LISZT: A FORGOTTEN ROMANCE

Abstract

IN I88I Arnold Simon of Hanover published a composition by Franz Liszt with the title ' Romance Oubliee', in four versions simultaneously-for piano solo, for violin and piano, for and piano and for cello and piano. Of these only the versions for piano solo and for and piano are of independent status. The latter of these, dedicated To Herr Professor Hermann Ritter, the inventor of the alta , is the original one. -Ritter (I849-I926) seems to have given many performances of the piece in his time, though it is hardly known to-day. Simon's successor, Chr. Bachmann, published an arrangement of it made by Ritter for the five-stringed viola alta , with orchestral accompaniment. After taking over Simon's publishing firm Bachmann added to the piano solo version a foreword containing some interesting details: A few years before his death Liszt was staying as a guest of Cardinal Hohenlohe's at the Villa d'Este at Tivoli near Rome. Here the Master was sent, by the music-dealer Simon of Hanover, a leaf taken from an album on which was a piece of music written by Liszt's hand in his youthful years, with a request to be allowed to publish it. The reply to this request was Liszt's paraphrase of the album-leaf in the form of the composition which he entitled' Romance Oubliee ', written for Viola alta [should be: viola] and dedicated to the Viola alta virtuoso Hermann Ritter.