Chausson: "Poème"

[Reto Schärli]

I am preparing a program scheduled February 2025 (three performances) which will include, among other works, the well-known "Poème" for Solo Violin and orchestra by Ernest Chausson (1855-1899).

Chausson unfortunately still is not a household name, but having known a significant portion of his output, I am quite shocked at how difficult it is to get anything like a decent edition of the above mentioned piece. Maybe someone could shed light on the following questions:

-Is there any modern edition of the score, better than this one here by Breitkopf (first edition)? :

https://imslp.org/wiki/Special:ImagefromIndex/27765/punt

To me it seems, that all the succeeding editions are based upon this one. Am I wrong about this? Obviously, there has never been a complete works edition for this composer...
There is a decent violin-piano-edition by Henle, probably the only one coming a bit closer to a "scientific approach". But I decidedly am looking for a full orchestral score.

-Is this manuscript here written by Chausson? :

https://imslp.org/wiki/Special:ImagefromIndex/02363/punt

I get the impression that it is not Chausson's handwriting, based upon comparable faksimilia in Gallois' biography on the composer. I am not an expert, but I doubt it is Chausson's handwriting.
There are huge discrepancies between this manuscript and the printed score by Breitkopf. And these are not minor!

-If it is not Chausson's manuscript: Where is the original? Does anybody know whom to contact about this?

-I read that Ysaÿe, to whom the piece is dedicated and who played the first performance, made some adjustments of his own. This seems to have been reported by his son. Have these been documented anywhere? Any possibility of getting these materials?

-Are there any other articles associated with this precise piece?

I got the biographies by Gallois (both versions) and Grover. They are very detailed in their picture of his life and surroundings, there exists also an edition of Chausson's diaries and literary sketches (very much worth reading), but unfortunately both men didn't really work on the music itself. Their analyses often lack depth, despite their merits with biographical stuff. It's really a pitty that when dealing with Chausson we have to rely on the old (first) editions...

Maybe someone can shed some additional light on this.
Thanks in advance!

[eschiss1]

Some of the recent editions are based on Gustave Samazueilh's edition, I notice.

I'm surprised there's no attempt at a Chausson critical edition yet. A piano sonata has been published, for example...

[cypressdome]

The manuscript you link to purports to be Chausson's holograph (signed on the last page). Higher resolution images can be found at the source: Library of Congress. The score was donated to the Library by Fritz Kreisler who had received it from Eugène Ysaÿe. Another manuscript of Op.25 can be found at the French National Library.

[Reto Schärli]

Thanks a lot, this is very interesting to know! I was not aware of the connection with Fritz Kreisler.
I wrote to Library of Congress yesterday as I was surprised not to find the manuscript with Bibliothèque nationale in Paris. They seem to have a piano score, written in Chausson's hand (with the original title referring to Turgenyev's novel "Le chant de l'amour triomphant")...

So you're convinced the manuscript at Library of Congress is Chausson's handwriting?

[Reto Schärli]

Gustave Samazueilh

Thank you for this, Eric. I was searching, but couldn't find editions of the piece mentioned by Samazeuilh. Do you have a link?

Concerning the Piano Sonatinas: These have been published, yes. There are three of them, two being four-hand, one for two hands. As (almost) all other pieces by Chausson they are available and almost all of Chausson's (small, but significant) output can be found at IMSLP. They problem, as mentioned, is that there has never been a complete works edition, along with musicological research... We (often) seem to rely on the old/first editions...

In any case, a complete works edition would be due for this composer, in particular considering that his output is not too numerous (lots of mélodies and smaller-scope pieces...).

[eschiss1]

Samazeuilh-edited edition: OCLC.

[eschiss1]

The F minor piano sonata I was referring to from 1880 is only 18-23 pp in its autograph scores so maybe it's a sonatina in effect...

[Reto Schärli]

Samazeuilh-edited edition: OCLC.

Thanks a lot!

Apparently there is a critical edition of the full score by Nieweg (Serenissima Music), ed. 2022. I wonder about this one, just ordered it. The manuscript scores (Bibliothèque nationale and Library of Congress) have a lot of discrepancies, so I'm really curious to find out how the editor solved these issues.

Still astonishing that it took more than hundred years after the composer's death until someone had a musicologically based look at the sources...

[eschiss1]

There's also apparently Max Tan's 2024 dissertation?

[Reto Schärli]

There's also apparently Max Tan's 2024 dissertation?

Thanks, sounds interesting! Looking forward to what will be coming up.
Currently still waiting for the Serenissima score to arrive, I think (hope!) it will clarify a lot of the issues...