154

Fugues, Exercices

Composition: 1849–54. As a student at the Conservatoire, Bizet wrote many fugues and exercises in the classes of Zimmermann and Halévy while preparing for his candidature for the Prix de Rome.

Autograph scores:
1

F-Pn MS 479(A), gift of René Sibilat. This is a large collection (198 + 42 p.) of solfège exercises and workings, mostly in single voices.

12-stave, 34 p.

12-stave oblong, 6 p. with the Mélodie

20-stave, 18 p.

Although ascribed to Bizet, they cannot be certainly attributed to him. Lacombe (p. 89) attributes a song ‘Ah ! qu’elle est belle à voir’ to Bizet. It has 6 bars introduction then 16 bars refrain, with words for 8 bars only.
[musical score]
2

F-Pn MS 479(B), gift of René Sibilat. Devoirs de Fugue, avec corrections et observations de Halévy. Sujets d’Halévy et d’Auber, et anonymes. 27 f. upright, 9 f. oblong. About fifteen fugues in Bizet’s hand, some incomplete. The subjects are by Auber, Halévy and others. One fugue is dated 28-6-1854, another 5-11-1854. The subject of the first fugue is also found copied into the autograph of La Maison du docteur (no. 3).

1r Fugue 1 in 4 parts in E flat 4 p. 122 bars
3r Fugue à 4 parties in F, 5 p. 204 bars + 2 p. of workings of the subject
6r Fugue in 4 parts in B flat, 3.3 p., 86 bars, + 1 p. of workings
8r the last page of the fugue started on f. 20r.
8v various workings
9r Fugue à 4 parties in C, 3 p., 151 bars
10v stretto on the same subject
11r Fugue à 4 parties in A, 3 p., 71 bars + 1 p. of workings
13r Fugue à 4 parties in G, 4 p., 128 bars
15r Fugue à 4 parties à 2 C.S. in A minor, 5 p., 141 bars
17v workings
18r Fugue in 4 parts in E flat, 4 p., 157 bars
20r Fugue à 4 parties (Sujet de Monsieur Halévy) in D, 4 p. (continued on f. 8r), 157 bars, dated 5-11-1854.
22r Fugue in 4 parts in E flat, 4 p., 131 bars
24r fugue in 4 parts in G, 3 p., 96 bars
25v blank
26r fugue à 4 parties in A minor, 4 p., 100 bars
(f. 28-31 are 8-stave, oblong)
28r tp. fugue à 4 parties
28v fugue à quatre parties (à 2 c-sujets) in G, 13 p., 193 bars, dated 28-6-1854
35 r-v blank
3

F-Pn MS 471, Malherbe bequest, contains fragments of fugal and canonic exercises on different papers: 12-stave oblong, 3 f., 'Trouvé dans les papiers d’Auber, écriture de Georges Bizet'.

  • pp. [1–3]: fugal exercise, 12-stave paper oblong, marked 'Trouvés dans les papiers d'Auber. Ecriture de Georges Bizet.'
  • pp. [4–5]: canonic exercises, 12-stave paper oblong, torn off
  • p. [6]: more exercises, 8-stave paper oblong, torn off, marked 'Ecriture de Bizet. (Papiers d'Auber)'
  • p. [7]: fugal exercise, 20-stave paper, marked 'Bizet. Sujets de fugue trouvés dans les papiers d'Auber'

F-Pn MS 3814 appears to be fugues by Bizet père only. The Etude is also by Bizet père, according to a slip in the folder.
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