Crescendo Music Publications is excited to announce the release of the first Complete Edition of the piano works of Charles-Marie Widor (1844–1937), edited by Daniel Mitterdorfer and Harold Fabrikant.
See bottom of page for link to order the set or individual volumes.
Preeminent authority on Widor’s life and work, Prof. John R. Near gives an overview of this groundbreaking edition below.
Today, Charles-Marie Widor is well established as one of the greatest organist-composers of the Romantic era. Musicological research in recent decades, however, has revealed that his career was not at all confined to the famous organ gallery of his Paris church, but that most of his artistic work had simply fallen out of currency as all except organists increasingly forgot him. Indeed, his place in the mainstream of French music is now finally being recognized again. Performances and recordings of his considerable œuvre reveal a musician of remarkable gifts and inspiration. In addition to his ten seminal organ symphonies, his orchestral symphonies, concertos, piano music, chamber music, art songs, choral works, operas, and a ballet—once considered “one of the glories of French art”—made his name renowned among musicians and audiences alike. After the organ works, Widor’s considerable body of solo piano music holds the largest place in his catalogue. While the organ music has never been eclipsed, the piano music has, alas, been the most inaccessible—thus completely neglected. It is of the happiest consequence that it has now been given the attention it so richly deserves in the new critical edition by editors Daniel Mitterdorfer and Harold Fabrikant.
To create this first edition of Widor’s Complete Works for Piano, the editors have had to surmount difficulties of near epic proportions. His compositions for piano are interspersed throughout his œuvre with relative consistency; the earliest published work appeared in 1867 and the final original composition in 1910, when he neared the end of his active career as a composer. With a paucity of scores still in print, the editors had to scour libraries throughout the world to find what they hope are all the versions of each work. This is a tenuous expectation, considering Widor’s lifelong penchant to fastidiously revise and republish his music time and time again. There are sometimes four or five versions of the same work—versions that can only be determined as being different after note-by-note comparison of various prints; and then comes the thorny task of placing them in chronological order. Also, later collections of non-sequential opus numbers were assembled, usually after revision, in a seemingly haphazard manner, and issued under one cover. These were certainly intended to bring various works to the attention of “the pianists [who] hardly spoil me with too much attention,” as Widor lamented to French pianist Isidor Philipp.
From Saint-Saëns to Stravinsky, Fauré to Ravel, Debussy to Poulenc—darlings of melomaniac society hostesses—all frequented their Paris salons and partook of the celebrity afforded by this subcultural part of the city’s musical life, thus benefiting from publicity that furthered their careers. The who’s who of French music were invited to perform, and each frequently offered up his latest composition. Widor, too, was among the regulars of the salon, and judging by the bevy of nobly-titled dedicatees on his scores—a Chevalier, Marquise, Baron, Baroness, Count, Countess, Princess, and even a Queen—many of his works were clearly composed for salon consumption, such as Six morceaux de salon or any one of several suites of character pieces variously containing a nocturne, waltz, mazurka, sicilienne, rêverie, sérénade, or the like.Alongside these, Widor also composed integral works of serious concert intent; the editors point to the five-movement Suite polonaise, the four-movement Suite in B minor, and the twelve-movement Carnaval, to which might be added the Prélude, andante, et final, and the six-movement Suite écossaise. That Widor’s contemporaries—pianists of the ilk of Francis Planté, Louis Diémer, and Isidor Philipp—often performed his music, speaks tellingly of its appeal, and suggests that today’s pianists will assuredly find treasures among Widor’s piano works that they will want to add to their repertoires. Planté described Widor as “an exquisite pianist of the most limpid purity,” and his writing for piano is elegantly idiomatic.
The first six volumes of the new edition contain, in ascending order, thirty-one opus numbers, and volume seven contains seventeen miscellaneous pieces to which Widor assigned no opus number. Special mention needs to be made of volume four, the piano reduction of his great ballet, La Korrigane: Introduction and thirty pieces; the storyline and stage directions are interspersed throughout the score in the original French and with English translation. Also included in the volume are two waltzes that Widor excerpted from the ballet and revised for inclusion in a later collection of his numerous waltzes.
The Editorial Commentary in each volume is replete with information regarding the sources, known history, editor’s insights, and corrections and changes for each composition. The engraving is immaculate and beautifully laid out, with each softcover volume finished in durable limpsewn binding. This monumental edition superbly brings Widor’s heretofore largely inaccessible and forgotten piano repertoire to light, demonstrating by the quantity and quality of his output that as a piano composer in the Romantic era, Widor must not be overlooked. Now that this important body of piano literature is readily available for the first time, no serious pianist should be without it and every music library should have it in its catalogue.
John R. Near
Professor Emeritus of Music, Principia College
Author of Widor: A Life beyond the Toccata
Widor on Organ Performance Practice and Technique
To order your copy of this new edition, simply visit our online store. Those who purchase the complete 7-volume edition before 30 June 2021 will also receive a complementary copy of Harold Fabrikant’s superb 78-page monograph, The Pianists Hardly Spoil Me With Too Much Attention, a study of Widor’s complete piano works.
Volume 1
covering Op. 1-10
Foreword
Editorial Commentary
Variations de concert sur un thème original, Op. 1
Variations sur un thème original, Op. 29
Pages intimes: six pensées musicales, Op. 2
I. Nocturne (later version)
III. Rêverie
IV. Sicilienne
V. Mazurka
VI. Scherzettino
Airs de ballet, Op. 4A (first version)
Airs de ballet, Op. 4B (final version)
Scherzo-Valse, Op. 5 (first version)
Scherzo-Valse, Op. 5 (final version)
Deux Suites/Fantaisies italiennes, Op. 6
I. La barque (final version)
II. Le cabriolet / Le corricolo
Appendix: I. La barque (first version)
Caprice, Op. 9
Sérénade, Op. 10
ISMN: 9790-902257008; 208 pages; AU$50.00 + P&P
Volume 2
covering Op. 11-20
Foreword
Editorial Commentary
Trois valses, Op. 11
Introduction
I. Première valse (final version)
Intermezzo
II. Valse Laendler (final version)
III. Valse caprice (final version)
Appendix: I. (first version)
Appendix: II. (first version)
Impromptu, Op. 12
Cantabile, Op. 13, No. 4 (arranged for piano solo)
6 Morceaux de salon, Op. 15
I. Scherzando
II. Allegro cantabile
III. Andantino
IV. Allegretto
V. Moderato
VI. Vivace (final version)
Appendix: VI. Vivace (first version)
Prélude, andante et final, Op. 17
Scènes de bal, Op. 20
I. Fanfare
II. Entrée de la reine (final version)
III. Prélude d’orchestre
IV. Clair de lune
V. Chanson
VI. Malesch?
VII. Le bal
VIII. Souvenir
Appendix: II. Entrée de la reine (first version)
ISMN: 9790-902257015; 172 pages; AU$50.00 + P&P
Volume 3
covering Op. 26-44
Foreword
Editorial Commentary
6 Valses caractéristiques, Op. 26A (first version)
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
6 Valses caractéristiques, Op. 26B (final version)
I. 1e Rhapsodie-Valse
II. Valse romance
III. Valse rêverie
IV. Valse slave
V. Valse élégante
VI. 2e Rhapsodie-Valse
12 Feuillets d’Album, Op. 31
I. Lilas
II. Papillons bleus (final version)
III. Chanson matinale
IV. Drame
V. Nuit sereine
VI. Valse noble (final version)
VII. Solitude
VIII. Bruits d’ailes
IX. Pensée
X. Ciel gris (final version)
XI. Marche américaine
XII. Myosotis (final version)
Appendix: II. Papillons bleus (first version)
Appendix: VI. Valse lente (first version)
Appendix: X. Ciel gris (first version)
Appendix: XII. Myosotis (first version)
Cinq valses, Op. 33
I. Neuilly-Valse
II. Valse flamande
III. Valse tzigane
IV. Valse chantante
V. Valse légère
Chanson du Chasseur, arranged for piano solo from the mélodie Le chasseur songe dans les bois, Op. 37, No. 5
Conte d’Automne, arranged for piano solo from the second movement of Symphonie V pour orgue, Op. 42, No. 1
Toccata, transcribed from Symphonie V pour orgue, Op. 42, No. 1
Dans les bois, Op. 44
I. Par monts et par vaux
II. Feuilles mortes
III. Chanson du ruisseau
IV. Grillons et sauterelles
V. Au soir
ISMN: 9790-902257022; 208 pages; AU$50.00 + P&P
Volume 4
covering Op. 45 and related works
Foreword
Editorial Commentary
La Korrigane, ballet fantastique en deux actes, Op. 45, pour piano
1er Acte
Introduction
I. Le ‘bal’ (danse bretonne)
II. Entrée de Paskou
III. Entrée de Yvonnette
IV. Déclaration de Paskou
V. Le premier coup de vêpres (entrée de Lilèz)
VI. Lilèz et Yvonnette
VII. Entrée de la reine des korrigans (à 4 mains)
VIII. Sortie des vêpres
IX. La fête du pardon (La lutte au bâton)
X. Le prix du bouquet (Lutte des sauteurs)
XI. La Sabotière
XII. Adagio
XIII. La contredanse bretonne
XIV. La lutte des danseuses (La valseuse)
XV. La gavotte
XVI. La gigue bretonne
XVII. Marche et Presto
XVIII. Final (le rendez-vous)
2me Acte — La Lande des Korrigans
XIX. Les voix mystérieuses
XX. Scherzo
XXI. Scène des phalènes
XXII. Entrée des paysans ivres
XXIII. Le cauchemar de Paskou
XXIV. Les fées korriganes
XXV. La revanche d’Yvonnette
XXVI. Valse et galop fantastiques
XXVII. Lilèz chez les korrigans
XXVIII. L’épreuve (valse lente)
XIX. Reprise de la gigue bretonne
XXX. Le chapelet
Appendix I
VII. Entrée de la reine des korrigans (à 2 mains, transc. par Harold Fabrikant)
Appendix II
Scénario de La Korrigane programme (French and English)
2 Valses de La Korrigane, Op. 45[c], pour piano
I. Valse de l’épreuve
II. Yvonette-Valse
ISMN: 9790-902257039; 224 pages; AU$50.00 + P&P
Volume 5
covering Op. 48-61
Foreword
Editorial Commentary
Pages intimes, Op. 48
I. Romance
II. Agitato
III. Valse légère
IV. Crépuscule
V. Novelette
VI. Mazurka
Suite polonaise, Op. 51
I. Polonaise
II. Scherzo
III. Romance
IV. Volkslied
V. Final
Ronde de nuit, from Maître Ambros, Op. 56
Suite in B minor, Op. 58
I. [Moderato assai (Theme and Variations)]
II. Scherzo
III. Recordare
IV. Final
Carnaval, Op. 61
I. Timbales et trompettes
II. Flirt
III. Bal masqué
IV. Rosita
V. Entrée turque
VI. Zanetto
VII. Viennoise
VIII. Entrée polonaise
IX. Hongroise
X. Bohémienne
XI. Francesca
XII. Final (revised version)
Appendix: XII. Final (original version)
ISMN: 9790-902257046; 240 pages; AU$50.00 + P&P
Volume 6
covering Op. 64-78
Foreword
Editorial Commentary
Conte d’avril, Op. 64
I. Ouverture
II. La rencontre des amants
III. Sérénade illyrienne (Entr’acte)
IV. Aubade
V. Mélodrame
VI. Agitato
VII. (Suite de l’Entr’acte)
VIII.
IX. Scherzo-Entr’acte
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII. Mélodrame
XIV.
XV. Pizzicato
XVI.
XVII. Marche nuptiale
XVIII. Nocturne
XIX. Mélodrame
Cinq pièces, Op. 71
I. Valse gaie
II. Valse triste
III. Kermesse carillonnante
IV. Valse oubliée
V. Après la Fête (later version)
Appendix: V. Après la Fête (earlier version)
Suite écossaise, Op. 78
I. Sur la falaise
II. Chevauchée matinale
III. Spleen
IV. Roses d’avril
V. Nuit d’hiver
VI. Marche écossaise (final version)
Appendix: VI. Marche écossaise (first version)
ISMN: 9790-902257053; 192 pages; AU$50.00 + P&P
Volume 7
Foreword
Editorial Commentary
Marche gauloise (1885)
Gaillarde (1888)
Air en style ancien (1891)
revised as Pastorale Louis XV (1905, 1912)
Prélude (1892)
revised as Pièce en style ancien (1896)
Feuillet d’album (1894) «Hommes»
Mélodie / Feuillet d’album (1894) «Femmes»
Marche française (1894)
Mélodrame, from Le capitaine Loys (1900)
En route
reconstructed final version (1904 or later)
reconstructed original version (1904)
Marche de Noël (1905), from Les pêcheurs de Saint-Jean (1905)
Fugue [sur le nom d’Haydn] (1909)
Pavane guerrière (1911), from Jeanne d’Arc (1890)
Improm[p]tu (n.d.)
[Fantaisie en la majeur] (n.d.)
[Intermezzo] (n.d.)
ISMN: 9790-902257060; 144 pages; AU$50.00 + P&P
Also available is Harold Fabrikant’s 78-page
monograph on Widor’s piano works
The Pianists Hardly Spoil Me With Too Much Attention
