Jan van Gilse(1881-1944): a Catalogue of the Orchestral Music

[Dundonnell]

JAN VAN GILSE: A CATALOGUE OF THE ORCHESTRAL MUSIC

1899:      "De waterlelie" for mezzo-soprano or contralto and orchestra
1900:      Concert Overture in C minor: 10 minutes
1900-01:Symphony No.1 in F major: 33 minutes    + (cpo cd)
1901-02:Cantata "Sulamith" for soprano, tenor, baritone, chorus and orchestra: 25 minutes
1902-03/28:Symphony No.2 (Symphonic Fantasy) in E flat major: 33 minutes   *    +  (cpo cd)
1903:      Symphony No.3 "Erhebung" in D minor for soprano and orchestra: 63 minutes    +  (cpo cd)
                Two Songs for soloist and orchestra
1903-04:Cantata "Ein Lebensmesse" for soprano, tenor, chorus and orchestra: 67 minutes     *
1904-05:Three Songs for medium voice and orchestra
1908:      Variations on a St. Nicholas Song for small orchestra: 20 minutes
1910-15:Symphony No.4 in A major "Der Fruhling": 41 minutes    *
1915:      Three Songs from Tagore's "Gitanjali" for soprano and orchestra: 11 minutes
1922:      Symphony No.5 in D major   (unfinished)
1925-26:Three Dance Sketches for Piano and Small Orchestra
1928:      "Prologus brevis" for orchestra: 4 minutes
1928-29:Cantata "Der Kreis des Lebens" for soprano, tenor, chorus and orchestra
1936:      Small Waltz for orchestra: 10 minutes
1940:      "Treurmuziek bij den dood van Uilenspiegel" from the Opera "Thijl": 12 minutes   +  (Donemus cd)
1942:      Declamatorium "Rotterdam" for speaker and orchestra   (unfinished)

and

Andante con moto for orchestra

Source:

http://www.nederlandsmuziekinstituut.nl/en/archives/list-of-music-archives?task=listdetail&id=2_6829

[eschiss1]

Symphony no.3- that looks odd. "Erhebung" is a word... was Gilse playing an Ivesian/Spoonerist joke? (Or is Ehrebung also a word, or a person's name? My German is not at all good.)

[Dundonnell]

"Erhebung" (I correct my initial spelling error ) means "Resurrection", I understand

[Christo]

Erhebung is German for 'elevation', literally, but can mean as much as 'exaltation'. My guess is that it has a Nietzschean connotation here. A translation remains uncertain, as it is probably multi-layered. 

BTW: there are a couple of recordings of the Funeral Music from 'Thijl' available, still used at solemn occasions by Bernard Haitink. One is found in the Concertgebouw Orchestra series on Donemus (RCO under Bernard Haitink, 1977).

[FBerwald]

Out of curiosity, how "unfinished" is the 5th Symphony? Now that CPO has completed the 4 symphonies, I was wondering whether they might perhaps tackle this "fragment(?)"

[eschiss1]

I don't see (offhand??) a copy of the sketches of sym.5 listed in the Gilse archives (basically same link as used as source for Dundonnell's list below, just more compact) @ NMI

(where there -is- some (a little) further information on sym.3, 4 complete-to-partial manuscripts, with the description "Erhebung/Sinfonie No.3 für eine hohe Sopranstimme / und grosses Orchester / componirt von / Jan van Gilse / Arnhem - Bremen Mai 1906 - September 1907 / An Dina Mollinger Hooijer / In Dankbarkeit". )