115

1ère Symphonie

1 Allegro vivo - 609 bars (of which 239 are to be repeated)

2 Andante: Adagio - 115 bars

3 Scherzo: Allegro vivace - 168 bars (all of which are to be repeated)

Trio - 266 bars (all of which are to be repeated)

4 Final: Allegro vivace - 446 bars (of which 174 are to be repeated)

2 flûtes, 2 hautbois, 2 clarinettes, 2 bassons, 4 cors, 2 trompettes, timbales, cordes

Composition: 29 October – November 1855, dated on the autograph. Bizet’s student masterpiece, often known as 'Symphony in C', this work was mentioned by none of his friends and biographers until Chantavoine’s article in 1933 alerted D. C. Parker to the existence of the symphony. Parker persuaded Weingartner to give the first performance, which took place in 1935.

Self-borrowing (to): The theme at bar 37 of the last movement was adapted as no. 3, Marcia militare, in Don Procopio in 1860.

Autograph full score: F-Pn MS 425, gift of Reynaldo Hahn. 30-stave paper, 354 x 270 mm., 40 f.

title page, blank, Allegro vivo f. 2r–16r, 16v blank; Andante f. 17r–22v; Scherzo f. 23r–28r, blank; Final f. 29r–40v. The precise date of completion is left blank on the title page.

Printed full scores:

1

pl. no.:
U.E. 10.687

pages:
title page, note, music 3-91.

date
9-1935

note:
The part for Timbales has been rewritten for chromatic timpani

copies:
F-Pn Ac e10 122
B-Br 7A 38.043 Mus
D-B
IMSLP
US-Bp
2
Universal, Vienna, pl. no. 13162, 91 p., 1935, issued as a Philharmonia miniature score. CH-Bps, CH-Gc. Reissued in 1962, D-B. Reprinted by Universal Edition, New York, 1955, GB-NWm, US-SLp. Reprinted by Dover Publications, Mineola, 2005.
3
Choudens, pl. no. A.C. 16890, 1–92 p., 1949. This edition shows the correct timpani part. Also issued as a miniature score.
4
Eulenburg, London, pl. no. E.E. 6188, 264 p., 1961, edited by Hans-Hubert Schönzeler.
5
Kalmus, New York, c. 1960. IMSLP.
6
Muzyka, Moscow, 172 p., 1965.

Printed orchestral parts:

1
Universal Edition, Vienna, 1935, U. E. 10,688. A-Wn. Reissued by Kalmus. IMSLP.
2
Choudens, n.d. IMSLP.

Performances:

26-2-1935	Basel, conducted by Felix Weingartner
2-12-1935	London, cond. Hamilton Harty
26-1-1936	Vienna, cond. Weingartner
30-1-1936	Rochester, NY, cond. Harty
29-5-1936	Paris, cond. Münch
1936	Cincinnati, cond. Goossens
17-10-1940	New York, cond. Barbirolli

Within a year of its premiere in Basel, the symphony was played in Vienna, London, Amsterdam, Madrid, Brno, Copenhagen, Prague, Stuttgart, Königsberg, Riga, Capetown, Frankfurt, Cincinnati and Rochester. The Paris premiere was given by Charles Münch and the Société des Concerts on 29-5-1936.

Balanchine set the symphony as a ballet, Le Palais de crystal, given by the Paris Opéra Ballet on 28-7-1947. It was later entitled Symphony in C, and first performed under that name in New York on 22-3-1948.

Discography:

London PO, Goehr, 1935
London PO, Munch, 1947
New York PSO, Rodzinski, (78)
New York City Ballet O, Irving (78)
Paris Conservatoire O, Mari, (78)
Utrecht SO, Hupperts, (78)
Paris Conservatoire, Allain, 1952
Utrecht SO, Huppert, 1952
Stokowski O, Stokowski, 1952
French Radio NO, Cluytens, 1953
Suisse Romande, Ansermet, 1954
Bamberg SO, Lehmann, 1956
London SO, Young, 1957
Chicago SO, Martinon, 1961
French NRO, Beecham, 1961
Sverdlovsk PO, Paverman, 1961
Royal PO, Munch, 1963
London SO, Benzi, 1965
French NRO, Munch, 1966
New York PO, Bernstein, 1968
Suisse Romande, Gibson, 1968
Cincinnati SO, Rudolf, 1969
ORTF, Martinon, 1971
Staatskapelle Dresden, Suitner, 1972
Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Marriner, 1973
City of Birmingham SO, Frémaux, 1975
O de Paris, Barenboim, 1975
National PO, Stokowski, 1977
Concertgebouw, Haitinck, 1979
French NRO, Ozawa, 1983
London SO, Benzi, 1983
Bamberg SO, Prêtre, 1986
Moscow SO, Doudarova, 1988
Orpheus CO, 1988
Munich RO, Gardelli, 1989
City of London Sinfonia, Hickox, 1989
Cincinnati SO, López-Cobos, 1990
Royal PO, Bátiz, 1990
Southwest German RO, Prêtre, 1991
London PO, Scholz, 1992
Saint Paul CO, Hugh Wolff, Teldec 1992
Lyon NO, Krivine, 1993
Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Marriner, 1994
ON du Capitole de Toulouse, Michel Plasson, EMI 1993
Montreal SO, Dutoit, 1997
Granada SO, Pons, 1999

Bibliography:

Curtiss 38-39, 465, 471
Dean 5, 6, 8, 22, 132-40, 142, 148, 160, 162, 174, 208, 239-40, 249, 262, 289
Wright 2, 3, 30, 90-91, 114, 190
Lacombe 12, 142–45, 149, 186, 174, 205, 436, 683, 723, 731

Jean Chantavoine, ‘Quelques inédits de Bizet’, Le Ménestrel, 4-8-1933.
Paul Le Flem, ‘Une symphonie inédite de Bizet’, Comœdia, 30-6-1936.
Chevrier-Choudens, ‘A l’occasion de la Symphonie en Ut de Bizet’, Revue de musicologie, 22/68 (11-1938), p. 139
Angelo Fasolis, ‘L’ignorata “Sinfonia” di Bizet’, Schweizerische Instrumentalmusik, 28 (1939), p. 494
Howard Shanet, ‘Bizet’s Suppressed Symphony’, Musical Quarterly, 44 (October 1958), p. 461-76