Aloys Schmitt 1788-1866

[giles.enders]

Aloys Schmitt  Born Erlenbach-on-Main  26.8.1788  Died  Frankfurt  25.7.1866

He initially studied under his father and later with Johan Andre and C Hoffmann.  He subsequently became a professor of piano at Frankfurt and later in Berlin numbering among his pupils Ferdinand Hiller.  For a period between 1825-29 he was court organist at the Hanover court.  He had a son Georg 1827-1902 who also composed.

Orchestral

'Tongemalde' symphony Op.45  pub. by Johann Andre  1840
Concert overture Op.36  pub. by C F Peters  1821
Concert overture Op.37
Concert overture Op.46   pub. by Schott  1824
Piano concerto No.1 Op.14
Piano concerto No.2 Op.34
Piano concerto No.3 Op.60   pub. by M Artaria 1825
Piano concertino 'Le Retour a Frankfort'  Op.75   pub. by Offenbach
Piano concertino Op.76  pub. by Trentsensky & Vieweg
Konzertstuck for oboe and orchestra in F major  Op.29  available from ISMLP

Chamber

Sextet for piano, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass on C  Op.104  1840  pub. by Hofmeister and republished by Merton Music
Grand Trio for piano, violin and cello in F minor  Op.35   pub. by Schott
Trio for piano, violin and cello in E flat  Op.105  1841  pub. by Simrock
Trio for piano violin and cello in E flat  Op.122  1856   pub. by Andre
Three string quartets, in B flat, G and F minor Op.70   pub. by Breitkopf & Hartel
String quartet in E flat Op.79  1841   pub. by Weygand & Benster (The Hague)
Two string quartets in E flat and G minor  Op.80   pub. by Breitkopf & Hartel
Two string quartets in A and E flat  Op.81   pub. by Breitkopf & Hartel
Trio for 2 violins and cello Op.63   pub. by C F Peters  1927
Trio for 2 violins and cello in E flat Op.135/1 pub. by Andre and republished by Merton Music
Trio for 2 violins and cello in D minor  Op.135/2 pub. by Andre and republished by Merton Music  (this was his final work)
Trio for 2 violins and cello in B flat major   pub. by Oertel
Little suite for 3 violins, or 2 violins and viola  in G pub. by  Klemm and republished by Merton Music
Violin Sonata No1.  Op.27   pub. by Peters
Violin Sonata  No.2  Op.64   pub. by Nagel
Violin Sonata No.3  Op.66   pub. by Artaria
Violin Sonata in G  No.4  Op.118  pub. by Friedrich Hofmeister  1854
Violin Sonata No.5  Op.123   pub. by Eenst Ter Meer
Violin Sonata  No.6  Op.132  1862  pub. by Augener
Rondo Concertante for violin & piano  Op.48   pub. by Schott
Six works for violin and piano  Op.134  1863  pub. by Offenbach
Sonata concertante for piano and violin in B flat Op.123   pub. by Siegel  1858
Cello Sonata in G minor  Op.127  1868  pub. by Offenbach
Sonata for piano duet  Op.31
Sonata for piano duet  Op.39
Sonata for piano duet  Op.46

Piano

Du Petit Matelot  Op.1/4
Two Rondeau  pub. by Coventry & Holler
Souvenir d'amitie - rondeau
Sonata Op.6
Sonata Op.7
Sonata Op.8
Three Sonatinas  Op.10  pub. by Johann Andre  1866
Sonata Op.14
Sonata di bravura  Op.26
Sonata Op.78
Sonata Op.83
Sonata Op.84
Potpouri sur des motives de Der Freischutz   Op.37   pub. by Schott  1837
Introduction & variations on a theme from Der Freischutz  Op.39   pub. by Schott  1839
Sixty etudes in three books 1820  Op.16   available from ISMLPOrig. pub. by Simrock and also G Schirmer 1856
Six Nouvellles Etudes  Op.61   pub. by Diabelli

Song

'My bonny, bonny England  words by R Baker  1840

Opera

Der Doppleganger  1827
Du Patrionen  1831
Valerie  1832
Das Osterfest zu Paderborn  1843
Die Tocher der Wuste  1845

Cantata

Die Worte des Glaubens von Schiller  1855

Oratorio

Moses  1843
Ruth  1850 

Mass
Mass No2 in D for alto, bass, mixed choir and orchestra  Op.103   pub. by Friedrich Hofmeister  1841

[Mark Thomas]

Interesting, Giles. Any idea of the style of his music? From the dates one would suspect either late classical if he was a conservative or the sound worlds of Beethoven, Spohr, Weber or Kalliwoda if he was more progressive.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Of the piano concertos, Fleisher has score and parts for Op. 76 in an addition printed by the Fleisher Collection from MS in 1976.
Do we know where his MSS are? Staatbibliothek zu Berlin, I expect, but it would be nice to know if the other concertos survive.

[cypressdome]

The Goethe University in Frankfurt appears to have a decent collection of manuscript and engraved scores and they have digitized some of them.

[matesic]

His Kleine Suite in G for 3 violins turns out better than I'd expected - quite charming and even substantial in its way. Strangely, it wasn't published until 1900 and although clearly acknowledging earlier forms some of the harmonies do have a strongly romantic feel to them.

http://imslp.org/wiki/Kleine_Suite_(Schmitt,_Aloys)#IMSLP419921

I'm looking forward to trying some of his other trios (for 2 violins and cello) from imslp, although it's a pity than none of his 8 (or 9) string quartets have surfaced yet. Writing in Cobbett, Rudolf Felber finds them "full of fresh invention". He's highly respectful of Schmitt's other chamber and piano works too, although concludes that they "in no way advanced the development of chamber music".

[matesic]

Unfortunately the one-movement Trio in Eb Op.135 (also published posthumously although this time by only 3 years) occupies a different sound-world entirely - very much of the 18th century and not in a good way!

[Gareth Vaughan]

I have been searching for the piano concertos and have come up with the following:
1st PC, Op. 14 - orchestral parts only (full set): Library of Congress
2nd PC, Op. 34 - orchestral parts only (full set): Goethe Institute
3rd PC, Op. 60 - piano part & orchestral parts (full set): Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
Op. 75 Concertino - piano part only (pub. Offenbach): British Library
Op. 76 Concertino - score and parts: Fleisher  (as previously noted)

It is very tiresome that the solo piano parts for 1 and 2 appear to be missing while the orchestral material is available. As researchers on this forum know, the reverse is more often the case. However, I shall keep looking, and I hope others will too (Eric, this means you ).

[cypressdome]

Have just added to IMSLP the parts for Schmitt's String Quartet, Op. 70 No. 3 and String Trio, Op. 63 (for 2 violins and cello).  This appears to be his only chamber music that the Bavarian State Library has digitized to date.

[matesic]

That's good news. You wouldn't expect much evidence of "romanticism" at this date (the late 1820's) but the quartet does look interesting. Thanks also for scanning it in greyscale as well as black and white.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I have just heard from the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin that they have the solo piano part for Op. 14 and orchestral parts for Op. 75. Shelfmarks are: Op. 14 - DMS O.31100; Op. 75 - DMS O.57236.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Correction. The Staatsbibliothek have sent another message apologising that while they do have the solo piano part of Op. 14, they don't have the orchestral material for  Op. 75 after all - just the solo piano part. So still looking for the orchestral parts of that work and the solo piano part of the 2nd concerto.

[Mark Thomas]

I've found that a frustrating problem with SBB - their digitised card index doesn't take account of (mostly wartime) losses. Whilst ferreting out Raff scores I've been disappointed on a few occasions, but it's hardly surprising. Their collection is so vast, and these scores are often so obscure that no one will have called for them since well before the beginning of WWII, so they'll only know they've been destroyed when they go looking for them. 

[Gareth Vaughan]

The parts to Op. 75 are in the Newberry Library, Chicago.

[eschiss1]

Op64 is also a piano/violin sonata, material @ Vienna OBVSG. An Italian library has a copy of his Sonata cantante op.123 for the same combination.