Spotlight on:
Keyboard Concertos in Recent Researches Editions

A number of excellent keyboard concertos are available in Recent Researches editions, and they include works from both the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Among the recent publications is the original version of the first movement of the Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in E Major by Felix Mendelssohn (1809–47). This work is fascinating for the insights it offers into the compositional process and the choices that Mendelssohn made. The movement dates from 1823, when Mendelssohn was 14 years old, and represents one of his early efforts at composing large-scale pieces. Mendelssohn later revised the movement for a performance in 1829 and, possibly, for another in 1833; yet the initial version is worthy of study; and this edition makes available his original conception of the movement. (Parts are available upon request.)

Another work from the nineteenth century is the Piano Concerto, Opus 113 by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837), which dates from 1827. This is Hummel’s eighth piano concerto, and one of his more ambitious efforts in the genre. In its day, this Concerto was regarded as “more gallant than grandiose,” and it achieved some popularity at its premiere. The style of this mature work reinforces Hummel’s position as an important composer between the Mozart and romantic generation of Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Chopin. As to comparisons with Beethoven, Joel Sachs, the editor of this volume, points out in his introduction that “Beethoven might hardly have existed except, perhaps, for the similarity between the opening of the slow movement of Op. 113 and that of Beethoven’s G-major piano concerto; this similarity does not extend beyond the beginning of the movement. . . .” This edition is a rare modern publication of music by a composer whose works merit further study. (Another edition in the series includes Hummel’s arrangements of Mozart’s “Haffner” and “Linz” Symphonies.)

Several excellent works are available in the series of Recent Researches in the Music of the Classical Era. Two concertos of Christoph Nichelmann (1717–62[?]) are included in the single volume devoted to him. Nichelmann, who lived from 1717 to about 1761, was associated with the court of Friedrich the Great, and was an active part of musical life in Berlin in the mid-eighteenth century. Among his works are 17 keyboard concertos, and the two works found in this edition date from his maturity. The Concerto in E major dates from 1758, and the one in A major was probably composed just before it. As music by a composer from the generation after J. S. Bach, they contain features that reflect elements of the transition from the Baroque to the Classical Era.

Another composer, Joseph Anton Steffan (1726–77), composed an extensive number of works, including 38 concertos for keyboard and orchestra. Steffan was relatively unique in his use of minor-key introductions in a slow tempo for his concertos, and this element is present in the Concerto in B-flat, which dates from his maturity. This work also involves a lyrical slow movement in which the keyboard dominates the texture, especially in contrast to the lively interplay between the soloist and orchestra in the final movement. This is a work that lends itself well to performance and also shows one composer’s treatment of a genre as it was evolving.

Likewise, the music Johann Wilhelm Hertel (1727–89) bears consideration, and the two concertos published in a single volume of Recent Researches are excellent examples of his music. While Hertel was popular during his lifetime, this edition is the first modern publication of his works. Hertel’s Concertos are fine examples of the classical style, and are noteworthy for the integration of contrapuntal textures into the genre.

These concertos and others (see YII/2, YII/7, and C37) are just part of the Recent Researches series, and they are excellent works for modern performance. For those editions that do not include parts in the catalog listing, parts may be available. Feel free to contact us about parts and about performing these works.