JSV 34
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Svendsen, Johan

Strykeoktett i A-dur, op. 3

String Octet in A major, Op. 3

([de]: Octett für 4 Violinen, 2 Bratschen und 2 Violincelle)

JSV 34

 

Dedicatee: Queen Louise

Johan Svendsen (1840–1911) himself led the premiere of his String Octet in A major, Op. 3, at a public exami­nation concert in the Leipzig Gewandhaus on 9 May 1866, following a total of fourteen rehearsals. The choice of writing for eight solo strings was an ambitious and daring one, since two former directors of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig  had composed and performed works in the same genre: Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809–1847) and Niels Wilhelm Gade (1817–1890). The concert was a major and definitive breakthrough for Svendsen. After the concert in May 1866, Svendsen enthusiastically wrote to his father Gulbrand in Norway, informing him that only two days after the performance he had been offered a publishing contract by Breitkopf & Härtel.

Composition: 22 Feb. 1866.

Leipzig

Octet version

JSV 34a

Instrumentation:
vl. 1, vl. 2, vl.3, vl.4, va.1, va.2, vc.1, vc.2

Key: A major

Extent: ca. 35 min.

Reproduction (edition or facsimile):
Edited score (JSV)  

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Version for string orchestra

JSV 34b

On 12 February 1881, Svendsen conducted the Octet in a version for string orchestra in Christiania, at the Norwegian Music Society’s  fourth concert that season. It is not entirely certain whether this was the first performance of the Octet in a string orchestra version. Svendsen’s almanac for 1878 notes the following for 1 November: ‘Letter from Miss Richards in London regarding the Octet’, possibly referring to a request by Miss Richards to be sent octet parts for contrabass. In the same almanac, under the date 4 November, Svendsen noted: ‘Sending contrabass part for the Octet to London.’ The almanac for 1882 mentions another likely performance of the string orchestra version under 16 September: ‘I am conducting my Octet at the Student Society.’ In 2011, Øyvind Norheim and Bjarte Engeset identified two contrabass parts for Svendsen’s Octet in a box of unregistered, printed sheet music by Svendsen at the National Library in Oslo. One of the parts is in Svendsen’s handwriting, while the other is an exact copy in someone else’s handwriting.

Instrumentation: str.

Key: A major

Extent: ca. 35 min. 

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File title:

Strykeoktett i A-dur, op. 3

File publication:

Norsk Musikkarv (NM)
Institutt for musikkvitenskap
Postboks 1017
Blindern 0315
Oslo
WWW: http://www.musikkarven.no/
E-mail: mailto://bjar-eng@online.no

Bjarte Engeset (editor-in-chief), Editorial Committee: Morten Christophersen, Bjarte Engeset, Jørn Fossheim, Audun Sannes Jonassen, Jørgen Langdalen, Øyvind Norheim


Last changed 2022-02-19 by bjarte