The Symphonic Poem "Leben und Ideal" by the Silesian composer Max Puchat is available from MPH – Musikproduktion Hoeflich (https://repertoire-explorer.musikmph.de/prefaces/4723.pdf). The detailed description and the biographical notes, in German and then in English, make me curious. Wonder if there will ever be a recording?
All I've heard by him so far I think is a string quartet at IMSLP. I see MPH has that and his violin sonata in D as well...
Yet another unknown, intriguing name to emerge from the mists of musical history. Thanks for pointing him out.
Here's the link to his String Quartet: https://imslp.org/wiki/String_Quartet%2C_Op.25_(Puchat%2C_Max)
It's a pleasure for me to read about your interest in Puchat. As the author of the preface I must say: it was not easy to collect information about this composer. And until today I am not able to give you a more or less complete list of his works. As you see, there are many gaps in his opus numbers, and many pieces without an opus number. Nothing by him was printed in the last 20 years of his life, and it is unclear if he still composed during this period.
Another orchestral work has survived in manuscript: In den Alpen. Symphonische Tonbilder.
You can find the score at the University Library of Chicago:
https://catalog.lib.uchicago.edu/vufind/Record/3847669
What happened to Puchat's other unprinted works (among them several tone poems and piano concertos) can not be said, yet. I was not able to trace the record of his wife Marie to a date later than 1924. Did she remain in Breslau after her retirement, or did she move to another place and took his scores with her? If Puchat's manuscripts remained in Breslau until 1945 it is possible that they were destroyed or got lost. If you have any hint for me in this case, please let me know!
For me Puchat is a major find. And it would be very nice to listen to good performances of his music in the future!
Here you have a copy of the worklist, printed in the Höflich Score
Catalogue of works by Max Puchat
This catalogue of works makes no claim to completeness and is expressly to be understood as provisional. The
gaps in the opus count reveal that not all works with opus numbers were printed. In two cases, compositions
without numbers appeared in print. For the time being, it must remain open whether numbers that remained
free were reserved for some of the works listed here that never made it into print. Since, due to the sources available, it was hardly possible to provide information on the dates of origin of the compositions, the date of publication, including the publisher, was given in the list for printed works. The unprinted works were given the date of the earliest verifiable performance or the earliest mention.
Music for orchestra
-Symphony (awarded with the Mendelssohn Prize in 1884)
-Euphorion, symphonic poem after Goethe's Faust, op. 14 (Siegel, Leipzig 1888)
-Ouvertüre on a Nordic Theme, op. 22 (Siegel, Leipzig 1890)
-Leben und Ideal, symphonic poem after Schiller, op. 24 (Siegel, Leipzig 1892)
-Tragödie eines Künstlers, symphonic poem (performed in Berlin in 1894)
-In den Alpen, symphonic tone pictures (performed in Munich in 1906)
-Piano Concerto in E flat major (performed in Berlin in 1890)
-Piano Concerto in C minor (performed in Berlin in 1895)
-Piano Concerto in E minor (performed in Milwaukee in 1905)
-Fuga solemnis, tone poem for orchestra and organ (performed in Berlin in 1891)
Chamber music
-String Quartet in D minor (performed in Berlin in 1888)
-String Quartet in F major, op. 25 (Bote & Bock, Berlin 1892)
-Canzonetta for violin, viola and piano (performed in Paderborn in 1900)
-Sonata for violine and piano in D major (Klemm, Leipzig 1898)
-Romance for violin and piano (performed in Berlin in 1894)
-3 Fantasy Pieces for violoncello and piano, op. 4 (Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig 1886)
Music for piano
-3 Piano Pieces (Alla Marcia, Scherzo, Preludio e Fugato), op. 1 (Praeger & Meier, Bremen 1883)
-Sonata in B flat minor, op. 3 (Bote & Bock, Berlin 1886)
-4 Pieces in Form of Dances (Böhmische Polka, Tyrolerweise, Tarantelle, Walzer-Phantasie) for piano
four hands, op. 5 (Bote & Bock, Berlin 1887)
-Rhapsody, op. 11 (Bisping, Münster 1888)
-2 Piano Pieces (Polnischer Tanz, Abendstimmung), op. 12 (Bisping, Münster 1888)
-Am Gardasee. Serenata italiana, op. 13 (Bisping, Münster 1888)
-Valse, op. 18 (Bisping, Münster 1890)
Songs (with piano accompaniment unless otherwise stated)
-4 Songs (Hientzsch, Breslau 1885)
-4 Songs, op. 8 (Bisping, Münster 1888)
-Ganz oder gar nicht, op. 9 (Bisping, Münster 1888)
-Du wunderschöne Schlanke, op. 10 (Bisping, Münster 1888)
-Aus den Bergen, 2 duets for soprano and alto, op. 19 (Bisping, Münster 1889)
-Gretchen vor der Mater Dolorosa, with orchestra (performed in Munich in 1906)
The British Library has printed scores of Puchat's Piano Sonata and 4 Pieces In Dance Form:
https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,max%20puchat&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01
Thanks, Rainolf, for posting all this information about Puchat and his compositions. Let's hope that some performances and/or recordings now take place.
My interest in Puchat was sparked by the entry on him in "Deutsche Tonkünstler und Musiker in Wort und Bild" by Friedrich Jansa from 1911. Call me obsessive, but I am currently going through that tome systematically – whenever time allows, and I hope to throw new names at folk here soonish...
I did have scores of the Op1, and the Sonata Op3; but I disposed of these some time ago as they were extremely dull and uninspiring IMHO! I don't get rid of scores without serious consideration first, but I felt the music was never going to be worthy of further attention!