145

Trois Esquisses musicales

1 Ronde turque

159 bars

2 Sérénade

135 bars

3 Caprice

214 bars

orgue expressif (harmonium)

Composition: probably in 1857, before Bizet's departure for Italy. It was published in the latter half of 1858.

Autograph score: not known

Printed scores:

pl. nos:

R.C. 1368, R.C. 1369, R.C. 1370

pages:

3 cahiers: title page, blank, 1-5, 1-5, 1-7

date:

1858. The publisher moved to those addresses on 14-3-1858.

note:

No. 1 is marked PIANO before the stave, but it is registered for the harmonium and is obviously intended for the harmonium.

copies:

F-Pn K.8726 (dépôt légal 1858)

F-Pn Vm11 153 (stamped 1858)

Heugel, pl. nos H.& Cie 23202-4, [1906]. US-BEm, US-CHH (no. 1), US-DMu, US-Wc M17.B (gift of Mina Curtiss).

Classical Vocal Reprints, New York, c. 2000 (facsimile of Heugel edition).

Dover, Mineola, 2001, in Organ Music for Manuals Only, ed. Rollin Smith. IMSLP.

Arrangements for piano:

1
Fürstner, Berlin, pl. nos 2403-2405, 9 p., 1884. Nos 1 and 2 were later issued with pl. no. 2439, 2440, p. 3-9, 3-7. CH-Gc, GB-Lbl.
2
Heugel, pl. nos H. & Cie 22,439–22,441, 1905, arranged by Isidore Philipp. F-Pn Ac.p.1824(1-3), GB-dean, GB-En (no. 3), GB-NWm, US-NYp, US-Wc M35.B. These were also issued as Supplément musical for Le Ménestrel: Ronde turque on 22-10-1905, Sérénade on 21-1-1906, and Caprice on 19-8-1906. US-Bp, US-BEm.
3
Ronde turque and Sérénade in Bizet Album für Pianoforte, Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig, 1906, arr. Carl Reinecke.

Arrangement, for violin (or cello), harmonium and piano:

1
Hug, Leipzig, 1907, as Drei Instrumentalstücke, arranged by Siegfried Karg-Elert. D-B.

Dedicatee: Louis-James-Alfred Lefébure-Wely (1817-1870), organist at the Madeleine from 1847 to 1857. Berlioz described him as 'ce joli petit organiste à bagues, à camées, à canne à pomme d'or, qui enjolive les thèmes qu'il joue.'

Letter:

4-1-1858 Bizet to his mother

'Où en est Gustave [Delsarte ?] pour mes morceaux ? (dis-lui qu'il m'écrive).'

Lacombe, p. 768

Discography:

Par Setrak, 1985
Joris Verdin, 1992
Julia Severus, 2008
Christoph Lahme, 2012

Bibliography:

Pigot
Curtiss 162, 466
Dean 58, 147, 249, 264
Lacombe 106, 184-86