Need help solving a mystery!

Moderator: kcleung

Post Reply
MDale
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2012 4:42 pm
notabot: 626
notabot2: Human

Need help solving a mystery!

Post by MDale »

I discovered a set of anonymous pieces -- excerpts, as it turns out -- here on IMSLP.
Link: http://imslp.org/wiki/6_Morceaux_Anonymes_(Anonymous)

I am dying to know who wrote No. 4, the song with piano.

Here's what I've found out:
- The poem is by Andre Foulon de Vauxl.
- The pieces were part of a contest (January 1905 issue of Musica, No. 28) to guess the composer.
- The answers were published in the April 1905 issue, No. 31.
- The composers were Debussy, Saint-Saens, Cecile Chaminade, Jules Massenet, Rudolphe Berger, and Gaston Serpette.

Of course, I can't find the issue with the answers anywhere, so I'm still left guessing. I think I've ruled out Debussy and Saint-Saens from other sources. Looks like Berger and Serpette wrote operettas, in a very different style than this. So... Chaminade? Massenet? Anyone familiar with this song? I'm dying to solve the mystery!!
jossuk
active poster
Posts: 459
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 1:48 pm
notabot: 42
notabot2: Human

Re: Need help solving a mystery!

Post by jossuk »

The link contains no music.
noqu
forum adept
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:44 pm

Re: Need help solving a mystery!

Post by noqu »

The closing brace should be part of the link, then it works:
http://imslp.org/wiki/6_Morceaux_Anonymes_(Anonymous)
Choralia
Site Admin
Posts: 762
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2009 9:08 pm
notabot: 42
notabot2: Human

Re: Need help solving a mystery!

Post by Choralia »

Fixed.
pocoallegro
forum adept
Posts: 76
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2007 4:58 pm
notabot: YES
notabot2: Bot

Re: Need help solving a mystery!

Post by pocoallegro »

For certain it is not Debussy - the last piece of this group is known as "Morceau de concours" or "Assez vite et tres rhythmé":

http://imslp.org/wiki/Morceau_de_concou ... y,_Claude)

Based of the style of piano writing I would guess Massenet. He liked chordal accompaniments in the right hand without any bass (even in his operas: "Adieu, notre petite table" from Manon). A note from the book "Debussy and the Fragment" (available in preview on Google Books) on page 130 (footnote 30) seems to suggest that the order of composers is thus:

1 - Serpette
2- Saint-Saëns
3 - Chaminade
4 - Massenet
5 - Berger
6 - Debussy

Hope this helps!
MDale
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2012 4:42 pm
notabot: 626
notabot2: Human

Re: Need help solving a mystery!

Post by MDale »

Thanks so much, pocoallegro! :)
Post Reply