Franz Schmidt Romanze in A for piano

[Pyramus]

I can't find this work covered elsewhere. I've obtained a copy from the distributor in Marseille and am busy practising it. The preface describes it as Schmidt's only piano work for two hands (as opposed to those for left-hand only), composed around 1922 and rediscovered in 1950. I've been an admirer of Schmidt's music, especially the symphonies, for many years. The very chromatic bars in the Romanze will need some careful practice but I hope to play it at our informal chamber music gathering here in Devon next month. I'll report back on its reception.

[eschiss1]

Published by Doblinger in 1969 edited by Alfred Jirasek?
Schmidt doesn't seem afaik to have written much for solo piano in any case- a toccata for piano left hand, the Romance, and some arrangements (probably for piano left hand, the latter)... so, one for two.

[Pyramus]

I played the Romanze at this month's chamber music club in Ashburton, Devon. As it was the end of the season there was only a small gathering of musicians, none of whom had heard of Schmidt but the piece was well received. I referred to his five chamber works, which I've listened to, but obtaining parts might be a challenge!

[eschiss1]

The original, piano left hand etc. version of the quintets were only published fairly recently and are probably fairly expensive to get performance rights to play. (The Wührer arrangement of the A major was published by Weinberger in 1959, the Originalfassung by the same in 2010, for example. G major: Wührer in 1954, original version in 2010, both by Weinberger of Vienna. Etc.? ... The string quartets are at least edging closer to public domain (no.1 in A has been PD everywhere since 2023, I think, ah, and since no.2 was published in 1930, this is the magic year for no.2, so not "edging closer" but "are now both in".) but I think you mean works with piano parts here...)