Two forgotten US violin concerti from the 1930s

Started by violinconcerto, Monday 08 February 2016, 17:06

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violinconcerto

I just uploaded on my website the full scores of the violin concerti by Ernest Schuyten (1881-1974) and Charles Francis Hamlin (1874-1946). Both scores are in pdf-format and can be downloaded free of charge at: http://www.tobias-broeker.de/rare-manuscripts/

Here are some details about the composers:

Ernest Schuyten was born in Belgium, but emigrated to the US in 1910 and became a naturalized US citizen later. He settled in New Orleans and founded the Conservatory of Music there in 1919 which later became the Loyola University College of Music and Fine Arts. Until his retirement in 1953 Ernest Schuyten was the first dean of the Loyola Music College and the conductor of the university symphony orchestra. Ernest Schuyten composed orchestral and chamber music, but most of the manuscripts were lost in the hurricane Camille in 1969 (as well as his son and grandson died in that incident). The "Violin concerto in one movement only" was first performed in 1932 by Ella de los Reyes, violinist and faculty member of the Loyola Music College.
More details at Wikipedia.

Charles Francis Hamlin was born in San Jose (California), studied music and fine arts in Oakland and moved then to Santa Cruz where he stayed until his death in 1946. He was a prominent part of the musical history of Santa Cruz for many years as a teacher and conductor, but also as a painter. The violin concerto by Hamlin was first performed in piano reduction most likely by Hamlin himself, who was a violinist, but in 1937 performed several times with the Federal Symphony Orchestra with Alfred Keller (violin).


I would be delighted if you take a look into the scores and would appreciate if you spread the word to interested musicians and music lovers to support these forgotten concertos!

Best,
Tobias

Alan Howe

Thanks, Tobias. What can you tell us about their idiom, bearing in mind the remit of this forum?

violinconcerto

That they are still clearly in the Romantic idiom, otherwise I would had never posted it here of course.

Alan Howe

Can you make any comparisons, please, for those of us who can't read scores?

violinconcerto

Schuyten studied under Flor Alpaerts in Belgium before emigrating to the US and so if you check out Alpaerts you know what kind of music you will get.