Messages

Here is a link to a project to get support for dreadful humanitarian situation that Ukrainians find themselves in. I am posting it here as it undoubtedly features recordings of many unsung Ukrainian composers
https://slippedisc.com/2022/03/5-classical-labels-raise-cash-for-ukraine/

Some interesting repertoire here

https://www.europadisc.co.uk/classical/146750/Sacred_Romantic_Choral_Music.htm

Well said FBerwald!

Surely 'the whole thing' must include what the music was written for - the film. I fail to see how a film score can compare to anything that Strauss (presumably Richard), Zemlinsky or Schreker produced - symphonic poems and film scores are in my view completely different genres.

There is a score of Spectre's Bride listed on ebay (under books) for £44 + £9 postage

I have been following the discussion re the Urspruch PC with interest' especially the nutty problems re tempo - to me the CPO recording gets it just about right - an Allegro ma non troppo with a 12/8 flowing feel. I think the main trouble with the first movement is that Urspruch does not seem seem to modulate far enough from the tonic key for a movement of that length - it spends far too much of its time in E flat major, of  which the ear tires  greatly after a while. I also do not find there is enough melodic variety for a movement of that length. A pity as otherwise there is much that is beguiling.

There is a score available to purchase and you can see the first page of the score with the Preface for free at https://repertoire-explorer.musikmph.de/wp-content/uploads/vorworte_prefaces/1449.html. This German company produces a great deal of 'Unsung' material, though at a price!

I have found my Emanuel Moor file and there is much info in it that I forgot I had. I did my research on Moor in 1998 and my link to the Lausanne Archive is now defunct. However I have found the modern links. It is at the  Biblitheque canonale et universitaire, Riponne, phone no +41 21 216 78 80, email info-riponne@bcu.uni.ch

It is interesting what you have found listed on the main online catalogue. In 1998 I duplicated  the list they had of the stock in the archive (entitled Music Cabinet in Office...?). It duplicates the works you list as well as masses of other stuff.In addition to  Symphony No 7 (including extra score) there is (should be) Symphony in D min (full score), Symphony No 5 (score & parts), Symphony in A minor (score & parts), Symphony in D min Op 44 (sic) (Score & Parts), Symphony No 4 (ms score), Symphony No 6, Symphony No 1 (ms Score). My own list has the Symphonies 2 & 3 but I never finished listing everything. I can send you copies of their 'Music Cabinet' list if you are interested. Looking at it there is a huge task for someone to sort it all out, I can understand why the library feels they haven't got the staff resources or expertise to do so. I also wonder whether the works you list from the main online catalogue come out of the archive and why did they chose those ones in particular?

It is good to know that I am not the only one who spent time in the dusty, disorganised archive at Westminster Central! I even offered my services to try and sort it out, but they seemed uninterested. There was a list of works they purported to have there, but it was very inaccurate. I do not remember seeing the 8th Symphony there but I might be wrong, but I need to check on the notes I made (when I can find where I put them). There is another archive of his materials in Lausanne, which I never visited, but talked at length with them on the phone. They may well have Nos 4 & 7. 

Sorry I left out the Op Nos for 6 & 7. Re Op 45 which Fleisher  and the Stiftung lis as Symphony No 3 - Pirani has it listed as a Song 'Desire',  but I see this song in the Stiftung is Op 45a - quite possibly taken from the symphony?  I must admit that 44B and also 53B (53a in the Stiftung) are unconvincing Op Nos as the B implies that they are derivative of the original no., which clearly is not the case with the symphonies.

I have redone the list in the light your feedback, and following the Stiftung over Pirani

The chronology and hence the numbering is as follows
1893   Symphony No 1 in E minor,  unpublished (WoO 152)
1895   Symphony No 2 in C, published by Simrock, dedicated to Kossuth (WoO 153)
1895   Symphony No 3 in D minor Op 45, published by Rozsavolgyi, dedicated to Anita Moor
1898   Symphony No 4 in B flat, published by Schmid (WoO 154)
1901   Symphony No 5 in A minor  Op 53a, unpublished
1906   Symphony No 6 in E minor,  Op 65, published by Siegel, dedicated to Volkmar Andreae
1906   Symphony No 7 in C, Op 67, published by Siegel, dedicated to Mengelberg & the Concertgebouw
1910   Symphony No 8 in A minor, Op 92, unpublished, dedicated to Anita Moor

Emanuel Moor was never the greatest cataloguer and organiser of his works and manuscripts, having discovered this after many hours Central Westminster Music Library, where there is a rather poorly managed archive. There is also an archive in Lausanne. I can see a little confusion has emerged, cleared up by Eschiss, over the actual Symphony No 2 - Moor did not actually put a number on a Symphony until No 6. His actual Opus Nos go up to Op 151 (his unpublished Requiem of 1916- how I would love to hear that!). His earliest works without Opus Numbers are three symphonies (Nos 1,2 & 4 in my chronogical list below) so they should be WoO 1, 2 & 3, but rather confusingly they have been numbered WoO 152, 153 & 154, to follow on from his actual Opus Nos. One is led to believe in this system that there are WoOs 1-151......This is the picture as I see it at present. Moor wrote 8 symphonies, of which three are unpublished.

The chronology and hence the numbering is as follows
1893   Symphony No 1 in E minor,  unpublished (WoO 152)
1895   Symphony No 2 in C, published by Simrock, dedicated to Kossuth (WoO 153)
1895   Symphony No 3 in D minor Op 44B, published by Rozsavolgyi
1898   Symphony No 4 in B flat, published by Schmid (WoO 154)
1901   Symphony No 5 in A minor  Op 53B, unpublished
1906   Symphony No 6 in E minor, published by Siege, dedicated to Casals
1906   Symphony No 7 in C, published by Siegel, dedicated to Mengelberg & the Concertgebouw
1910   Symphony No 8 in A minor, unpublished

The numbering of the first five symphonies is an assumption on my part, but in my opinion the logical one. The challenge of doing a complete cycle are immense. I did quite a bit of work on the unpublished 3rd Piano Sonata, but it was a very disorganised MS and was in fact incomplete, needing a fair amount of reconstruction. It was also probably written for, though this is not explicit, the double keyboard piano. I suspect that the unpublished symphonies are of the same ilk - in other words they were incomplete
works that were not ready for publication. Until these MSS are found and analysed we won't know.

In his biography of Moor, Max Pirani cites the 2 String Quartets (Op 59 & 87) and the Pieces Lyriques for String Quartet Op 139, as being some of his finest work - what a wonderful CD that would make!

I would like to join in the chorus of excitement re this news - some of the most exciting news I have heard on this forum. I hope it is the start of a succession of such events!