Lot n° 88
Estimation :
4000 - 5000
EUR
Result with fees
Result
: 4 992EUR
Charles GOUNOD. Autograph manuscript signed, Concerto pour P - Lot 88
Charles GOUNOD. Autograph manuscript signed, Concerto pour Piano-Pédalier et Orchestre, 1889; 133 folio pages, plus title.
Orchestral score of this rare Concerto for piano-pedal [CG 534].
The title page bears this dedication: "To Lucie Palicot this work is dedicated and given. Ch. Gounod. 7bre / 89 ". The work was performed on 6 February 1888 in Angers for the Artistic Association, and on 4 April 1890 at the Châtelet under the direction of Gounod, whose last public triumph it was; that same month of April 1890, in the Salle Érard, " Mme Palicot, the indefatigable apostle of the piano-pedal, interpreted with the small Colonne orchestra : A Suite concertante, a Concerto, a Toccata in F, a Scherzo-valse, for this instrument, all works of the composition of Gounod, who was particularly interested in his interpreter " (Prodhomme and Dandelot). Paul Landormy recounted one of these concerts, with " this very graceful and cute person perched on an immense case containing the low strings of the pedalboard under a concert grand piano itself resting on the said case ; and especially, what surprised us, quite pleasantly besides, it was to see Mrs Palicot dressed in a short skirt, at the knee, quite necessary, but astonishing in this time and skirmishing very skillfully with her pretty legs to reach successively the various keys of the keyboard which she had under the feet, a turn similar to an organ pedalboard ". Gounod refused to have this Concerto published during his lifetime, considering that his publisher Leduc rented the scores of his works at too high a price, thus slowing down their distribution; he donated his score to Lucie Palicot, to ensure her exclusivity.
On this Concerto, in E flat major, one can read the interesting analysis of Gérard Condé (Charles Gounod, Fayard, 209, p. 881-883), from which we borrow a few sentences. It is composed of four movements: -Allegro moderato of a "Beethovenian heroism: conquering arpeggios climb the degrees of the scale [...] The soloist makes his entrance in silence; 12 bars of broken arpeggios on the pedalboard alone"...; Scherzo in G minor at ¾; Adagio ma non troppo in C minor at C, "a kind of funeral march"; Final (Allegro pomposo) at 6/8, returning to E flat major: "The more important role of the orchestral timbres, the brio of the keyboard writing, the sustained rhythmic verve, ensure that this finale is undeniably effective."
The manuscript is complete; the piano-pedal part has been cleaned up by a copyist, the orchestration is entirely in Gounod's hand.
Discography: Howard Shelley, Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, dir. Roberto Prosseda (Hyperion, 2013).
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