I'm now working on an essay on French piano quintets, and I'll be quite happy to hear any ideas of such works, especially for the unsung masterpieces like Castillon or Florent Schmitt's!
An essay on French piano quintets that didn't give pride of place to Franck would, in my view, be seriously defective!
As member of this forum you will surely be aware that there are lots of French piano quintets,
quite many of them are really worth of listening more then once!
One of my personal favourites is that of Pierné, but don't miss the works of e.g.
Vierne, Cras, Le Flem, Koechlin, Durosoir.
Pride of place to the Franck quintet? Peut-être. Myself, I'd go for the two Faure masterpieces.
Jean Huré has a very fine piano quintet
Louise Farrenc has 2 pf Quintets that are strong and beautiful.
I hope this list is of some help:
George Alary
Charles-V Alkan
Henry Barraud,
Albert Bertelin
Adolph Biarent
Charles Boisdeferre
Francis Bousquet
Andre Caplet
Alexis de Castillon
Pierre Cettier
Henri Collet
Jean Cras
Henri Dallier
Camille Chevillard
Madeleine Dedien-Peters
Yvone Desvortes
Edouard Destenay
Theodore Dubois
Paul Dupin
Lucien Durosoir
Gabriel Dupont
Louise Farrenc
Gabriel Faure
Paul Fievet
Reynaldo Hahn
Ferdinand Herold
Jean Hure
Vincent d'Indy
Desire Inghelbrecht
Friedrich Kalkbrenner (German/French)
Rudolph Kreutzer
Mariel Labey
Charles Koechlin
Louis Lacombe
Paul Ladmirault
Edouard Lalo
Charles Lefebure
Paul Le Flem
Rene Lenormand
Guy de Lioncourt
Alberic Magnard
George Migot
Darius Milhaud
George Onslow
Georges Pfeiffer
Nicole Philiba
Michel Philippot
Gabriel Pierne
Armande de Polignac
Amadee Rasetti
Emil Ratez
Henri-Jean Rigel
Dane Rudhyar
Jeanne Rueff
Camille Saint-Saens
Florent Schmitt
Deodat de Severac
Richelot Simia
Louis Vierne
Paul de Wailly
Charles Widor
Giles,
thanks for that great list of French piano quintets. A favourite topic for my collection (the first rank is occupied by violin concertos)
are piano quintets - I didn't know that there are still so many works I haven't got yet :-\
I have a list of over 1,000 piano quintets, never got round to doing a web site for them. I had planned to follow on from my piano concerto one. My interest started by being frustrated by how many venues could not accommodate an orchestra not to mention afford an orchestra. Piano quintets seemed the next best thing and they are greatly underrated.
How about doing a violin concerto site, you will be surprised by the amount of interest it will generate.
A splendid list, Giles, which has set the head spinning and the hands reaching out for reference books. Thank you for it.
I remain unrepentant about proposing Franck as one of the greatest 19th century French piano quintets - and it doesn't appear on your list. Perhaps you count Franck as Belgian?
I did count him as Belgian and there are a few more Belgians if you are interested.
Quote from: giles.enders on Thursday 16 August 2012, 10:09
I hope this list is of some help:
...
Que votre liste est formidable! There are quite a few there that I don't know there - and if any turn out to be anything like as fine as the Schmitt, we'll be in for quite a treasure-trove indeed! Speaking of the Schmitt, I suppose the principal reasons for the rarity of performances is its sheer scale and difficulty, yet I'd question just how much harder or lengthier it is than the great Brahms Op. 34 which gets plenty of (well-deserved) outings.
Alkan composed a QUINTET??? I've heard the Trio, but I've never seen a quintet listed anywhere.
Quote from: JimL on Thursday 16 August 2012, 14:56
Alkan composed a QUINTET??? I've heard the Trio, but I've never seen a quintet listed anywhere.
I meant to respond about this earlier and then forgot! I've never seen or heard of it either. The nearest to it might be the second Concerto da Camera in its version with solo strings but this involves a double bass.
The Belgians !
Alexandre Artot
Jan Blockx
Auguste Dupont
Cesar Franck
Armande Freson
Leon Jongen
Desire Paque
Froncoise Rasse
Joseph Ryelandt
Daniel Schroyens
Many thanks, Giles.
I now feel very humble - since a quick look through the Belgian list tells me I know only 20% of these quintets! That appears awful, eh? And if the Franck was re-categorised as French (I always think of Franck as French since he lived, worked, and published in France), then it goes down to 10%.
Methinks I ought to go back to the Piano Quintet kindergarten.
Can anyone introduce us to one or two of the works by the less well-known composers? Otherwise, all we have is another list...
I have LeFlem's quintet, but I believe it is still available o Cybelia.
What's LeFlem's PQ like in terms of idiom?
Le Flem's Piano Quintet is constructed mostly following Franck's example, with adoption of folk tunes from Brittany, the composer's hometown.
It's more modern than that. The vocabulary is decidedly of impressionist bent, with the emphasis upon mood rather than argument.
Giles:
Could you please detail your excellent list a little bit, like the composing date and the opus number of some less known quintets? I can't find information for some works that you listed.
Among the more esoteric items on the lists I've heard, I would decribe the Durosoir (1925) as being in the Franck line (the first movement almost quotes the CF quintet) but knotty, astringent though not quite "modern," no impressionism to speak of either; an austere work compared to Le Flem, Cras, Hure (this last is in the Franck manner, compact and intense). I don't believe Georges Witkowski (1867-1943) has been mentioned. His piano quintet (1890s) is also Franckian, but closer to the source, warm and lyrical, cyclic in form. Dupont's quintet falls between Faure and Debussy in style, not a bad place to be. Blockx, soldily romantic and tuneful, a bit like Dvorak.
The LeFlem may not be long on argument but it is ravishingly beautiful and memorable, close to Ropartz in style.
Yes, it is.
I would recommend to any one interested in chamber music to start with Cobbetts. Looking at Merton Music's current catalogue, I see that they have over sixty piano quintets listed.
Alkan - The reference I have is a Rondo Brillant for piano, 2 violins, viola and cello or double bass.
A list of 100+ composers of piano quintets compiled by Eric Bruskin, me, and others around 1996 can be found linked to here (https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!search/piano$20quintets$20102$20more/rec.music.makers.piano/BysNpBdJqwU/Fyh4StPn1zYJ). (Hope the link works; the search terms I used in groups.google.com were piano quintets 102 more ). Possibly nothing there not already here, but have a look?
(I have no idea if Eric Bruskin is related to the violinist of the Claremont Trio.)
Very good, Eric. Thanks - the link works fine.
Has anybody mentioned the Suite Basque for piano quartet by Ropartz copain Charles Bordes?
No!- because we are talking about piano quintets
misfired brain synapse; Bordes' work IS for piano quintet.
I'd add-
at least two quintets by Alexandre Cellier (1883-1968, a Guilmant pupil) (the 2nd, in B minor (published 1922), is at Sibley and at IMSLP); Eugene Emile Lacroix's (1858-1950) quintet (@ IMSLP again, published ca.1906, A minor but - not unusually for the date - taking quite some time to settle in that key at first... (indeed the opening had me thinking Scriabin)). I know of no recordings of either offhand. (Actually, Lacroix was born in England, though most of his music may have been, like the quintet, published in France. Hrm. There seems to be a tale there I don't know... BNF has him as French, however, and I'm guessing he moved to France at an early age... in any case he died in Paris January 1950. Also an organist, but a pupil of Gigout.)
Also @ IMSLP is Oscar Vermeire (born Roubaix, 1882-1935)'s Quintette symphonique (pub.ca.1910).
(If Vierne's quintet hasn't been given a thumbs-up/shout-out, I will do so... :) )
Thanks for this info, Eric. Much appreciated.
Quote from: eschiss1 on Wednesday 29 August 2012, 01:03
(If Vierne's quintet hasn't been given a thumbs-up/shout-out, I will do so... :) )
I'd agree completely with that, Eric.