Messages

The manuscript full score of Nordisa has been digitized and added into Internet Archive in 2023. A pity that so many of this composer's works were destroyed!

Nordisa (full score digitization)

15.1.2026, Helsinki, Finland (Musiikkitalo): Korngold's Cello Concerto op. 37.

18.1.2026 (same venue): semi-unsung Dora Pejacevic's Piano Trio op. 29, and Germaine Tailleferre's Piano Trio.

When I was searching for Melartin's violin sonatas, I discovered this concert celebrating Erkki Melartin's 150th birth anniversary:
https://holvi.com/shop/KOKONAINEN/product/dd2a26ac570aedee4a1d76224e1efeb2/

May 14th at Hakasalmen huvila, Helsinki, the spotlight is Melartin's First Violin Sonata, Op. 10 from 1899, described as a 40-minute long big work.

This work may quite well be unrecorded. And I found Melartin's piano chamber music in general was little explored.

The full program, all unsung pieces, is:

• Elisar Riddelin: Ihtiriekko ja Sielunlintu, for solo violin
• L. Onerva: Impromptu Keijujen karkelosta
• Kerttu Wanne: Volatiles
• Helvi Mäkinen: Kotkan ruusu
• Erkki Melartin: Cantilene Op. 44 No. 2
• Erkki Melartin: Violin Sonata No. 1 Op. 10, E-dur

The concert overview mentions that all the pieces will be recorded on disc later.

[An anonymous work for orchestra by Hiller]

An anonymous work for orchestra by Hiller

Here is a transcription of a score in Hiller's musical estate at the Goethe Universitat (Mus Hs 129 Nr. 4), found in a bound volume containing other orchestral pieces as well, some of which are unfinished. A few works in this tome can be dated into the 1870s. This particular work, in sonata-allegro form and in the key of D major, is untitled and undated. I find the work thoroughly optimistic, noble and spirited without any pretense for unnecessary effects. Another joyful creation from the pen of the very industrious Mr. Hiller!

Link to youtube

Identifying an untitled and undated manuscript can be difficult. Some of my thoughts:

• Is it an overture, either a concert overture or an overture to an unrealized opera? Possibly, but it's rather long for one.
• It doesn't appear to be the opening movement to Hiller's lost "Im freien" symphony in G major, due to being in D major.
• The same bound tome which contains this piece also has an orchestral work simply titled "Finale", which could be related to it (same instrumentation, instrument/staff layout and key), but it's tough to say for sure.
• Curiously, this piece has one very, very similar theme to Hiller's (second) Lustspielouverture, whose digitized score can be found via SBB's website.
• If only for a mismatching tempo designation, neither does it appear to be the first movement to Hiller's final Symphonic attempt from 1884, which I will try to detail below...

Hiller's unfinished Symphony from 1884

Hiller did in fact begin composing a symphony in early 1884. There are several brief mentions of it in his personal diaries from early 1884, but no mention of completion. Later, in 20 October 1885, the first movement was performed at a Gürzenich-Concert in Cologne in honor of the composer who had passed away in May that year. The newspaper review of this concert clarifies that Hiller only finished the first movement and begun the second so the Symphony was indeed left unfinished. The tempo designation for the first movement was Allegro energico and it was apparently a movement where we would continously "see the spirit rousing itself, shaking off its gloomy thoughts, and rising to new life, only to soon offer its sacrifice to melancholy and renunciation." (full article in German below)

Kölnische Zeitung (Erstes Blatt)
22.10.1885, nro 293 p. 2. (Wednesday)

Erstes Gürzenich-Concert unter Leitung des stätischen Kapellmeisters Herrn Professors Dr. Franz Wüllner.

Dienstag, den 20. October.

Das erste Wort in der neuen Saison sprach Ferdinand Hiller, denn an der Spitze des Programms stand sein Allegro energico für Orchester. Wie es scheint, hat der verstorbene Meister in seinen letzten Lebenstagen noch eine neue Symphonie schaffen wollen. Doch ist er nicht über den ersten Satz — eben dieses Allegro energico — und den Anfang eines langsamen Satzes hinausgekommen, und er hat auch seitdem keine weitern musicalischen Arbeiten unternommen. Demnach wäre dieses Allegro, das bereits im April 1884 vollendet vorlag, das letzte musicalische Vermächtnis Hillers. Wir greifen nicht fehl, wenn wir darin ein Stück Programmmusik erkennen, eine Art Monolog aus der Krankenstube. Unaufhörlich sehen wir den Geist sich aufraffen, die trüben Gedanken abschütteln und sich zu neuem Leben aufeuern, um dann aber auch bald wieder der Wehmut und der Entsagung sein Opfer zu spenden. Der milden Lichtblicke, welche die Schale des Trostes darreichen sollen, sind nur wenige und sie dauern nur kurze Zeit. Überwiegend zittert Schmerz und Klage, ja, ein gewisser Zorn durch die Composition, wir sehen vor uns das Seelenleben eines Mannes, der sich noch stark fühlt zu kühnen Thaten, aber von dem gebrechlichen Körper im Stiche gelassen wird. Als solche musicalisch-dramatische Declamation ist diese letzte Arbeit Hillers von großem psychologischen Interesse. Sie wurde vortrefflich vom Orchester ausgeführt. [...]

I thought it might be interesting enough of a tidbit to share for any of you other "Hillerites" here! I don't think I've ever seen this unfinished Symphony mentioned in any Hiller biographies before. I found out about it just recently and it was certainly news to me. Goethe Universitat's Hiller estate doesn't appear to have any scores fitting the description of an orchestral work with the tempo designation Allegro energico, so it's unknown to me where its score might be, whether it's preserved or lost in any case...

[Palmsonntagmorgen]

I recently finished transcriptions of the following two small character pieces of Hiller's. They are both published works but I don't believe either of these pieces have been recorded.

The first, Palmsonntagmorgen Op. 102, a work for soprano, women's chorus and orchestra is set to a poem of the same name by Emanuel Geibel. (The accompaniment was transcribed from the vocal score which was the only source I had at hand.) While the published full score and piano arrangements of this work are found in a few libraries, Hiller's autograph manuscript of this work appears in the catalogue of the antiquarian Leo Leipmannssohn in 1932, indicating it has likely disappeared into private collectors' hands since then...

Youtube link

For the second work we have Gesang Heloïsens und der Nonnen am Grabe Abälards, Op. 62, set for alto solo, women's chorus and small orchestra. Intended to be sung in Latin, the score is nevertheless coupled with a German translation by G. A. Königsfeld. The music is rather original and I find it very fitting for the mood of this beautiful text and setting.

Youtube link

I did a search on Hofmeister XIX which turned up a bunch of these opera fantasies. There are also many quadrilles composed on popular opera themes. For example:

• Grützmacher, Fr., Op. 33. Grosse Concert-Fantasie über Themen aus der Oper: Santa Chiara, von E. H. zu S., f. Violoncell mit Orch.
• Conradi, A., Grosses Potpourri a. d. Oper Die Afrikanerin, v. Meyerbeer, f. Orch.
• Wichtl, G., Op. 110. Fantasie über Motife a. d. Oper Martha v. Flotow, f. Oboe m. Orch.
• – Fantasie über Motive der Oper: Heinrich der Löwe, f. gr. (od. kl.) Orch. arr. v. H. Mannsfeldt. (I.V. dient als Direktionsst.)
• Lange, H., Potpourri aus der Oper: Zampa, v. Hérold, f. Orch.
• Wolff, C.G., Rhapsodie f. Orch. aus der Oper: Die weisse Dame, v. Boïeldieu
• Schreiner, Ad., Fantasie f. Orch. aus Massenet's Oper ,,Herodias".

Perhaps this list might help the op finding some of these pieces, and if there are any recordings of them out there...

As a small aside in regards the C-major Symphony... looking at Hiller's personal diary from 1876-77, a symphony is mentioned having been composed between August 1876 and January 1877. No key for it is given in these entries, though. Hiller writes:

• 31 August 1876: "... Skizzen zu eines Symphonie ..."
• 1 September 1876 to 2 January 1877 (on most days): "Symph." or "Symphonie" is written at the start of the entries.
• 3 January 1877: "Partitur d. Symph. beendigt".

More research would be needed to put all the information about this Symphony's problematic dating together...

Brahms wrote this in 1873; please listen from 9:30 in and tell me he hadn't heard the finale of Hiller's C major Symphony:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwxt3WcodUw

You're quite right, it's similar isn't it?!

However, while Hiller might just as well have copied the ostinato from Brahms for his Symphony, perhaps it's more the case that he was (conciously or unconciously) copying himself: the 4-note ostinato also appears earlier in the beginning of the final scene to the first act of his 1862 opera "Die Katakomben". Take a look at this short sample I put together, you'll see the motif appear there (though here it's in a minor key instead):

Youtube link

You're correct, it's G major, a slip of my "pen"! 

Has it really been 5 years since I created the transcription of the C major symphony? I'm very excited to hear Mr. Griffiths's recording once it becomes available. In the still very minuscule corner of musicology known as Ferdinand Hiller scholarship, it's a very precious event to finally hear this stunning symphony as it is meant to be heard: in the hands of an excellent conductor and orchestra!

In the years since creating the video, I've had the leisure opportunity to study many more scores by Mr. Hiller, and while initially I had mere doubts about the matter, I've grown to be adamant about the symphony having been composed in the 1860-70s. Given Alan's preliminary details about the upcoming volume in the series, CPO seems to agree with this theory, doesn't it?

PS: All other symphonies by Hiller are LOST.

For the record, aside from the lost earlier version of the E minor symphony, the lost symphonies are:

• Simphonie de Victoire à grand orchestre et un quatre parties. (incipits for all four movements listed in Hiller's diary dated 31 October, 1830)
• Symphony in G minor "Im freien", performed in England in the 1850s.

[Kriegers Morgen]

Kriegers Morgen (1869)

A work for orchestra, men's chorus and bass solo, written in the spirit of typical patriotic, german-nationalistic works much in vogue in its time. I couldn't find a source for the text whose author is given as "F. Moritz", and so some of the handwritten lyrics in the composer's autograph escaped my understanding. I rather like the first half of the music, and the composer was clearly gifted in writing for the orchestra, so while the lyrics remain incomplete perhaps this transcription won't be completely useless as far as getting a better idea of the composer's musical idiom.

Dorico/Noteperformer: Youtube link

As an aside, it appears to me that many of the composer's works for orchestra and chorus are unaccounted for or lost (as far as I can tell, though I welcome anyone letting me know otherwise). So unless luck has it and they might come to light one day, we are limited to the two symphonies, two concert overtures, an 1-act opera and this work, as far as Eugen Drobisch's orchestral music is concerned.

Wow, this is great news. Can't wait to hear them! I hope CPO will continue this streak with the excellent C major symphony of Hiller's, too.

Lachner's excellent oratorio Moses exists in manuscript full score, but IIRC (it was a while since I last checked it and more sources might have been uncovered since), there is no complete vocal score for the work which would be necessary for rehearsals. The surviving vocal score only includes the choral sections, which is much better than nothing of course.

I'd also like to hear a recording of the overture to his 1842 "Festspiel", a very fine piece of music!

Wouldn't Schmalfuss make a more convincing job of Lachner's 5th, for example?

I'm sure he would, but I want to hear #2 from him first! 

I find the even-numbered symphonies his best, though Lachner curiously appears to have chosen to promote the odd-numbered ones the most in expense of the others. In all honesty musically I find #1 and #5 by miles the least important of the cycle (but the importance of #5 also lies in part in its controversy as pointed out earlier in this thread). The transformation of #7 into a suite is a great lesson in itself of the public's tastes changing over time throughout the romantic period. I'm supposing if #2 would have been published in Lachner's time, it'd have been among his most fondly remembered today.