Henry Charles Litolff 1818-1891

[JimL]

Perhaps the confusion comes from the old use of the term "sinfonia" to mean an overture to a dramatic work.  Clearly these are all overtures, in the same sense of the term that Mendelssohn's The Fair Melusina is an overture.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Litolff did not write a symphony (not in the Beethovenian / Romantic sense). The "overtures" are all symphonic poems - or, as Albion says, symphonic dramas (a very good term IMHO).
Scores and parts exist in Fleisher of the following:
"Eroica" Concerto Symphonique for violin & orchestra
Overture "Maximilian Robespierre"
Overture "Die Girondisten"
Ballet music from Grand Opera "Die Tempelherren"
Piano Concerto symphonique No. 3
Piano Concerto symphonique No. 4

A number of French and Belgian libraries have copies of other orchestral works. There is also a concert overture "King Lear" (score in Bayerische Staatsbibliothek).

[JimL]

Litolff did not write a symphony (not in the Beethovenian / Romantic sense). The "overtures" are all symphonic poems - or, as Albion says, symphonic dramas (a very good term IMHO).

Which all happen to be in typical overture sonata form...

[albion]

There is also a concert overture "King Lear" (score in Bayerische Staatsbibliothek).

This is from his unfinished opera (1890).

I have overhauled the work-list on Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Henry_Charles_Litolff - to make it less confusing and more comprehensive.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I didn't realise "King Lear" was an unfinished opera. BSB describes the overture as from "incidental music". Opera sounds more likely for Litolff.

[albion]

I didn't realise "King Lear" was an unfinished opera. BSB describes the overture as from "incidental music". Opera sounds more likely for Litolff.

The title of the full score of the overture as published in 1891 by Litolff (plate 12558) reads -

Oper in drei acten nach Shakespeare und Holinshed von Jules und Eugene Adenis. Musik von Henry Litolff. Ouverture.

- presumably any other material for the uncompleted opera perished along with Litolff's other unpublished scores during the war.

[eschiss1]

RISM does list the full short score of his first (I think) surviving opera Die Braut von Kynast, libretto by Friedrich Fischer after Klingemann, premiered October 3 1847. (detail according to RISM and badly translated "S (2), A, T (2), B (4), speaking voice, Coro V (006), pf (orch); one of the singing parts is named Cunegonde.) (Vocal score and piano solo arrangement ca.1848 by Louis Winkler (ca.1813-1886), name familiar to IMSLP-trawlers.) Some at least- maybe all-

(vla, vlc, b, fl, ob (2), cl (2), fag (2), cor (2), tr, trb, timp)
of the orchestral parts are at Hohenlohe-Zentralarchiv, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Neuenstein, so between the vocal score and the orchestral parts, it's- erm- conceivable one could mount a production, if they're in good shape, etc.- I guess...
Hrm. Ok, yes, the violin parts are missing in that list... maybe they're somewhere else- (hrm. Reconstruct from the short score? probably not.)

[eschiss1]

Belatedly in re the overture to Maxilian Robespierre, a (19th-century?) reprint/later edition (probably not the 1850-or-so first edition) of the full score can be downloaded from IMSLP now to follow along the recording we already have. I for one always like being able to do that (not to find mistakes or cuts, but because it can increase my enjoyment, ability to separate instrumental threads and reading skills - etc. I used to score-read-and-listen (both, I mean- I listen much more often) to Mahler 6 once a year at least for that reason alone.

[JimL]

RISM does list the full short score of his first (I think) surviving opera Die Braut von Kynast, libretto by Friedrich Fischer after Klingemann, premiered October 3 1847. (detail according to RISM and badly translated "S (2), A, T (2), B (4), speaking voice, Coro V (006), pf (orch); one of the singing parts is named Cunegonde.) (Vocal score and piano solo arrangement ca.1848 by Louis Winkler (ca.1813-1886), name familiar to IMSLP-trawlers.) Some at least- maybe all-

(vla, vlc, b, fl, ob (2), cl (2), fag (2), cor (2), tr, trb, timp)
of the orchestral parts are at Hohenlohe-Zentralarchiv, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Neuenstein, so between the vocal score and the orchestral parts, it's- erm- conceivable one could mount a production, if they're in good shape, etc.- I guess...
Hrm. Ok, yes, the violin parts are missing in that list... maybe they're somewhere else- (hrm. Reconstruct from the short score? probably not.)

Have you considered the possibility that the orchestra lacks violins altogether?  One of Méhul's operas (Uthal) is orchestrated without them.

[eschiss1]

as are several more recent orchestral works (Brahms 2nd serenade, at least 2 substantial violin concertos (Dohnanyi 2, Sessions), Stravinski sym. psalms - I think (or maybe just one movement?), etc.) Quite possible. Maybe they're relying on a contemporary (not necessarily reliable) report in which the intonation of the violins - hypothetically - was called into question; or a vocal score with parts marked out specifically for the violin section - to be able to say that they're missing- or, most likely, RISM is making, or passing along, assumptions that someone oughtn't (this happens much too often for my liking; in some cases I can think of, the assumptions - e.g., some of their composer attributions based on ms. (copies) where only a last name and initial exists (at best) - are not questionable, but out and out refutable/wrong, or maybe to be charitable, almost definitely so...)

[pianobaba]

Hello, I adore his piano concertos, the entry of the piano in the 2nd one is one of the most beautiful. I would like to find some of his other music, I only have the 2 Hyperion PC releases.

[Mark Thomas]

Welcome, pianobaba. You can download four of Litolff's overtures from this site here.

[JimL]

Hello pianobaba.  The Genesis label recorded two LPs with Litolff's works on them back in the '70s.  One was with Gerald Robbins premiering the entire 4th Concerto Symphonique (the scherzo had been recorded innumberable times prior to that), the other one was actually a double LP with piano trios by Henselt, Alkan, Thalberg and Litolff (No. 1), all performed by, IIRC, the Mirecourt Trio.  I believe that Commagère released an all-Litolff CD with the concerto and trio more recently, but I have no idea about its current availability.

[Mark Thomas]

It's listed as "Temporarily out of stock" at Genesis - see here.

[giles.enders]

As one of the most visited postings on this site, I thought I would ask if anyone is able to supply information about the following opus numbers:

1, 4, 7- 9, 11-16, 23-24, 26-27, 29, 38-39, 68-69, 75, 84-88, 92-94, 118-122. 

One of the earlier opus ones is likely to relate to that of his lost Concerto Symphonique from 1839.  I have not been able to track it's opus number.