Trio pour piano, violon et violoncelle, op. 120 , and: Quatuor à cordes, op. 121 , and: La bonne chanson, op. 61 (review)

Abstract

Gabriel Faure. Trio pour piano, violon et violoncelle, op. 120. Urtext d'apres Gabriel Faure OEuvres completes. Edite par = Edited by = Herausgegeben von James William Sobaskie. (Barenreiter Urtext.) Kassel: Barenreiter, 2010. [Introd. & editorial notes in Eng., Fre., Ger., p. iii-viii; score (p. 1-39) and 2 parts. ISMN M-006-53958-1, ISMN- 13/EAN 979-0-006-53958-1, pub. no. BA 7902. euro18.95. ] Gabriel Faure. Quatuor a cordes, op. 121. Urtext d'apres Gabriel Faure OEuvres completes. Edite par = Edited by = Herausgegeben von James William Sobaskie. (Barenreiter Urtext.) Kassel: Barenreiter, 2010. [Miniature score: Introd. & editorial notes in Eng., Fre., Ger., p. iii-xix; score, p. 2-30; ISMN M-006-20525-7, ISMN-13/EAN 979-0-006-20525-7, pub. no. TP 412. euro14.95. Four parts: ISMN M-006-53957-4, ISMN- 13/EAN 979-0-006-53957-4, pub. no. BA 7901. euro34.95.] Gabriel Faure. La bonne chanson, op. 61. Edition revue et corrigee. Paris: J. Hamelle, 2010. [Pref. in Fre., Eng., Ger., Spa., p. iii-vi; song texts in Fre., p. vii-xii; score (84 p.) and 7 parts. ISMN-13/EAN 9790230797436, pub. no. HA 9 743. euro89.60.] Faure's two last works, String Quartet, op. 121, and Piano Trio, op. 120, were composed between 1922 and 1924 and were left complete but unedited at his death. In these two elegant performing editions drawn Gabriel Faure OEuvres completes and produced by Barenreiter, editor James William Sobaskie has done an admirable job of annotating with articulation and expressive markings composer would likely have included himself had he lived to do so. Sobaskie's editing reveals hallmarks of a scholar who knows Faure's work very well, as well as ethos of composition for chamber music, particularly that for strings, of time in which works were composed. In his introduction to Piano Trio, Sobaskie situates it in its historical context, providing material Faure's letters to support idea that although work was initially proposed by publisher Jacques Durand in 1922, it also arose from an inner necessity (p. iii): Faure confessed to a fear of becoming bored without a compelling new project. The Piano Trio was just what he needed: once set on task, Faure completed three-movement work in just a few months, and it was premiered at a private recital in April of 1923. The work was immediately popular, running to several reprintings. Like much of composer's late works, it is highly lyrical, with long melodic lines stretched out over functional supporting harmonies. This edition of Piano Trio is based on the numerous revisions or small additions made at engraving stage preceding first or second edition or preserved in form of handwritten corrections in [Faure's] personal copies of his printed scores (p. iv). This meticulous attention to detail and Barenreiter's desire to create playable, practical means that added or altered markings are indicated in piano score by enclosure in brackets or by a small, unobtrusive slash through marking (such as a slash through a slur) that is neither distracting nor difficult to understand as an editor's annotation. The violin and cello parts do not have these indicia; players curious as to editorial changes in publication will want to consult score. The score and parts are beautifully engraved, well-spaced to allow for players' notes, and contain both measure numbers and rehearsal numbers. The violin and cello parts have useful cues, and layout has been executed to make for easy page turns during rests. While not a work for amateurs-the violin part contains octaves and some tricky chromaticism, cello part is frequently set in instrument's upper register, and pianist is called upon to perform some fairly intricate counterpoint-it is an essential piece for music libraries, particularly those serving communities with professional musicians or those in training. …