Svendsen, Johan

Faschingsschwank aus Wien av Robert Schumann

Faschingsschwank aus Wien by Robert Schumann

([de]: Robert Schumann: Faschingsschwank aus Wien)

Original title: Robert Schumann (1810–1856): Faschingsschwank aus Wien. Fantasiebilder f. Pfte. Op. 26

JSV 36

Johan Svendsen orchestrated Robert Schumann’s carnival music Faschingsschwank aus Wien in the course of a single month in summer of 1866 while staying in Connewitz near Leipzig. He had one year left of his music studies and must have been full of energy and optimism, exhilarated after virtually having stormed in on the German musical scene only recently: at a public exam concert on 9 May at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Svendsen had conducted the first movement of his Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 4, to great acclaim as well as led the premiere of his String Octet in A major, Op. 3.

Johan Svendsen had a close relationship to Robert Schumann’s music long before arriving in Leipzig, the city where Schumann himself had studied. Between 1861 and 1862, Svendsen had arranged nine piano pieces by Schumann for his 62 Arrangements for String Quartet, JSV 30. This includes arrangements of Träumerei from Kinderszenen, Op. 15, the fourth movement from Nachtstücke, Op. 23, and the Fughetta from Klavierstücke, Op. 32. From Album für die Jugend, Op. 68, we find Kleine Fuge, Frühlingsgesang and Fremder Mann, and Turniermarsch, Gespenstermärchen and Geburtstagsmarsch from 12 vierhändige Klavierstücke für kleine und grosse Kinder, Op. 85. A few years after completing Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Svendsen arranged two further piano pieces by Schumann, this time for string orchestra: Abendlied, from 12 vierhändige Klavierstücke für kleine und grosse Kinder, Op. 85, originated in Darmstadt in 1872. A string arrangement of Träumerei from Kinderszenen, Op. 15, probably also from 1872, only exists in manuscript and was never published.

Robert Schumann composed the first four movements of his piano work Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26, in 1839 in Vienna, while the last movement was completed upon his return to Leipzig later that year. The work is subtitled Fantasiebilder – fantasy images.

Composition: 19 July 1866.

Connewitz

Extent: ca. 21 min.

Sources

A: Score, autograph

[Classification: notated music, manuscript, autograph, score, fair copy]

127 pages; 26,5x34,5 cm.

Hand ruled music paper, 16 staves
Pagination: 1–127
On the cover: Partitur / Orchester / Stenberg, Schumann & Liszt ar: / JSvendsen
Inside the cover: Leipzig d. 2/5-1867 / JSvendsen

Dark brown cover, hardbound, containing three orchestrations of works by Steenberg, Schumann and Liszt

Written in ink (Johan Svendsen). Additions in blue crayon and pencil.

N-Onm (National Library of Norway, Oslo, Norway) Mus.ms. 7883. Facsimile

Menuet 12 pages. Title page: Menuet / von / Stenberg / ar / von / JSvendsen Pagination: 1–12 At the end of the score: Connewitz d. 11/6-66 / JSvendsen

Faschingsschwank aus Wien 78 pages. Title page: No II / Faschingsschwank aus Wien / Fantasiebilder / von / Robert Schumann. / Op. 26. / ar. / von / J.S. Svendsen Pagination: 13–91 I. Allegro. At the end of the movement: Connewitz d. 19/6-66 / JSvendsen II. Romanze. At the end of the movement: Connewitz d. 21/6-66 / JSvendsen III. Scherzino. At the end of the movement: Connewitz d. 23/6-66 / JSvendsen IV. Intermezzo. At the end of the movement: Connewitz d. 25/6-66 / JSvendsen V. Finale. At the end of the movement: Connewitz d. 19/7-66 / JSvendsen

Rapsodie Hongroise 35 pages. Title page: No3 / Rapsodie Hongroise / von / F. Liszt (No2) / ar v. / Johan S. Svendsen Pagination: 92–127 At the end of the score: Leipzig d. 19/10-66 / JSvendsen

B^PTS: Parts, copyist

[Classification: notated music, manuscript, copy, parts, fair copy]

25x34 cm.

Title page: Faschingsschwank aus Wien / Fantasiebilder / von / Robert Schumann / Instrumentiert / von / Johan S. Svendsen

Flauto 1mo, Flauto IIdo, Oboe 1o, Oboe 2o, Clarinetto 1o, Clarinetto 2do, Fagotto 1o, Fagotto 2do, Corno 1mo, Corno 2do, Corno 3tio, Corno 4tio, Tromba 1mo, Tromba 2do, Trombone Alt, Trombone Tenor, Trombone Basso, Timpani, Kleine & grosse Tromel, Violino Imo (1-4), Violino 2do (1-4), Viola (1-3), Violoncello (1-3), Basse (1-2)

One copyist produced two viola parts and two cello parts, the other copied the remaining parts.

Written in ink.

DK-Kk (National Library of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark) mu 9705.2800, Orkesterbiblioteket.

C: Printed edition of Schumann's original

[Classification: notated music, print, score, first edition]

Pietro Mechetti qm Carlo, Wien 1841.

Title page: Faschingsschwank aus Wien. / FANTASIEBILDER / für das / Piano-Forte / componirt und / HERRN / SIMONIN DE SIRE IN DINANT / zugeeignet / von / Robert Schumann.

Pl. no. P.M. 3485.

Primary texts

Letters:

28 June 1866, Leipzig

from Johan Svendsen to Gulbrand Svendsen, Nasjonalbiblioteket, Oslo Brevs. 533:51. NBdigital