ARTARIA EDITIONS Balitrial Board ALLAN BADLEY FF EISEN ROBERT HOSKINS + BERTIL VAN BOER IGNAZ PLEYEL Sinfonie Concertante in E? Etited by Allan Badley ABSS9,AESS9 IGNAZ PLEYEL, Sinfonie Concertante in BY Source ~Imbaslt prin [178%] Esitor~ Allan Badley| Engraving & Layout ~ Promethean Editions Ld © Antara Editions Limited 2023 Published by Antara Editions (Hong Kong) Limited in Hong Kong, ISBN 978-$88-8708-62-8 (print) ISBN 978-688-8708-65.5 (git) ISMN 979.0.87451-029-5 AESSI-iFOREWORD ‘mer pupil ignaz Pleyel wes the most popular composer and, from 1807, his firm in Paris began manufacturing instru- I the early yeas of the nineteenth century Haydn's for- Jn Europe, He was aso a leading music publisher, ‘ments. This part of the business and the Salle Pleyel, the con- cert hall he founded in 2830, survive to this day From the ages of fifteen to twenty Pleyel lodged with Haydn in Eisenstadt as his pupil His patron, Count Erdédy, was so satisfied with his progress that he presented Haydn with a catriage and two horses as a measure of his gratitude, Although nothing is known about Pleyel’s studies we can as. sume that he undertook a systematic course of contrapuntal studies based on Haydn's own annotated and revised version ‘of Fux’s Gradus ad Parnassumand received supervision in his «exercises in free compasition, Doring his time with Haydn, Pleyel's marionette opera Die Fee Urgele received its premiere at Exvterhéza (in November 1776) and it was also performed at the Nationaltheater in Vienna. Haydn's marionette opera Die Feuerbrunst (Hob XXGXb:A) was also performed in 175 (081777 with an overture now believed to be largely by Pleyel. Pleyel fist professional postion was probably as Music Director to Count Erdidy, the dedicate of his fist published sot of string quartets in which the young composer acknow! edged Erdady's ‘generosity, paternal solicitude and encour agement in the preface. That these works were composed in Italy in the eaely 1780s is also testament to Exdody’s genetosi ty of spitt since he not omly gave Pleyel leave to travel to Italy ‘but paid his expenes as well Pleyel’ ighly-accomplished second set of string quartets was dedicated to Joseph Haydn, the f ir of many such dedications Haydn would receive from composers across Europe, Pleyels talian travels in the 1780s (there were several trips) had a profound influence on his development as com poser and itis testament to the high regard in which he was held in Italy that he received a commission while in Naples to compose an opera seria, Ifigenia in Auli, for the Teatro ‘San Carlo which received its premiere on 30 May 1785, Pleyel ‘was also commissioned through the Austria envoy: Norbert Hadrava, wo compose several pieces for the ira organizeata for the King of Naples ‘Around this time Pleyel was appointed assistant to Franz Xaver Richter at Strasbourg Cathedral and although he pro- duced some sacred works if exceptional quality over the next {fw years his principal preoccupation remained instrumen- tal music. The Pleyel-Schonfeld concerts were the glory of Strasbourg's musical life and many of Peyels works received their premieres in these concerts. The works of many other composers also featured prominently in these concerts in- cluding those of Haydn. Although he was removed from the heady musical worlds of Vienna and Paris, Pleyel was ‘well aware of what was happening there while his in Strasbourg made it one of the most interesting musical de Chapelle on Richter’s death in 1789, shortly after the Revolution broke out, but before Iong, both the religious ser- sin Europe, Pleyel succeeded to the postion of Maitre vices and Pleyel’ public concerts were cancelled. In spite of these difficulties, the Strasbourg years tive musically for Pleyel and most of his major composi the most produc date from the years 1787-179. With his professional circumstances in Strasboutg so un- certain inthe aftermath of the Revolution, Pleyel accepted an in London, and stayed there fom December 1791 until May 1792. To is invitation to conduet the Professional Conee surprise and embarrasement he found himself in direct com- petition with Haydn who was the star of the rival concert series organised by Johann Peter Salomon, Pleyel and Haydn resumed their easy relationship in London. They met fre- quently, dined together and even played each other's music While Haydn was cleatly the man of the moment, Pleyel’s were well attended and hi symphonies concer- received generous praise in tantes and quartets in particu the pres. With the establishment of his music business in Paris in 1795 Pleyel began to scale down his activities as a com- poser. Much of his later output seems to have been tailored to Parisian tastes although his music proved phenomenally popular everywhere, ‘The urgent, taut athleticism of his carly works writen in the shadow of Haydn is rarely to be beard. As early as 1789 Dr Charles Burney commented that this ingenious and engaging composer [was] drawing rather sore fgom the fownlain of his invention’ than it would bear. He also expressed the view held by many connoisseurs that Pleyel’ imitation of Hayin's style had developed into mere allecation, evidence that ‘his fancy though at frst so fertile {s not so inexhaustible: While there is perhaps some merit in this view itis not nuanced and it fils to recognize Pleyel’s originality and that his artistic objectives were often different to those of Haydn, Pleyel’s legacy a8 a publisher is immense. In the course of its thirty-nine year life Maison Pleyel issued over 4000works Clementi and Haydn, Among the historically most im- portant publications istued by Maison Pleyel were the fret neluding compositions by Boccherini, Beethoven, riniature scores, and, in 140, a Collection complete des quatuors Haydn, dédite a Premier Consul Bonaparte 'gnaz Pleyel was not a prolific composer of concertos by [= nu of ees aan te pe was sporadic and connected diectly wit his profes- sional activites. The majority of the nine authentie works were composed between ca 787 and 17go when Peyel was working in Stzasbourg, One further concerto was published in 1757. The two latest datale works =the Concerto in D (enton 10s) and € (Benton 106) were conceived in parallel versions, Thisis ate development in Pleyel thinking and inthe cae of Benton 106, which was isued in three ver- sions, one undoubtedly influenced by his experience as a publisher The comparative absence of concertos from the catliest years of Peyels profesional creer probably indi- cates more a ack of opportunity to write in the medi than a disinterest i it. Nonetheless itis possible thatthe relatively minor role thatthe concerto played in Haya’ profesional life, paticulaly inthe 17705, also exerted an influence on Pleyel Guring his formative years as Haydn's pupil ‘he sinfonies concertantes presenta similar picture. ‘The enlist of the works dates from 1786 and was pre- sumably composed forthe Pleyel Schonfeld concerts in Swashourg, A posible performance took place in 1785 — there ia report af a work by Pleyel described ss 2"Grande’” Symphony in which one instrument starts after anothe and a rather stronger case to be made fora performance the following year of a"Sinfonie Concertante a neuf instru- mens” of which the present work is the only known con= tender. Benton 13 (1791) ~a double concerto for violin and ‘viola in all but name isthe first ofthe post-Revolutionary sinfonies concertantes and the occasion for which it was seritten is uncertain, However, we do know from several English editions that the work was performed in London, “with the greatest Applause atthe Nobility’ Concerts’, Two ‘works —Benton 13 and 114 were composed in 1792 forthe Professional Concerts in London and their performances there and reception are well documented, The origins of the Sinfonie Concertante in F for Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, and Horn (Benton 1s), however, are rather less certain although the evidence points to a composition date ca toa, Whereas there are good grounds to believe that the cello concertos Benton 101-102 were written very early in Pleyel’ career, there is no evidence that he composed any sin- fonies concertantes before 1786. The gente was not cultivated by Viennese composers although Leopold Hofmann wrote sev- cxal fine double concertos and some rather novel concertinos with two, three and four solo instruments that may have been ‘known to Pleyel. Pleyel’s own works in the medium, however, belong tothe Mannheim and French traditions which is hardly surprising given the course of his professional life. As is the case with the solo concertos, two ofthe sinfonies concertantes were issued in parallel versions. Benton 12 originally written {for violin and viols, was published in a transcription for forte- piano and violas and Benton 14, the Sinfonie Concertante in A (for two violins), was also issued in an authentic version for {fortepiano and violin. Pleyel adopted two structural and stylistic types in his sin~ fonies concertantes. The first of these is largely symphonic in orientation but it dillers from the conventional symphony in including prominent solo parts for a distinet concertato group. First movements are light in thematic development preferring instead to exploit the textural and timbral possibilities afford- ed by the unusual scoring of the works. All three ofthe sinfo- nies concertantes ofthis type include a theme and variations ‘The second type— which is represented by Benton na and 114 ~ is more closely related to the concerto. The first ‘movements of these works are indistinguishable structurally from those of a solo concerto although they are more expan sive in ther presentation and exploration of thematic material owing to the need to give both solo instcuments equal promi- ‘ence. It isin thet laxgercyelic structures that these sinfonies concertantes differ from Pleyel’s solo concertos with their typical three-movement form, The Sinfonia Concertante in B? (Benton 12) is cast in two movements ~ an opening Allegro and a Rondo (which has a brief final section in 2 new tempo and metre) without the customary central slow movement — and the Sinfonia Concertante in A (Benton 114) follows @ similar pattern but for the addition of a muki-partte multi- tempo central movement ofa kind not encountered in Pleyel’s solo concertos. The two-moversent structure of Benton 112 is ‘common in this (ype of work and is encountered frequently in the works of French composers and those, like Pleyel, who were writing predominantly forthe French marke. Asits tide suggests, Pleyel’ Sinfonie Concertante a neuf in “strumens (2786) is a genuine nonet which is to be performed with one player per part. The only parts that are not specifi- cally labelled obbligato are the two horns, Violin and Viola I (which are nonetheless frequently assigned important the- ‘matic material) and the basso part which retains a functional role throughout, The eyele structure of the work is to some Aisseaiv‘extent ambigios since it is unclear whether the fourth and fifth movements should more properly be considered as 4 single unit ~ a Rondo preceded by a slow introduction ~ ‘or as two independent movements. The closed form of the fourth movement suggests the later and further support for this can perhaps be found inthe fat that the movement had been used previously in the Sting Quartet in E (Benton 302) Pleyels decision o employ borrowed material inthis work is dificult to fathom particularly as it required substantial re- ‘working to accommodate the enlarged instrumentation, ‘This present edition is based on Imbaul’s edition of the work which was published in 1788 under the title:"“SINFONIE |. CONCERTANTE / A NEUF INSTRUMENS J (N,B) Le ler VIOLON, le HAUTBOIS, le 1* ALTO, et le VIOLONCEL, sont obligés et CONCERTANS. / Composée par MR J. PLEYEL | Prix 6° / A PARIS | CHEZ IMBAUIT.../ AP D R” The tile page is signed by Imbault, In keeping with most exrly printed sources Imbault’s parts contain a good number of crvors and inconsistencies, The notation of articulation and dynamic markings has been standardised throughout, and, ‘where missing, markings have been reconstructed from par- allel passages. These are indicated by the use of dotted slurs ‘or brackets where appropriate. Like most eighteenth-century sources, the print is inconsistent at times in its notation of _appoggiutur; these have also been standardised to minimise confusion. Obvious wrong notes have been silently correct- cd; otherwise, any editorial emendation with no authority from the source is placed within brackets Allan BadleySINFONIE CONCERTANTE IN E> Ignaz Pleyel (Benton 111) Allegro assai be