Léon Kreutzer 1817-1868

[matesic]

Another fascinating forgotten figure who I hadn't heard of until yesterday, although he does get an entry in New Grove. Quite a few of his scores are on IMSLP and I hope 4candles and cypressdome won't mind my sharing our conversation:

http://imslp.org/index.php?title=Special:WikiForum&thread=20187

I doubt that anyone here has ever heard a note of his but someone might just have some information?

[cypressdome]

Here is a synthesized rendition of his single movement Saxophone Quartet.  It's been generated from a typeset that hasn't been checked for errors and the dynamic changes could use some work but it's better than nothing.  The score of the 1863 edition is available on IMSLP.  MP3 link: Kreutzer - Quatuor pour saxophones.

[matesic]

Absolutely no disrespect intended, but those saxophones sound hilarious! The piece itself is quite bizarre, almost minimalist in its perseveration with repeated crotchets and scales, interspersed with crazy harmonic shifts and dynamic contrasts. I wonder how it would transpose for strings..?

[matesic]

I've now heard it on another PC with a better synth chip and the saxes sound much more mellifluous and the music more conventional, although it also helps having slowed down the Andante and speeded up the Allegro. I'm surprised to find the pitch range is much wider than you'd get with a string quartet, all four saxes exploring their lower reaches. So perhaps this is best left with the instruments it was written for, and I think saxophone quartets across the globe should be grateful.

[eschiss1]

for just a moment I read PC as "piano concerto" and couldn't quite make sense of the sentence- a synthesized version of a ... different piano concerto of Kreutzer's?

(I see incidentally that his concerto, uploaded from BNF, has 4 movements, with a scherzo, and is called piano concerto, not "concerto symphonique", 20 years before Brahms #2. Good on Kreutzer. It's the little things *)

*Ok, stop with the inappropriate and irrelevant Sondheim song references already Eric. Every day, I tell you...

[eschiss1]

Kreutzer's would have been an early saxophone quartet but he would have had several predecessors, including Singelée's Allegro (published 1858 I think) and Jérome Savari's (1861) (depending on when Kreutzer's was first published- 1863 according to IMSLP but other sources give 1860-possibly, and a 1861 letter from Sax to Kreutzer suggests that he not only had Kreutzer's quartet in hand to publish in 1861 (or had done so) but was awaiting more quartets from Léon. (The notes to the letter estimate that the existing quartet was at least begun in 1857, if I understand right.) Hrm.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I have directed Hyperion to the score of Leon Kreutzer's PC, which strikes me as rather a good piece. Perhaps they will find a pianist interested in recording it. Fingers crossed.

[Double-A]

I have posted parts to Léon Kreutzer's string quartet #6 to IMSLP (the source--first and only edition--is a score only).  Since the work was already done I took the opportunity to post computer generated mp3 files of the four movements since it is unlikely anyone will record it--"unlikely" here to be understood as much less likely than the probability for recordings of "normal" unsung quartets.

At the link in the first post of this thread you will find details including some discussion of this idiosyncratic work (and some others).  Also at IMSLP:  Two recordings by Matesic of Kreutzer works.

[4candles]

Hello all

I've finally taken the plunge to sign up to this forum after years of knowing about it.

And I'll make my first post about the Saxophone Quartet of Léon Kreutzer, which has been taken up by at least two professional saxophone quartets within the last couple of years. Here is one of them - Psaiko Quartet - performing the work as part of a larger programme. I find the piece effective, accessible and eminently listenable.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/YLj0rgyoNx0?start=1319

This is the first publicly available professional recording of any of Kreutzer's music that I am aware of, bar one of his mélodies and I look forward to hearing much more from him, as I know of at least one pianist who is interested in taking up his piano concerto and there's a possibility that his string quartets may finally get some love too.

Enjoy
4candles

[4candles]

Anyone here proficient (or very able) in deciphering handwriting? I would appreciate help with the note linked below, written by Léon Kreutzer regarding the piano transcriptions for four hands by Damcke of his two orchestral Symphonies. I can read some of it, but there are parts of it pretty hard to make out.

BnF scan on this page.

Many thanks.
Seth

[matesic]

That's a bit of an ask, Seth - I think it may be in French! Could you tell us what you've already deciphered and where the problem words occur? Who's Hippolite?

[4candles]

Thanks Matesic.

After another read-through, I think I can gather the gist of the note. I've given my efforts below, plus a rough Google translation. Anything I can't quite work out is in square brackets with question marks.

• Cher Monsieur Hippolite [Prevol?] - un éditeur courageux a publié a Leipzig mes deux Symphonies [en fa et en Si b] arrangés a quatre mains par M. Damcke, l'un des plus éminents compositeurs de l'Allemagne aujourdui professant a Paris. C'est pour la beauté de [?] que Mr J Maho a fait graver en Allemagne. Car [ils ?] seul revenus en france, et il [?] bien de dédommager par un pue de publicité de frais bien considerable - pour y vous sait au [moniteur?], sait a la france, ou pour le [?] grand charme des [?]
  
  pour [deverée?] ce moi pour la traduction de mes [?]
  
  deux billets de concert - mais [?] ne sont pas a redouter - Vous y entendrez tres bien [?] un [?] remarquable [trio?] de Mr Damcke qui [est?] si chaleureusement [?]
  
  vous avez enfin [appris?] la plume [annoncer?] cette publication - si vous en [desercez?] en un exemplaire Mr Maho se ferait un [plaisir?] de vouz l'addresser - ci joint
  
  Votre affectueux collegue - LK
  
  
  




• ROUGH GOOGLE TRANSLATION:
  
  Dear Sir Hippolite [Prevol?] - a courageous publisher has published in Leipzig my two Symphonies [in F and in Si b] arranged by four hands by Mr. Damcke, one of the most prominent composers of Germany today professing in Paris . It is for the beauty of [?] That Mr J Maho had engraved in Germany. Because [they?] Only income in France, and it [well] to compensate by a publicity stink of considerable expense - for you know the [monitor?], Know to France, or for the [?] Grand charm of [?]
  
  for [deveree?] this me for the translation of my [?]
  
  two concert tickets - but [?] are not to be feared - you will hear very well [?] a [?] remarkable [trio?] of Mr Damcke who [is?] so warmly [?]
  
  you finally [learned?] the pen [announce?] this publication - if you [deserce?] in a copy Mr Maho would make a [pleasure?] of the addresser - attached
  
  Your loving colleague - LK

Any help appreciated!

Best
4c

[matesic]

I got a few words I think - on the RH flap "deux billets de concert mais ceux-ci ne sont pas a redouter. Vous y entendrez tres bien joué un tres remarquable trio de M. ?? qui est si chalheureusement ??". My google translates "chalheureusement" as "reluctantly". I'm encouraged enough to try some more...

[matesic]

Hippolyte Prévost! From the list of composers on IMSLP

[4candles]

Thanks for that matesic. I thought it might be Prévost, but thanks for confirming. I look forward to seeing what else you might be able to decipher.

Good job so far!