Svendsen, Johan

Festmarsj av Frederik Due

(Frederick Due: Festmarsch orkestrert av Johan Svendsen)

Festival March by Frederik Due

JSV 80

In January 1882, Johan Svendsen (1840–1911) orchestrated a march written by the Norwegian-Swedish diplomat and composer Frederik Georg Knut Due (1833–1906). The orchestration is mentioned in a correspondence between Svendsen and Due and its existence has therefore been known for a long time. The music itself, however, was considered lost until 2010, when research librarian Øyvind Norheim discovered two scores and two sets of parts among Due’s posthumous papers at the National Library of Norway in Oslo. One of the scores is in Svendsen’s handwriting, the other is written by a copyist. The title in both manuscripts is Festmarsch af F Due. We have no knowledge of specific performances, but the parts contain vari­ous annotations by musicians, suggesting that the parts must have been used at least once.

Composition: 1882-01.

Christiania

Key: G major

Sources

A: Score, autograph

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

23 pages; 35x27 cm.

Title page: Festmarsch af Due / Instrumentert af Johan Svendsen / 1882

Hand ruled music paper, 18 staves
Pagination: 1–23
At the end of the score: Januar 1882

Written in ink (Johan Svendsen).

N-Onm (National Library of Norway, Oslo, Norway) Mus.ms.a 5266. Facsimile

B: Score, copy

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

22 pages; 35x27 cm.

Title page: ‘Festmarsch’ / Partitur
Added in ink: af F Due / orkestreret af Johan Svendsen / 1882

Hand ruled music paper, 18 staves
Pagination: 1–22
Between the pages 20 and 21: Some bars in piano score

Written in ink (Copyist). Additions in red crayon.

N-Onm (National Library of Norway, Oslo, Norway) Mus.ms.a 5266. Facsimile

C: Parts, copy

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

35x27 cm.

Title page: Festmarsch

The parts written by the first copyist: hand ruled music paper, 12 staves (the earliest set is written on slightly darker music paper than the later one).
The parts written by the second copyist: hand ruled music paper, 11 staves.
The two sets were probably written at different times, but the string parts were later numbered in blue crayon and combined into one set.
Above the music on the first page of one of the two Flauto I parts, the following is written in pencil: componiert vom König von Schweden, instrum. v. Svendsen.
Part 1 for Corno 3zio is signed M. Feyendorff

Two sets of parts in one copyist’s handwriting and four extra parts written by another copyist:

Copyist 1:

Flauto 1mo (2x), Flauto 2do (2x), Oboe 1mo (2x), Oboe 2do (2x), Clarinetto 1mo (2x), Clarinetto 2do (2x),  Fagotto 1mo (2x), Fagotto 2do (2x), Corno 1mo (2x), Corno 2do (2x), Corno 3zio (2x), Corno 4to (2x), Tromba 1mo (2x), Tromba 2do (2x), Trombone 1mo (2x), Trombone 2do (2x), Trombone 3zio (2x), Tuba (2x), Tambouro (2x), Piatti e Gran Cassa (2x), Timpani (2x), Violino 1mo (5x), Violino 2do (4x), Viola (4x), Violoncello(3x), Bassi (3x)

Copyist 2:

Violino 1mo (1x), Cello (2x), Basso (1x)

The autograph score of Instrumental Piece in D major, JSV 87b, is also included in the set of parts

Written in ink (Two different copyists).

N-Onm (National Library of Norway, Oslo, Norway) Mus.ms.a 5266. Facsimile

Primary texts

Letters:

5 Sept. 1881, Christiania

from Johan Svendsen to Frederik Due, Nasjonalbiblioteket, Oslo Brevs. 744:77. NBdigital