Louis-Etienne Ernest Reyer. Born 10.12.1823 Marseilles Died 15.1.1909 Le Lavandou, Hyeres
His initial musical training was at the Free School of Music in Marseilles. At the age of sixteen he was sent to live with an uncle, Louis Farrenc in Algeria. It was there that he began to compose songs and a mass, which was performed at the cathedral in Algiers. In 1848 he went to Paris to study with his Aunt the composer Louise Farrenc. There he met Flaubert and Gautier both of whom had an interest in oriental subjects, which was to influence on some of his music.
His original surname was Rey.
There is more biographical material elsewhere on this site.
Orchestra
Le Selem , Oriental symphony in 5 tableaux for soprano, baritone and orchestra. Words by Theophile Gautier 1850
Marche Tzigane 1865 (also for piano)
Chamber
Duettino for oboe and cello pub. by Journal de Musique
Piano
Petite Fantaisie in E flat major pub. by Choudens 1877
Pensee Melodique in E flat major pub. by Choudens 1878
Dance Polonaise pub. by Gaulois 1888
Song
A un berceau 1853
Tanko le Fondeur 1860
Vieille chanson du jeune tempes words by Victor Hugo 1860
Pour quoi ne m'aimez-vous pub. by Choudens 1869
Voguons pub. by Choudens 1869
Tristesse poem by Theophile Gautier pub. by Gaulois 1884
L'homme poem by G Boyer 1892
Trois Sonnets poems by Camille du Locle
Le Dernier Rendez-vous words by Camille du Locle 1896
Ballet
Sacountala, in two acts based on a story by Theophile Gautier 1858
Opera
Maitre Wolfram 1 act opera libretto by Joseph Mery 1854
La Statue 3 act opera inspired by Arabian Nights. libretto by Michel Carre & Jules Barbiers pub. by Choudens 1861
Erostrate 2 act opera pub. by Choudens 1862
Sigurd 4 act opera based on Scandanavian legends (the Ring) pub. by G. Hartmann 1884
Salammbo 5 act opera based on a novel by Gustave Flaubert pub. by Choudens 1890
Choral
Mass for arrival of the Duc d'Aumale 1847
Choer des buveurs et choers desassieges 1848
Victoire cantata 1859
L'Union des Artes: Ave Maria, Salve Regina O Salutaris. Hymn
Chant des paysans from Les Volontaires de 1814 by V. Sejour 1861
L'hymne du Rhin words by Joseph Mery cantata for soprano ,chorus and orchestra 1865
La Madeleine au desert for bass-voice and orchestra 1874
If you want to sample the best of Reyer, this is the recording to get:
https://www.premiereopera.net/product/sigurd-by-reyer-with-massard-chauvet-paris-1973/
Is that Théodore or Théophile Gautier? (There are some 125-odd works (or work pages containing, etc) @ IMSLP with texts by, or based on works by, the latter. All of the songs of Berlioz' Les nuits d'été, for example.)
None of the "Sakuntala" operas and stage works I can find besides the one you list seem to be based on Gautier's, btw, several others (like Alfano's and Weingartner's operas) apparently being based, according to their libretti, on composer translations of the original 5th century (I think) Kalidasa source. Interesting.
It should be Théophile Gautier.
Quote from: giles.enders on Sunday 25 September 2022, 14:01Chamber
Duettino for oboe and cello pub.by Journal de Musique
I've been looking for that one for a while. No luck so far among the digital libraries I've explored. Anyone luckier?
I think Gallica has it, yea. They have the volume of JdM it appears in. Then one downloads. Takes some searching.
Quote from: eschiss1 on Sunday 25 September 2022, 23:33I think Gallica has it, yea. They have the volume of JdM it appears in. Then one downloads. Takes some searching.
Thanks Eric! I remember seeing that specific journal on Gallica some times ago, but I believe the sheet music wasn't scanned yet. I'm glad it's there after all!
Actually, I'm not sure if the sheet music is scanned yet, I think I just assumed, whoops. Should not have! Will check...
Ah, here's some of it? part of the cello part (https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k696888/f574.image.r=duettino) (press right-arrow for start of the piano score, etc.)
Quote from: eschiss1 on Monday 26 September 2022, 04:29Ah, here's some of it? part of the cello part (https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k696888/f574.image.r=duettino) (press right-arrow for start of the piano score, etc.)
Looks like the whole piece to me (see final barline at the end of the piano score), and the cello part is complete too. The oboe part is also a few pages further in, after a
Berceuse and
Bonne nuit scores by other composers.
My mistake, should be Theophile G. will correct my posting.
tpaloj: well good! -if- you want to and need some assistant(s) uploading it to imslp... :)
Quote from: eschiss1 on Monday 26 September 2022, 21:06tpaloj: well good! -if- you want to and need some assistant(s) uploading it to imslp... :)
Returning to this Duettino, actually I took the initiative and uploaded a re-typed score and parts on IMSLP, seeing the BNF scans were in pretty bad quality and the oboe and cello parts already on IMSLP were not much better.
Typing this short, nice piece was a good change of pace for a lot of orchestral music I have worked on recently. Any changes from the original are made for clarity's sake and a couple of obvious copyist mistakes have been amended. One can print the score and parts as A4 and perform it as you will.
Ernest Reyer's Duettino (IMSLP) (https://imslp.org/wiki/Duettino_(Reyer,_Ernest))
one correction-the parts all belong under the parts tab (moved) :) anyhow, thanks!!
Reyer's Opera "Salammbô" is another excellent work!
There is a broadcast of a Marseille performance of September 2008, conducted by Lawrence Foster.
Orson Welles originally wanted an aria from this work to be used in his film "Citizen Kane" - but it was decided to create a new piece in the style of French post-Romantic opera - instead of recurring to the original score. Bernard Herrmann supplied a wonderful and gorgeously orchestrated piece! In the film, the singer (Kane's wife) sings dreadfully. The aria was then performed "correctly" by Eileen Farrell in a CBS 1943 broadcast and recorded in 1974 by Kiri Te Kanawa. It's on that famous RCA LP (later re-issued on CD) "The Classic Film Scores of Bernard Herrmann", conducted by Charles Gerhardt and produced by George Korngold (the composer's son). As a text, Herrmann used a pastiche from the classic tragedies of Racine.
As far as I remember we already have an earlier thread on this composer and on this subject in here!
Of "Sigurd" I suppose you know that there is that excellent and famous performance conducted by Manuel Rosenthal (French Radio, 1973, published on various bootleg LPs and CDs) - plus a Geneva concert performance of 2013, a broadcast which I may have offered in here years ago.
"but it was decided to create a new piece in the style of French post-Romantic opera - instead of recurring to the original score. Bernard Herrmann supplied a wonderful and gorgeously orchestrated piece!"
Which sounds furiously like a Massenet piece !
"and recorded in 1974 by Kiri Te Kanawa."
Here's another gorgeous version by Venera Gimadieva at the Prom's :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwFtHTZnbF0