Elgar: Accompanied part-songs; Pageant of Empire
Complete Edition Volume 2B
Expected to ship in 1-2 weeks.
- Composer: Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
- Editor: Donald Hunt
- Format: Full Score – Hardcover
- Binding: Hardcover
- ISBN:
Description
Having published Elgar's unaccompanied part-songs in June 2014, the Elgar Complete Edition is pleased to announce the publication of a volume containing Elgar's accompanied part-songs, together with the first collated edition of Elgar's songs for the Pageant of Empire. Originally to have also included the set of part-songs From the Bavarian Highlands , the wealth of additional material unearthed during the editing of the volume forced us to revise our plans as the total page count threatened to exceed 600 pages.
The two volumes have proved unexpectedly challenging for all of us. Overlapping arrangements did not show the consistency logic would suggest. for example, the arrangement of Spanish Serenade for SATB and piano was also intended to fill the role of vocal score for performances of the work with orchestral accompaniment, and yet the vocal parts of the two published scores show numerous detailed differences presumably not intended by Elgar. Unravelling the three published versions of The Snow and Fly, Singing Bird proved even more complex. The articulation of the violin parts was revised after publication in 1894 of the version for SSC, 2 violins and piano, with the revisions appearing, but with variations, in later printings of all versions. and the set of Bavarian Highlands songs presented yet other difficulties, a tailing off in the detailed articulation suggests that Elgar never got round to completing the minutiae in the final passages, one reason for delaying its publication to the later volume as it gives us a little more time to decipher Elgar's intentions.
But this is of course meat and drink to all academic editions. What will interest the average Elgarian more is the plethora of scores now published for the first time, including the piano arrangement of Queen Alexandra's Memorial Ode ; forgotten arrangements, primarily for two female voices, of Spanish Serenade ,The Snow and Fly, Singing Bird ; an SATB arrangement of The Birthright ; the ‘lost' words to three Pageant of Empire songs: ‘Gloriana', ‘Indian Dawn' and ‘Cape of Good Hope'; and Elgar's four obbligati to popular songs of the 1870s-1880s, now set for the first time against the songs they were intended to accompany. One of the latter – ‘Alice, where art thou?', which Elgar arranged in 1878 so the occurrence of ‘Alice' in the title is coincidental – will be familiar to many as the title music for the BBC-TV series Open All Hours. But none will know ‘Bicycling Solus', a fragmentary jape not unlike The Smoking Cantata which Elgar wrote, probably for Troyte Griffith, on the flyleaf of a Kelly's 1896 Directory for Worcestershire spotted in the window of Bygones of Worcester during the 2014 Three Choirs Festival. Few other Complete Edition volumes can offer such a treasure trove of Elgar rarities clamouring to be heard.
Accompanied Part-Songs
- Spanish Serenade in versions for SATB/orchestra, SATB/piano and SS/2 violins/piano
- The Snow and Fly, Singing Bird in versions for SSC/orchestra, SSC/2 violins/piano and SS/2 violins/ piano
- A Christmas Greeting in versions for SSTB/2 violins/piano and SS/2 violins/piano
- The Birthright in versions for unison voices/bugles/drums and SATB/piano
- Queen Alexandra's Memorial Ode for SATB/piano.
Pageant of Empire
- Seven settings by Elgar for solo voice and piano of words by Noyes: ‘Shakespeare's Kingdom', ‘The Islands', ‘The Blue Mountains', ‘The Heart of Canada', ‘Sailing Westward', ‘Merchant Adventurers', Immortal Legions'
- Three additional sets of words for Sailing Westward : ‘Gloriana', ‘Indian Dawn' and ‘Cape of Good Hope'
- Elgar's various choral arrangements of ‘Sailing Westward', ‘Immortal Legions' and ‘A Song of Union', including the first publication of the orchestral versions of the latter two songs.
Arrangements
- ‘O 'tis a glorious sight' from Weber's opera Oberon , in Elgar's arrangement with accompaniment for string quintet or string orchestra
- Four popular songs for solo voice and piano (‘Alice, where art thou?', ‘Absent yet Present', ‘Out on the Rocks' and ‘For Ever and for Ever'), for which Elgar composed violin or 'cello obbligati.
Fragments
- Six incomplete part-songs including a fragmentary setting of Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem ‘Jabberwocky' and Elgar's own ‘jape' ‘Bicycling solus'.
Publishers use a lot of words to describe what they sell, and we know it can be confusing. We've tried to be as clear as possible to make sure you get exactly what you are looking for. Below are descriptions of the terms that we use to describe the various formats that music often comes in.
Choral Score
A score for vocalists that only contains the vocal lines. The instrumental parts are not there for reference. Generally, cheaper than a vocal score and requires multiple copies for purchase.
Facsimile
Reproductions of the original hand-written scores from the composer.
Full Score
For ensemble music, this indicates that the edition contains all parts on a single system (there are not separate parts for each player). In larger ensembles, this is for the conductor.
Hardcover
Hardbound. Generally either linen-covered or half-leather.
Orchestral Parts
Similar to a wind set, this is a collection of parts. In the case of strings, the numbers listed are the number of copies included, though generally these are available individually (often with minimum quantities required).
Paperback
When publishers offer multiple bindings (e.g. hardcover) or study scores, this is the "standard" version. If you're planning to play the music, this is probably what you want.
Performance / Playing Score
A score of the music containing all parts on one system, intended for players to share. There are not separate parts for each player.
Set of Parts
For ensemble music, this indicates that there are separate individual parts for each player.
Solo Part with Piano Reduction
For solo pieces with orchestra, this is a version that contains a piano reduction of the orchestra parts. For piano pieces, two copies are typically needed for performance.
Study Score
A small (think choral size) copy of the complete score meant for studying, and not playing. They make great add-ons when learning concertos and small chamber works.
Vocal Score
A score prepared for vocalists that includes the piano/organ part or a reduction of the instrumental parts.
Wind Set
For orchestral music, this is a collection of wind and percussion parts. The specific quantities of each instrument are notated.
With Audio
In addition to the printed music, the edition contains recordings of the pieces. This may be an included CD, or access to files on the internet.
With / Without Fingering (Markings)
Some publishers prepare two copies - a pure Urtext edition that includes no fingering (or bowing) suggestions and a lightly edited version that includes a minimal number of editorial markings.
Elgar: Accompanied part-songs; Pageant of Empire
