Pianophilia

Perhaps most of you already had this, but I just received it this afternoon--a scan of 16 Etudes, Opus 63, by Ignaz Friedman. I optimised it and uploaded it here:

http://waltercosand.com/CosandScores/Co ... az/Etudes/

Does anyone know where one might access an online copy of the incredibly hard-to-find "Grandes études pour piano en soixante caprices caractéristiques dans le style libre et dans le style sévère", op. 63 (1855) by Jean-Amédée le Froid de Méreaux?

You'll find three of them on IMSLP. They look fearsomely difficult, though it's an open question if it would be worth the time to learn any of them.

Op. XXXIX wrote:You'll find three of them on IMSLP. They look fearsomely difficult, though it's an open question if it would be worth the time to learn any of them.

Thanks.
Yes, I have looked at those studies and they are VERY hard, but I heard somewhere that the difficulties in those are just the tip of the iceberg! I hope to track down a full copy sometime as I'm considering doing a PhD thesis which includes an in-depth study of them (forgive the pun) - perhaps the first in the English language?

Well I hope you send me a copy (in pdf !!!!) of the future Thesis.
Indeed the studies are very difficult, but their level of difficulty is not related to an equal artistic content, as in the case e.g. of Alkan op.39. I suppose that this fact explains why Mereaux monumental work was not considered in the repertoire of pianists like Busoni. However, would be very interesting to find one performer or a team of pianists able to dedicate some time to learn and record the 60 etudes.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/5wdrtg

(just uploaded at IMSLP)

Caprotti wrote:Well I hope you send me a copy (in pdf !!!!) of the future Thesis.

I would be most interested to read it!

Indeed the studies are very difficult, but their level of difficulty is not related to an equal artistic content, as in the case e.g. of Alkan op.39. I suppose that this fact explains why Mereaux monumental work was not considered in the repertoire of pianists like Busoni. However, would be very interesting to find one performer or a team of pianists able to dedicate some time to learn and record the 60 etudes.

I certainly agree about the signal to noise ratio with the Mereaux etudes. Do you think Busoni was familiar with any of Mereaux's work? In all my reading (admittedly confined to English), I have never run across that name! Do you or 4candles know anything else about him?

And thanks, Caprotti, for generously giving us the chance to look at all the etudes... some 500 pages! Cheers...

Caprotti
Thank you very much for sharing with us that monumental book
Oren

Caprotti wrote:Well I hope you send me a copy (in pdf !!!!) of the future Thesis.
Indeed the studies are very difficult, but their level of difficulty is not related to an equal artistic content, as in the case e.g. of Alkan op.39. I suppose that this fact explains why Mereaux monumental work was not considered in the repertoire of pianists like Busoni. However, would be very interesting to find one performer or a team of pianists able to dedicate some time to learn and record the 60 etudes.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/5wdrtg

(just uploaded at IMSLP)

Thank you SO much Caprotti for these studies! I really look forward to looking at them in greater detail. As it happens, I have suggested to Martin Anderson of Toccata Classics that he try to get these studies recorded, and he was VERY interested, so we may indeed see more of Méreaux in the coming years!

4candles wrote:

Caprotti wrote:Well I hope you send me a copy (in pdf !!!!) of the future Thesis.
Indeed the studies are very difficult, but their level of difficulty is not related to an equal artistic content, as in the case e.g. of Alkan op.39.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/5wdrtg

(just uploaded at IMSLP)

PS - I agree. Even upon looking, without even playing, some of these pieces, it is clear that the 'artistic' content as you call it, is pretty flat by anyone's standards. I am interested more from an 'extension of technique' viewpoint and I would probably compare these works with the advances made by Rejcha and Alkan. They all probably knew each other.

Op. XXXIX wrote:

Caprotti wrote:Well I hope you send me a copy (in pdf !!!!) of the future Thesis.

I would be most interested to read it!

Indeed the studies are very difficult, but their level of difficulty is not related to an equal artistic content, as in the case e.g. of Alkan op.39. I suppose that this fact explains why Mereaux monumental work was not considered in the repertoire of pianists like Busoni. However, would be very interesting to find one performer or a team of pianists able to dedicate some time to learn and record the 60 etudes.

I certainly agree about the signal to noise ratio with the Mereaux etudes. Do you think Busoni was familiar with any of Mereaux's work? In all my reading (admittedly confined to English), I have never run across that name! Do you or 4candles know anything else about him?

And thanks, Caprotti, for generously giving us the chance to look at all the etudes... some 500 pages! Cheers...

Glad to see that other people are interested. There is a page in French dedicated to the Méreaux family and there is a whole chapter on Méreaux in the famous 'Les Pianistes Célebres' by Marmontel. See the link below (which includes the Marmontel chapter) here:

http://pagesperso-orange.fr/mereaux/Amedee_Mereaux.htm