Svendsen, Johan

Chaconne av J.S. Bach (tapt)

Chaconne by J.S. Bach (lost)

JSV VARIA

One of Svendsen’s handwritten work lists in the Danish Music Museum, Copenhagen, includes arrangements of music by Bach. Underneath the heading ‘Arrangements’ the word ‘Bach’ is listed. Such arrangements are also mentioned in an article in Ny illustreret Tidende, Kristiania, 2den Mai 1875, written by Kristian Anastas Winterhjelm (1843-1915).: ‘samt en Del Bearbeidelser efter Bach, Schubert, Liszt etc..’ [including some orchestrations of Bach, Schubert, Liszt etc.]. Winter­hjelm got this information in a letter from Svendsen himself, dated 27 April 1895. Several encyklopedias states that Svendsen arranged music by Bach. The only source specifying an exact work is Hermann Mendel: Musikalisches Conversations-Lexion, Eine Encyklopädie der Gesammten musikalischen Wissenschaften für Gebildete aller Stände, 1878: ‘Für Orchester bearbeitete er (…) die Bach’schen Chaconne’. [For orchestra he orchestrated the Chaconne by Bach]. From all these sources we can conclude that at least one such orchestration of music by Bach was written, before May 1875.

Primary texts

Letters:

27 Apr. 1895

from Johan Svendsen to Kristian Anastas Winterhjelm, Nasjonalbiblioteket, Oslo Brevs. 196:151 . NBdigital