Blas Maria Colomer i Pérez (1833 or 1840–1917) was a Spanish-born composer, pianist, and music teacher who later became a French national.
Biographical Overview
Birth and Death: Born in Bocairente, Valencia, Spain, in 1833 (some sources cite 4 February 1840). He died in Paris on 27 June 1917.
Education: Studied music in Valencia before moving to Paris in 1851, where he trained under Antoine François Marmontel at the Paris Conservatory. He won first prizes in piano (1861) and harmony (1863).
Career: Became a professor at the Paris Conservatory and taught at the Légion d'Honneur Schools. Among his notable students was Georges Sporck (1870–1943).
Musical Works
Colomer composed in various genres, including:
Opera and Operetta:
Finalist in an opera competition sponsored by Napoleon III's government.
Composed the opera The Cup of the King of Thule (also cited as The Crown of the King of Thule).
Orchestral Works:
Two piano concertos.
Pedagogical Piano Music:
Created numerous educational piano pieces for his students.
Chamber Music:
His Fantasie for oboe was recently recorded on the album Love is a Rebellious Bird: French Music for Oboe and Piano (2023), highlighting his lesser-known chamber works.
Legacy and Rediscovery
Colomer's music, though not widely known today, reflects the French Romantic style with Spanish influences. His pedagogical works suggest a focus on technical refinement.
Modern recordings, like the 2023 oboe album, are reviving interest in his chamber music
Works for piano and orchestra (BNF):
1) Concerto Symphonique for piano and orchestra op.22
Titre(s) : "1e Concerto Symphonique pour piano et orchestre" [Musique manuscrite]
Type de manuscrit : Ms. autogr.
Présentation : Partition
Date(s) : [1879]
2) 2nd Concerto for piano and orchestra Op.45
Titre(s) : "2me Concerto pour piano et Orchestre. Op. 45" [Musique manuscrite]
Type de manuscrit : Ms. français
Date(s) : [1883]
Description matérielle : 75 p., partition
I have ordered the manuscript from BNF and tried to simulate the opening of Concerto Symphonique (Letter A)
The first concerto exists not only in manuscript but was published in the same year by Durand apparently in full score and other forms too.
I seem to recall skimming some works by Colomer ages ago. Anyhow, thanks!
The arrangement of concerto no.1 is @ IMSLP (https://imslp.org/wiki/Concerto_symphonique_No.1,_Op.22_(Colomer,_Blas_Mar%C3%ADa_de)) (the Durand full score is at BN España, possibly not yet digitized.)
Quote from: eschiss1 on Friday 16 May 2025, 01:09The arrangement of concerto no.1 is @ IMSLP (https://imslp.org/wiki/Concerto_symphonique_No.1,_Op.22_(Colomer,_Blas_Mar%C3%ADa_de)) (the Durand full score is at BN España, possibly not yet digitized.)
Thanks for the input, I solely relying on worldcat, hence only found the manuscript in BNF. Entirely unsure of the printed edition at BNE, should have asked here first. I assumed 2nd concerto is only in manuscript. There is also a 1st symphony in A op.46
Actually, found out about the BNE library copy via a Worldcat search on Colomer concerto ... and since their copy is 57 pages as is the complete score of the IMSLP-held arrangement (which latter part was downloaded from BNE, I see) I see that yes, the BNE-held score is the arranged 2-piano score, or something like (IMSLP has scans downloaded from BNF and BNE). Thanks for catching that.
Ya, unfortunately. I am working on a poorly reproduced microfilm copy, which has difficulty to identify certain notes especially if there are different colors of markings or corrections, all black and white. My only reference will be the 2 piano reduction for the fidelity of notes. But still, I found mistakes at piano part in the printed version, which failed to observe changing of clefs at the left hand , as shown clearly in the manuscript.
The Op.22 was one of several concerti I suggested to Mike Spring at Hyperion back in the day that the label hasn't yet taken on, so I'm glad to see someone (promusician) has taken an interest. I'll get a listen to the realisation above, asap.
[Edit: I see it is just the opening so far, which certainly sounds promising! I look forward to hearing more.]
Thanks for this.
4c
Thanks, a work worth to be revived! At this moment, I will be working on it slowly until Darrel finished off some of his works and take over from me. Do you know any other unrecorded concertos that has full parts or conductor score available? I will trying to get them in my wishlist
Ignaz Brull: Rhapsodie, Op. 65 (Fleisher)
Concertstuck, WoO. [MS in University of Michigan Library (scans in my own collection), p. 4 missing. New Edition, ed. & completed by
Michael Laus – available from Michael Laus, University of Malta]
Otis Bardwell Boise: Piano Concerto in G minor (modern critical edition of Full Score by James Dobes Reitzell "The 1st Piano Concerto by an American?..." can be ordered from Pro-Quest; MS in Johns Hopkins Library, Univ. of Baltimore.
Ottokar Novacek: Concerto Eroica, Op. 8 (Fleisher)
Frank Limbert: Concertstuck in C sharp minor (Fleisher)
Otto Neitzel: Piano Concerto Op. 26 (1900) - Fleisher
Hugo Kaun: Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 50 – score & parts in Fleisher
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 115 – score & parts in Fleisher
Charles Mayer: Concerto Symphonique, Op. 89 – score & parts in Fleisher
Grand Concerto for piano & orchestra, Op. 70 – score & parts in Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
Arthur Hinton: Piano Concerto in D minor – score & parts in the possession of American pianist, Dan Franklin Smith (http://www.danfranklinsmith.com/) who edited it. Also published Full Score (Fischer, 1920) in Guildhall School of Music & Drama, UK. Published 2-piano score in RCM, RAM, Oxford (Bodleian), Trinity College Dublin and BL.
Cecil Coles: Piano Concerto (MS Full Score in National Library of Scotland)
Percy Sherwood: Piano Concerto No. 1 (MS performance material in Bodleian Library, Oxford).
Frank Merrick: 2 piano concertos (MS performance materials in University of Bristol Library).
STANLEY WILSON
English composer (1899-1953) who received Carnegie United Kingdom Trust award in 1928 for his "Skye" Symphony (pub. Stainer & Bell); wrote in a Romantic style. Orchestral MSS in RCM Collection.
Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 46 (1929)
Piano Concerto No. 2 (1937)
Piano Concerto in modo classico (1952)
MS full scores of the above at RCM.
Artur Lemba: 5 concertos (all MSS and some performance material at Estonian Music Information Center)
Victor-Alphonse Duvernoy: Fantaisie Symphonique for piano & orchestra (Fleisher)
Kreutzer, Leon: Piano Concerto (1863) – (IMSLP - Full Score)
That should do to be going on with.
French-American composer Frederic Louis Ritter (1834-91, US from 1856 more or less) wrote a piano concerto in B minor, manuscript parts, date not specified in Vassar's description thereof (https://web.archive.org/web/20100703124455/http://specialcollections.vassar.edu/findingaids/ritter_frederic.html). Conceivably earlier than Boise's 1875 work, no way to know just now.
Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Saturday 17 May 2025, 19:13Arthur Hinton: Piano Concerto in D minor – score & parts in the possession of American pianist, Dan Franklin Smith (http://www.danfranklinsmith.com/) who edited it. Also published Full Score (Fischer, 1920) in Guildhall School of Music & Drama, UK. Published 2-piano score in RCM, RAM, Oxford (Bodleian), Trinity College Dublin and BL.
Artur Lemba: 5 concertos (all MSS and some performance material at Estonian Music Information Center)
The Hinton Concerto and concertos by Lemba are actually recorded.
The Hinton concerto can be heard here (https://archive.org/details/cd_boyle-larchet-hinton-compositions_ina-boyle-john-larchet-arthur-hinton), played by Dan Franklin Smith himself, conducted by the late Christopher Fifield and played by his Lambert Orchestra.
Soviet LPs transfers of Lemba concertos are all available on YT, and there's even a Chandos recording of the relatively substantial First（not many of them exceed even 20 mins！）
Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Saturday 17 May 2025, 19:13Frank Merrick: 2 piano concertos (MS performance materials in University of Bristol Library).
Merrick's 2nd I remember to have listened to by streaming (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53q0qVJq8ao&pp=ygUcbWVycmljayBwaWFubyBjb25jZXJ0byBuby4gMg%3D%3D)
Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Saturday 17 May 2025, 19:13Hugo Kaun: Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 50 – score & parts in Fleisher
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 115 – score & parts in Fleisher
Kaun's second were simulated by Walter Zielke (the Albis Music that made simulations of some of Thieriot's symphonies) and posted on IMSLP, but not in its entirety: The latter half of the third movement was not included and the simulation fades out halfway through that movement :'(
Merrick's concertos both appeared on LP; I -think- only one movement of no.2 has appeared on CD/digital format outside of YouTube.
Yes, I know all of those recordings, but none are commercial and most are in poor sound. Most are difficult to find. With the exception of the Lemba PCs and Zielke's Kaun. All would benefit from good modern recordings.
Quote from: eschiss1 on Sunday 18 May 2025, 02:11French-American composer Frederic Louis Ritter (1834-91, US from 1856 more or less) wrote a piano concerto in B minor, manuscript parts, date not specified in Vassar's description thereof (https://web.archive.org/web/20100703124455/http://specialcollections.vassar.edu/findingaids/ritter_frederic.html). Conceivably earlier than Boise's 1875 work, no way to know just now.
I am asking if any UC member living in NYC can help to take photographs of this piano concerto, so we can save some costs? Of course, voluntarily.
I am able to offer you the email address for the head of the Archives & Special Collections Division of the Vassar libraries: His name is Ron Patkus, patkus@vassar.edu (patkus@vassar.edu)
Quote from: Febct on Friday 30 May 2025, 14:59I am able to offer you the email address for the head of the Archives & Special Collections Division of the Vassar libraries: His name is Ron Patkus, patkus@vassar.edu (patkus@vassar.edu)
Thanks, but I already emailed them, the person in charge was Dean Rogers and he replied me stating the charge will be high and he was not able to cope with the heavy workload. I will try again