Julius Benedict (1804-1885) - orchestral, choral and dramatic works

[albion]

1822 - L'amor timido, cantata (Stuttgart, August 1822)
1827 - Giacinta ed Ernesto, opera (Teatro del Fondo, Naples, 31st March 1827)
           Concertino No.1, for piano and orchestra, Op.18 (Teatro del Fondo, Naples, 26th May 1827) [later incorporated into Piano Concerto in A flat, 1867]
1830 - I portoghesi in Goa, opera (Stuttgart, 1830; Teatro San Carlo, Naples, 28th June 1830)
1833 - Concertino No.2, for piano and orchestra, Op.19 (King's Theatre, London, 1837) [later incorporated into Piano Concerto in E flat, 1867]
1836 - Un anno ed un giorno, opera (Teatro del Fondo, Naples, 19th October 1836)
1838 - The Gypsy's Warning, opera (Drury Lane Theatre, London, 19th April 1838)
1844 - The Brides of Venice, opera (Drury Lane Theatre, London, 22th April 1844)
1845-46 - The Crusaders, opera (Drury Lane Theatre, London, 26th February 1846)
c.1850 - Festival Overture, Op.42
1850 - Konzertstück [Piano Concerto No.1] in C minor, for piano and orchestra, Op.45 (Philharmonic Society, London, 17th June 1850)
1860 - Undine, cantata (Norwich Festival, 1860)
1861-62 - The Lily of Killarney, opera (Covent Garden Theatre, London, 10th February 1862)
1862 - The Octoroon, overture
1863 - Richard Coeur de Lion, cantata (Norwich Festival, 17th September 1863)
1864 - The Bride of Song, operetta (Covent Garden Theatre, London, 3rd December 1864)
c.1865 - Le ménestrel, overture. Op.76
           The Tempest, overture, Op.77
1866 - The Legend of St Cecilia, cantata (Norwich Festival, 1st November 1866)
1867 - Piano Concerto [No.2] in E flat, Op.89 (Crystal Palace, London, 27th April 1867)
           Piano Concerto [No.3] in A flat, Op.90
1868 - La selva incantata, overture (Philharmonic Society, London, 6th July 1868)
1870 - St Peter, oratorio (Birmingham Festival, 2nd September 1870)
1872-73 - Symphony in G minor, Op.101 (andante and scherzo performed Norwich Festival, 1872; first complete performance Crystal Palace, London, 22nd November 1873)
1874 - Alfred and Marie, grand march for orchestra [celebrating the marriage of the Duke of Edinburgh]
1874-76 - Symphony in C (scherzo performed British orchestral Society, St James's Hall, London, 22nd January 1874; three movements performed Crystal Palace, London, 17th April 1875)
1882 - Graziella, cantata (Birmingham Festival, 29th August 1882)
           Romeo and Juliet, incidental music (Royal Lyceum Theatre, London, May 1882)
1883 - Mary Stuart's Farewell, scena for contralto and orchestra (Philharmonic Society, London, 25th April 1883)

Commercial recordings -

Konzertstück [Piano Concerto No.1] in C minor, for piano and orchestra, Op.45 (Hyperion CDA 67720)
The Lily of Killarney - excerpts (EMI Classics 0094633594821)
Piano Concerto [No.2] in E flat, Op.89 (Hyperion CDA 67720)

Downloads -

The Lily of Killarney - excerpts
Symphony in G minor, Op.101

[pcc]

In my experience, as I was once preparing to do my Ph.D. dissertation on Benedict, much of his larger-scale music is hard to trace, and some of it has vanished.  For instance, at one time the Mapleson Music Library had parts to the overture of _The Crusaders_; the reason they had it is that Mapleson's had some of the parts used for Jenny Lind's 1852-53 American tour, for which Benedict was initially engaged by Barnum (at Lind's request) as musical director, and that overture was played in New York. (The rest of the opera, aside from a few scattered printed numbers, no longer survives entire, to my knowledge.)  In talking with Mr. Mapleson some twenty-odd years ago, they had loaned out these original parts (!!!!) to a university which was staging a Jenny Lind commemorative concert, and they were stolen out of the conductor's car - or so he was told.  I ended up changing my dissertation topic because original source materials on Benedict were so scattered (there's material in the US, the UK, and a surprising amount in Berlin) that it wasn't manageable for me at the time, but I've wanted to get back to work on him as he was a fascinating figure and, at his best, a very fine composer.  I am very fond of THE LILY OF KILLARNEY and I think the G minor symphony is wonderful - brilliantly orchestrated (some original reviews thought it "too theatrical") and melodious.

[Alan Howe]

Very interesting indeed, thanks.

[pcc]

One other thing: thirty years ago Rare Recorded Editions issued a multi-LP set of the complete LILY from a 1950s BBC broadcast conducted by Stanford Robinson, whcih I have - a terrific performance, very theatrical and briskly paced, only marred by a rather irritating "narrator" in place of the dialogue and some not-terribly-good sound effects in the 2nd act finale, the great "sensation scene" where Danny Mann tries to kill Eily O'Connor.  I wrote an essay analyzing Benedict's treatment of that scene which is in a recent collection of essays on music and melodrama published by Routledge.  (Would it be worth trying to post a transfer of that recording for download?)

[Balapoel]

incomplete list, but this adds more facets to Benedict's ouevre:

Chamber
1   Violin Sonata No. 1   1822
13   1er grand Potpourri et Variations concertantes sur deux Thêmes de Rossini et un Air favori napolitain p. Pfte et Flûte.   1833
87   String Quartet in c minor   1875
88   Violin Sonata No. 2 in E   1875
105   Romanze (D) f. V. m. Harfe u. Pfte.   1877

Chamber (Violin/Cello/Flute duos composed with various composers, mainly Beriot):
   Duo brillant p. Pfte. et Flûte sur des Motifs fav. des Soirées musicales de Rossini Oe. 22   1836
   Duo brillant sur les Motifs de l'Opéra : La Sonnambula de Bellini, p. Pfte. et Violon (in A.)    1836
   Duo concertant p. Pfte et Violon (in Es.)   1837
   Grand Duo brillant sur des Motifs du Postillon de Lonjumeau d'Adam p. Pfte et Flûte (in G.)   1838
   Duo brillant sur des Motifs de la Sonnambula, de Bellini, p. Flûte et Pfte (in A.)   1839
   Duo concertant sur des Motifs favoris écossais p. Pfte et Violon.    1839
   Grand Duo brillant sur des Motifs du Postillon de Lonjumeau, d'A. Adam, p. Pfte et Violon.    1839
   Grand Duo concertant sur des Motif d'Oberon, p. Pfte et Violon.   1839
   Duo sur Robert le Diable p. Pfte et Vclle.    1840
   Duo brillant sur des Motifs de Gipsy's Warning, Opéra de Benedict p. Pfte et Violon    1840
   Fantaisie concertante sur la Norma, de Bellini, p. Pfte et Violon. 17e Livr. de Duos, in E. (De Beriot, Oe. 28.)   1840
   Le Fruit de l'Etude. 6 Duos faciles et brillans sur les Melodies les plus célèbres des grands Compositeurs français, italiens et allemands p. Pfte. et Violon. Oe. 35 (de Beriot). Suite 1, Beethoven, Auber, Rossini ; Suite 2, Bellini, Mehul, Meyerbeer.   1840
   Duo brillant sur des Motifs de l'Opéra: La Somnambule transcrit p. Violoncelle et Pfte.    1843
   Le Progrès. 6 Duos non difficiles sur des Motifs français, italiens et allemands p. Pfte et Violon. Op. 4. Liv. 1, Labarre, Schubert, Donizetti. Cah. 2, Herold, Weber, Mercadante.    1843
   Fantaisie concertante sur la Norma p. Pfte. et Flûte.    1844
   Le Fruit de l'Etude. 6 Duos brillants et faciles p. Pfte et Violoncelle (d'après J. Benedict et Ch. de Beriot)   1845
   Les Fruits de l'Etude. 6 Duos brillants et faciles p. Pfte et, Flûte (d'après J. Benedict et Ch. de Beriot). 2 Suites   1845
   Sérénade et Bolero. Grand Duo p. Pfte. et Violon. Op. 59    1848
   Gran Duetto conc. sull' Opera Le Pardon de Ploërmel, di Meyerbeer, p. Pfte e Violino.    1862

Piano:
2   Piano Sonata No. 1   1823
4   Piano Sonata No. 2 in D   1825
3   Rondo in A   1825
5   Rondo brillant in Ab   1827
10   Introduction et Variations sur un Thême favori de l'Opéra : Il Pirata, de Bellini, p. Pfte. Op. 10   1831
11   Souvenirs de Naples. Fantaisie sur des Thèmes nationaux napolitains p. Pfte. Oe. 11, in Gm
14   Fantaisie brillante sur plusieurs Motifs favoris de l'Opéra : Anna Bolena de Donizetti p. Pfte. Oe. 14, in D
15   Caprice en forme de galop in D   1832
16   Introduction et Variations sur un Thème favori de l'Opéra : La Straniera de Bellini. Oe. 16, in Es    1835
17   Ouverture de l'Opéra : Les Portugais à Goa, p. Pfte à 4 Mains. Oe. 17, in F
19   Les Charmes de Portici. Rondeau brillant p. Pfte. Oe. 19, in As   1835
20   Notre-Dame de Paris, reverie musicale
21   Intr., Variations et Finale sur la Ballade fav., chantée par Mr. Phillips dans l'Opéra : The Maid of Artois de Balfé, p. Pfte. Oe. 21   1836
22   La Calabraise. Rondeau brillant sur un Duo favori de F. Gabussi p. Pfte. Oe. 22, in D   1836
23   Variations brillantes sur une Romance favorite de Masini : ,,Le Page inconstant" p. Pfte. Oe. 23, in C   1836
24   1ère Fantaisie brillante et facile tirée des Soirées musicales de Rossini, p. Pfte. Oe. 24, No. 1, in G   1836
26   Barcarole favorite de l'Opéra de Donizetti : Marino Falliero, arrangée en Rondeau brill. p. Pfte. Oe. 26 .   1837
27   Bouquet musical. Fantaisie sur des Motifs favoris de l'Opéra : I Puritani de Bellini, p. Pfte. Oe. 27, in C   1837
28   Reminiscences de Fair Rosamond. Fantaisie sur des Motifs de l'Opéra de John Barnett p. Pfte. Oe. 28, in Bb   1837
27   Rondeau fantastique sur la Barcarole : Or che in cielo de l'Opéra : Marino Faliero de Donizetti p. Pfte. Oe. 27, in F    1838
   Galop favori de l'Opéra : The Gipsy's Warning p. Pfte   1838
   Ouverture aus der grossen romantischen Oper: Die Warnung der Zigeunerin (The Gipsy's Warning) f. Pfte.   1838
   Rondeaux tirés de l'Opéra : The Gipsy's Warning (Die Warnung der Zigeunerin) p. Pfte. No. 2, La Tarantelle (in C.) No. 3, Le Polichinel (in G.)    1838
30   Fantaisie sur trois Airs favoris favoris de l'Opéra : Farinelli, de Barnett, p. Pfte. Oe. 30, in Es    1839
33   Caprice. Oe. 33, in Es
34   Souvenir d'Ecosse. Fantaisie p. Pfte. Oe. 34, in As   1842
35   Nocturne sur le Quatuor de Don Pasquale. Op. 35    1844
   Prima Fantasia sopra Temi favoriti dell' Opera di Balfe: La Figlia di S. Marco.    1845
   Natale-Polka.    1845
36   Fantaisie brillante sur des Motifs favoris de l'Opéra : La Bohémienne, p. Balfe. Op. 36   1847
39   Rêverie. Op. 39
41   Galop brillant. Op. 41, Idylle. Op. 41. No. 2, Schneeflocken. Rondo. Op. 41. No. 3   1849
   20 popular melodies for young performers   1850
   Souvenir de l'Opéra : Le Prophète, de G. Meyerbeer. Fantaisie brillante.   1850
   Souvenir de la Marche de Rossini, composée pour le Sultan Abdul Medjid. Morceau brill.    1854
52   3 dreist. Lieder f. 2 S. u. A. mit Pfte. (Schilflied. Blüthenmond. Wiegenlied.)
54   Ausgewählte Sammlung älterer u. neuerer Original-Compositionen, hrg. v. F. Liszt. Heft 2, Benedict, J., Op. 54   1857
55   Rondoletto brill. à la Polka.   1857
   Andantino, concertina, pf   1858
56   Marche des Templiers.   1859
57   Souvenir Nocturne.   1859
58   Fleur des champs. Melodie
81   Ariels' lied aus Sturm
82   Op. 82. No. 1. Allegretto scherzando u. Rondo., No. 2. Un Rayon d'Espérance. Nocturne p. Piano.
83   Lied und Freud, rhapsodie
   60 other pieces, including 18 fantasias on operatic/popular tunes
   Atalanta. Impromptu.
   Murmure de la mer ! (Meeres Rauschen). Valse brill.   1865
   Variazioni di Concerto p. Canto sul Carnevale di Venezia.   1865
   Variat. de Concert sur : le Carneval de Venise (Der Carneval v. Venedig)   1872
   3 easy lessons, piano 4-hands   1876
   Exercises   1876

Vocal
   L'amor timido (cant., P. Metastasio), Stuttgart, Aug 1822   1822
   The Peace of Home. Der Heimath Ruh. Ballade   1839
   La Veglia. Das Ständchen. Canzone. (Liedersamml. 2te Folge.   1840
   Soirées de Londres. Album d'Ariettes italiens et anglaises (Paroles allemandes de C. Alexander). No. 2, Cavatina: Con la Faccia ormai solcata (Dieses Auge nun erblindet) 10 Gr. No. 3, Aria: Quant'io t'ami (Qual der Liebe) 10 Gr. No. 4, La Costanza. Canzonetta: Per un sol de tuoi Sospiri. (Bei dem Klopfen deines Herzens)   1840
   Soirées de Londres. Album d'Ariettes italiens et anglaises. No. 1, Canzone: L'Addio del Marinaro (Des Seemans Abschied).   1840
   Frühlingsklage (Nun ist es wieder grün)    1843
   Bitte, von N. Lenau.    1847
   Im Waldesgrün (Mid Wading trees) f. 2 Singst. m. Begl. d. Pfte.    1850
48   Klänge aus dem Westen. Lieder. Op. 48 (Gebet. Ja, wieder hab' ich dich gesehen. Ob der Liebe süsse Leiden. Wenn die blaue Hyacinthe. Mein Herz ist eine Aeolsharfe)   1852
51   3 dreistimmige Lieder f. 2 Soprane u. Alt m. Pfte. (Zu Dir! Im Waldesgrunde. Lustiges Vöglein.) Part. u Stimmen    1857
70   Undine. Ein Mährchen nach La Motte Fouqué   1861
   6 Choral Songs (1862)   1862
   Richard Coeur de Lion (cant., Oxenford), Norwich Festival, 1863 (1864)   1863
   Undine (cant., Oxenford), Norwich Festival, 1860 (1864)   1864
   Variations de concert sur le Carnaval de Venise, 1v, pf (1865)   1865
   The Legend of St Cecilia (cant., H.F. Chorley), Norwich Festival, 1866 (1866)   1866
79   6 Four-Part Songs, op.79 (1870); 5 other qts   1870
   St Peter (orat, Chorley, rev. J. Bennett), Birmingham Festival, 1870 (1870)   1870
   4 Lieder, deutsch u. englisch. No. 1. Der todte Soldat. 12½ Ngr. No. 2. Traumland. 10 Ngr. No. 3. Ich klage nicht. 7½ Ngr. No. 4. Wieg' mich in Ruh'.    1870
   Praise the Lord, anthem (1877)   1877
   Graziella (cant., H. Hersee), Birmingham Festival, 1882 (1882)   1882
   Marie Stuart (L. Courtenay), scena, 1v, pf (1883)   1883
   9 trios; 9 duets: 8 Eng., 1 It.;    
   99 songs: 79 Eng., 3 Fr., 3 Ger., 14 It.   

[Alan Howe]

Would it be worth trying to post a transfer of that recording for download?

Unfortunately, we do not now accept any uploads except those of broadcast performances. Please see our guidelines here:
http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,3679.0.html

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks for the work list Balapoel. I had no idea that Benedict was so prolific, but he lived to a ripe old age and was composing almost until the end. To my ears the Symphony and the two piano concertos are very pleasant, if ultimately rather bland, but there are moments here and there of real inspiration and one gets an inkling that he could have been a really fine composer if his circumstances had been different - certainly The Lily of Killarney seems to have the best of him, from the excerpts from it which I've heard.

[pcc]

This line got me working again, and I went over my old notes.  Something surprising happened when I decided to dig online; thanks to technology and information now readily available from what had been behind the Iron Curtain, I can now say that all of Benedict's earlier English operas exist in Germany.  THE BRIDES OF VENICE and THE CRUSADERS are in German language full scores at Dresden, and THE GYPSY'S WARNING at Berlin, with other scattered excerpts in orchestral and PV scores in several other archives.  Now I think it's time to get back to him.

I will say I don't find the Symphony bland, not from my previous study of the score and certainly not in Myer Fredman's broadcast.  The woodwind and brass writing is sometimes extraordinary, far more involved than in Sullivan's symphony, the counterpoint very skilled, lovely lyricism in the second subjects, and the whole work seems very vivid to me - an obvious progression on, if you like, from Mozart and Mendelssohn with Weber's influence very noticeable in its drama and chromaticism. (The horns in particular are put through some pretty strong paces throughout.) The coda of the slow movement has ingenuity, and the little references back to the previous movements just before the recap in the finale is a nice touch (which, again, some original reviewers disliked along with the "theatrical" orchestration). But that's me, and I am already well disposed and have been for years; also, LILY is his best work overall, I do agree, though now with the other operas now to look at there might be more.

[Mark Thomas]

Pcc, my "bland" comment was only based on hearing a recording of a radio broadcast of the Symphony and it may well be that the blandness is down to the performance, rather than the score. Obviously, I'd prefer that to be the case!

[pcc]

Of course; I hope I don't seem overly sensitive. (I sometimes think my writing does, rather.)  I wonder who else did it, unless the broadcast you're referring to is the one you can download from this site, which is the Fredman performance I mentioned.  If it is, then we hear different things!  (You might listen to it again...or not!)

For the works list I should mention we have a Benedict autograph score here at Eastman that's a real oddity: "Our Victorious Banner", an ode for chorus, orchestra, and military band, with a very full set of unused copied parts.  It was written for, but apparently not performed at, Patrick Gilmore's gargantuan World Peace Jubilee at Boston in 1872.  I think perhaps Benedict "contributed" it hoping it would be performed, as he did a spate of touring and conducting his own works in the early 1870s, including conducting the G minor Symphony at a Munich festival in 1875.

[Mark Thomas]

Yes, the performance I've heard is the Fredman broadcast, I'm afraid.

[pcc]

Oh dear - well, the recording quality on that is, perhaps, not very prepossessing (rather hollow and oddly balanced, but peculiarly BBC of that period - I have Fredman's broadcast MUETTE DE PORTICI on record and it sounds very similar) and I tend to listen past that, sometimes to an inexplicable degree as I work on a lot of very early recordings that are sometimes pretty hard going.  This all sounds rather apologetic on my part!  Oh well, chaconne a son gout, as Schickele says.  Maybe a better-sounding recording would display the symphony's piquancy a little better. Perhaps Howard Shelley would take it up as he did the concertos - I have his Reinecke symphonies 2 & 3, which I like, but I stubbornly prefer the Benedict to them...

[Alan Howe]

This thread has prompted me to give the Symphony in G minor another listen - to be honest, I have probably never given it my full attention. I can certainly understand your enthusiasm for it, pcc: it has some glorious writing, especially for the horns, and some lovely harmonic sequences. While it hasn't Sullivan's easy melodiousness, it strikes a more serious pose, I think, and certainly belongs in the pantheon of fine 19th century British symphonies. It obviously deserves to be recorded. (BTW does the main theme of the superb slow movement remind anyone of the Enigma Variations at all?)

Thanks so much for making me listen properly to Benedict's Symphony again. This is an example of what I was hoping the forum in its revised form would do...

[Mark Thomas]

I shall clearly go to my grave with the word "bland" engraved on my heart! I'll give the Symphony my full attention tomorrow in the hope of a Pauline conversion, thanks to your persistent advocacy.

[Mark Thomas]

Yes, well, slightly shamefaced I have to admit that I was wrong. It is indeed a fine, rather noble piece of work with some imaginative orchestration, albeit using quite a restricted palette, to which I should have given much more attention. It reminded me not so much of Reinecke as of Bruch, or at least a precursor of Bruch's: his teacher Hiller.