreibung des 19. Jahrhunderts.
SKU: BR.OB-15136-30
In Cooperation with G. Henle Verlag
ISBN 9790004341346. 10 x 12.5 inches.
The Havanaise possibly has its roots in the friendship of the composer with the Cuban-born violinist Rafael Diaz Albertini. It is thus perfectly plausible that Saint-Saens borrowed the Cuban syncopated slow dance Habanera out of kindness towards his performance partner when he was getting ready to write a work for Diaz Albertini in 1887. Saint-Saens originally wrote a version for violin and piano, which was later followed by the orchestral version that the publisher Durand had urged him to write. Diaz Albertini, to whom the work was dedicated, gave its world premiere before other virtuosos adopted it for themselves and spread its fame throughout the world. The basis of this first Urtext edition of the piece is the first edition, which was presumably personally overseen by Saint-Saens.
SKU: CA.2709514
ISBN 9790007200268. Text language: Latin.
Shining rays stream from the 'Messe de sainte Cecile'. At first people were dazzled, then bewitched, then overcome. This is how the composer Camille Saint-Saens described his impression of what was probably Charles Gounod's best-known setting of the mass. The work written in 1855 in honor of the patron saint of church music, soon became well-known beyond the borders of France and acquired a degree of popularity like almost no other sacred composition. In the Messe de sainte Cecile, Gounod combines sublime simplicity with operatic-dramatic elements and a colorful, effective orchestration. Critical edition in proven Carus quality. Score and part available separately - see item CA.2709500.
SKU: BR.EB-11238
ISBN 9790201812380. 9.5 x 12 inches.
Many well-known violinists such as the dedicatee Pablo de Sarasate, together later with Eugene Ysaye and Jacques Thibaud, included in their repertoires Camille Saint-Saens' concert piece composed in 1863. Even today, concert life is hard to imagine without the Introduction et Rondo capriccioso. The highly virtuosic work already inspired critics and audiences during the composer's lifetime; reported about the premiere in 1867 was: The Introduction and the Rondo capriccioso for the same instrument are both original and charming, and Maestro Sarasate, who was in his element here, admirably made the most of it. And a few years later, a music critic described the work as a kind of fantasy waltz in the Spanish style and with a most bewitching effect. After the first performances in 1867, despite success, the work's score and orchestral parts had little chance of publication due to concert companies' reluctance. In 1869 the Paris publishing house G. Hartmann merely published an arrangement for violin and piano produced by the composer's friend Georges Bizet. The orchestral score and parts were first published after the Paris publishing house Durand had acquired publication rights in 1875. The present edition published in collaboration with the G. Henle Verlag is the first critical edition of the work.
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