French Piano Music

[4candles]

I'm posting this here and in the Recordings thread:

I'm trying to arrange for a disc of piano music by Amédée Méreaux to be recorded. The production cost is quite low, comparatively (£750), but still would need sponsorship, as I can't afford to foot the bill!
If anyone might be interested in helping to fund this, please send me a private message.

Thanks
4candles

[musiclife217]

It seems that, at least among Chamiande piano works, we are missing:

Op. 36 No. 02 - Pas des Cymbales (for two pianos) - I have this one and can scan shortly...
Op. 78 - Prelude for Organ or Piano (two separate editions, I believe) - I can request this one, but I think it is the organ version....
Op. 162 - Gavotte (5th) - seems hard to find...even the incomplete score would help...

I found that the Italian-influenced pieces are on IMSLP - thank you!

Amazing that Chaminade complete piano works are now almost all collected!

I've certainly been enjoying the Chaminade fest of late. The opus 78 prelude was issued both for piano and organ by Enoch in 1895--either version would be welcome as neither are currently available. Here's a recording of the organ version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHvw4a-t0Iw

The 5th Gavotte is held by several libraries and should be fairly accessable. BNF holds a copy--does anyone know if they take requests for their scanning program? It shouldn't present a copyright issue as it was published in 1921.

Hi ! I just wanted to let everyone know that the Chaminade Op. 78 - Prelude (for Organ) has been posted on the French Organ music thread. Here's hoping for the piano score some day!

[naturlaut]

Having listened to Selva's performances on YouTube, I must say she has an exquisite touch and her playing of Garreta "Sardana" just sparkles--and that is another piece worth tracking down. Her original pieces are most interesting.

It's from the c minor Sonata that Malcolm posted a few years back:
download/file.php?id=2124

Thanks Jim.

That whole sonata is quite a remarkable work and I see the "Sardana" is the 3rd of the 4 movements. Had much fun playing through this brilliant piece which is very well written for the piano and full of effective gestures.

Apparently, Garreta was very well-known for writing Sardana, hence the recording of Selva survived. He also ran his own business (of watch making and some others, can't remember) and so he hasn't much time to compose. He was a good friend with the Catalan gang (Mompou, etc.) The sonata (and most of Garreta's works) is now published by Mestre Gironins, with a very informative preface (in English) written (by Jordí Maso). `

Here is a list of piano works by Selva (compiled by me, please alert omissions):


1904 Paysage au soleil couchant in Manuscript
1904 Suite (Prélude, Allemande, Courante, Burla, Chanson, Farandole) Lost
1905 Cloches dans la brume by Édition Mutuelle
1905 Cloches au soleil by Édition Mutuelle
1908 Pièces pour piano in Manuscript
1931 Records i Entremaliadures (Souvenirs et Espiè¬gleries), (Ostra i Cargols, Professons de Formi¬gues, Canyes i Oreig, Nuvols, A la Muntanya, Primers Freds, Mati de tardor, Ulls clars, Anima recta et Pau del Cel), an album of 9 works Manuscripts of some, in private collection
1931 Primers Jocs, 12 easy pieces by H. Herelle


Transcriptions

1908 Vincent d’Indy, Souvenirs, op. 62 by Durand
1910 César Franck, Trois chorals pour orgue, n° 1, n° 2, n° 3 by Durand
1912 César Franck, 2ème fantaisie, Grande pièce symphonique, Final, Prière by Durand

[Jim Faston]

Here's a typeset version of Alkan's Scherzo Focoso, Op34. I'm including links to the creator's Youtube midi recording as well as his original Scribd link for the PDF.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLsVRlwLJ7c
http://www.scribd.com/doc/46059771/Alka ... ity-sheets

46059771-Alkan-Scherzo-Focoso-better-quality-sheets.pdf

[fleubis]

Thanks for finding this, Jim. Nice to have Alkan's Op.34 in such a beautifully engraved edition (done in Finale). It takes a great deal of time to produce an engraving this good.

I keep looking for something this readable in Alkan's Op.76 etudes so as to not go blind while trying to decipher IMSLP's retched version. But the effort it takes to produce such quality engravings should not be underestimated.

[Jim Faston]

Thanks for finding this, Jim. Nice to have Alkan's Op.34 in such a beautifully engraved edition (done in Finale). It takes a great deal of time to produce an engraving this good.

I keep looking for something this readable in Alkan's Op.76 etudes so as to not go blind while trying to decipher IMSLP's retched version. But the effort it takes to produce such quality engravings should not be underestimated.

The Op.34 was actually found by a member on another board--I'm just sharing it. In case you haven't looked recently, there are typset versions of the Op76 on IMSLP.

[fleubis]

Jim, what a nice find! I need to check IMSLP more requently. Finally, after years of dealing with the wretched IMSLP copy of the equally bad original, there is this beautifully engraved version of Alkan's Op.76 to bring relief to my tired old eyes.

These are some of my favorite Alkan pieces! We owe our thanks to Otone who created this edition with Sibelius 7 a little over a year ago, and a nice piece of work it is to. This edition will serve me well.

[Phillip210]

Can anyone help me? There have appeared on IMSLP recently several pieces by Paul Marcou, who seemed to publish in France in the 1870s, but that's all I know. One or two of the pieces are Russian-themed, and are remarkably idiomatic evocations of Russian folk music. Does anyone know anything about Marcou or any Russian connections he might have had?

[Jean-Séb]

I tried but failed to find any clue on the identity of Paul Marcou. I would not surprised if it was the alias of another composer, as was frequently the case the the field of parlour music of that time.

[Phillip210]

I tried but failed to find any clue on the identity of Paul Marcou. I would not surprised if it was the alias of another composer, as was frequently the case the the field of parlour music of that time.

That of course is a strong possibility. The only argument against it is that the pieces I have seen by him all have dedications, mainly to women, and including one 'a mon elève....' . In my experience, music of the period written under pseudonyms rarely has dedications (otherwise the multiple dedicatees would have to be in on the secret, I presume!).