Four Movement Solo Concertos

[Peter1953]

Just listened again to Von Flotow's PC 2 (1831), with its delicate, lovely adagio. It's rather curious that this concerto has four movements. I suppose there are not so many (unsung) solo concertos consisting of four movements, regardless of which solo instrument. Which (early) romantic composer preceded Von Flotow?

[kolaboy]

Gade's 5th Symphony for piano + orchestra. Underrated work...

[eschiss1]

no, that's not a concerto- it's a concertante work (there is a difference and not just a distinction)- and like all Gade's (surviving?) symphonies dates from 1842 or later I think. Likewise Litolff's surviving concerti symphoniques(?) which are other examples that come to mind - the earliest surviving one, I think, dates from the early 1840s... So yes, 1831 seems pretty early for a post-Baroque concerto with four distinct movements, unless I'm mistaken. (Classical-period concertos and sinfonia- concertante works in 1 or 2 movements were more common (the August Klengel first piano concerto (of at least 2) I was just looking at again, that one was published no later than 1817, for instance and has two movements, each with a brief slow introduction), and the one-movement concerto form used I think by Spohr and rather a few others occasionally (also the three-movements telescoped into one though doing both at once in a work is something not many composers ... never mind, jumping off train ) - that one finds more often.

[Mark Thomas]

It isn't called a concerto and it doesn't have four movements, but Raff's five-movement Suite for Piano & Orchestra in both scale and character is a concerto in all but name. The parallel Suite for Violin and Orchestra is most definitely a suite, however.

[Josh]

Hi. Your friendly neighbourhood Classical Era nut here, spying on your Romantic types as usual. I just couldn't resist addressing the discussion about the rarity of 4-movement sinfonia concertante works in the Classical period.  It's not just that there were a number of them, it's that some of them stand out for their solo instruments and/or combinations of such.

Take, for example, Albrechtsberger's Concerto for Jew's Harp and Mandora in F Major.  He wrote seven sinfonia concertante for this odd pairing with orchestra, three of which survive today, and the one in F Major has four movements. All were written in 1764, 1765 (possibly all in this year), or 1766.  He also wrote a Concerto for Piccolo and Guitar in D Major, in four movements.

[JimL]

Just listened again to Von Flotow's PC 2 (1831), with its delicate, lovely adagio. It's rather curious that this concerto has four movements. I suppose there are not so many (unsung) solo concertos consisting of four movements, regardless of which solo instrument. Which (early) romantic composer preceded Von Flotow?

Sterndale-Bennet intended his 1st PC to have 4 movements, but the publisher nixed the idea, so the finale of the concerto is actually a scherzo.  The von Flotow PC 2 may be the first Romantic period concerto to actually be in a 4 movement format, predating those of Litolff, but, of course, it went unperformed and unpublished until its recent discovery.

[eschiss1]

Josh- I'm not sure I meant to say that, or if I did, I was mistaken (I know I'm not a Romantic-music-only nut, judging certainly from my collection, though my knowledge can always use much improvement...)

[minacciosa]

Jeno Hubay's 3rd Violin Concerto.. Excellent piece.

[Peter1953]

Yes, a fine concerto. His 4th has also 4 movements. There are more examples. How about Hans Huber's PCs 1 & 3? Amy Beach...

[Mark Thomas]

Vieuxtemps' Violin Concerto No.4.

[eschiss1]

Ok, there's a relatively rare example of a 4-movement concerto (but not symphony, with that genre's different rules and permissions) composed between 1831 and 1881 there (Romantic-era ones composed/published between 1810 and 1830- not sure, between 1831 and 1880- a handful? - between 1881 and 1918- I'm guessing and also seem to recall, rather more, of course )

[Ilja]

All three (although the second is lost) of Hans Huber's piano concertos are in four movements. The third one especially is a very effective piece and one of my favorites, mainly on account of its beautifully lush opening movement.

[JimL]

Well, Gounod's Concerto for Piano-pédalier is in 4 movements...

[Gareth Vaughan]

Huber actually wrote 4 piano concertos.

[JimL]

Of course, we're leaving out Scharwenka's 4th PC and Sauer's 1st, because by the time they were composed 4 movement concertos had already become somewhat old-hat.  Oh, and I believe the Dobrowen PC in C-sharp minor is also in 4 movements.  I'm still trying to get information on the tempo of the finale of that work.