Concone, Paolo Giuseppe Gioacchino : 10 Etudes dramatiques pour piano à 4 mains, sur les plus jolies Mélodies de Fr. Schubert Op. 58
Work Overview
First Publisher:A. Grus
Instrumentation:Piano Ensemble
Genre:etude
Total Playing Time:32 min 00 sec
Copyright:Public Domain
Commentary (1)
Author : Nishihara, Masaki
Last Updated: July 12, 2022
[Open]
Author : Nishihara, Masaki
Concone, known for his vocal methods, also composed numerous piano etudes. As listed below, seven etudes for piano solo and six for piano four-hands have been identified (arranged by difficulty as organized by the publisher Grus in the 19th century, not by opus number; publication years are noted only for confirmed works). These etudes were widely used in Europe and America from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. In Japan, a total of four collections (two for solo, two for four-hands) were published by Zen-On in 1999 and achieved some popularity, but this represents only about one-third of the total output, and the lack of attention to the remaining etudes is regrettable. A comprehensive understanding and re-evaluation of Concone's piano etudes are desired.
For Piano Solo
- 25 Etudes mélodiques faciles et progressives pour piano, Op. 24 [Paris, Grus, 1841] Japanese Edition: 25 Melodic Etudes for Piano [Elementary to Intermediate] [Zen-On, 1999]
- 20 Etudes chantantes pour piano, Op. 30 [Paris, Grus] 20 Singing Etudes for Piano
- 15 Etudes expressives pour piano, Op. 44 [Paris, Grus, 1853] 15 Expressive Etudes for Piano
- 15 Etudes de Genre et d’Expression pour piano, Op. 25 [Paris, Grus] Japanese Edition: 15 Etudes for Piano [Style and Expression] [Zen-On, 1999]
- 15 Etudes de Style pour piano, Op. 31 [Paris, Grus] 15 Etudes of Style for Piano
- 20 Etudes sentimentales pour piano, sur les plus jolies Mélodies de Fr. Schubert, Op. 54 [Paris, Grus, 1860] 20 Sentimental Etudes for Piano on the Prettiest Melodies of Fr. Schubert
- 15 Etudes brillantes pour piano, Op. posth.[Paris, Grus, 1864] 15 Brilliant Etudes for Piano (Posthumous)
For Piano Four-Hands
- 15 Etudes élémentaires pour piano à 4 mains, Op. 46 [Paris, Grus, 1854] Japanese Edition: 15 Elementary Etudes for Four-Hands [Zen-On, 1999]
- 15 Etudes dialoguées pour piano à 4 mains, Op. 38 [Paris, Grus] Japanese Edition: 15 Dialogued Etudes for Four-Hands [Zen-On, 1999]
- 15 Etudes de Salon pour piano à 4 mains, Op. 39 [Paris, Grus] 15 Salon Etudes for Four-Hands
- 10 Etudes d’Expression pour piano à 4 mains, Op. 45 [Paris, Grus, 1854] 10 Etudes of Expression for Four-Hands
- 10 Etudes caractéristiques pour piano à 4 mains, Op. 40 [Paris, Grus] 10 Characteristic Etudes for Four-Hands
- 10 Etudes dramatiques pour piano à 4 mains, sur les plus jolies Mélodies de Fr. Schubert, Op. 58 [Paris, Grus, 1861] 10 Dramatic Etudes for Four-Hands on the Prettiest Melodies of Fr. Schubert
Giuseppe Concone (1801–1861), like many Italian composers of his time, initially aspired to success in the world of opera. However, he gradually gained renown as a vocal teacher, settling in Paris from 1837. The prevailing theory is that he returned to his hometown of Turin to spend his later years, avoiding the political instability caused by the February Revolution of 1848. A series of vocal methods, led by “Concone 50” (Op. 9), including Opp. 10, 11, 14, 15, and 17, belong to Concone's early works. Of the opus numbers confirmed up to 58, most works from Op. 20 onwards are piano solo or four-hand pieces, indicating that Concone, in addition to vocal instruction, also focused on piano instruction and actively composed piano pieces, primarily etudes. In terms of total volume, the piano etudes exceed the vocal methods. All the piano etudes listed above were successively published by Grus in Paris under the French name Joseph Concone, over more than 20 years, from 1841 during his Paris period until after his death in 1864. It is not yet definitively established whether Concone wrote all these etudes in Paris or continued to compose them at Grus's commission even after returning to Turin; further historical research is required. In any case, it is a fact that these Grus editions served as the basis for successive publications by major publishers in various countries (Schott in Germany, Ricordi in Italy, Schirmer in America) until the early 20th century, and they became internationally popular as “piano etudes written by Concone, the vocal method composer.”
Grus titled Concone's series of etudes Ecole Mélodique (Melodic Method). Consistently across all etudes, the primary focus is on singing the melody expressively and conveying rich emotion, rather than on mechanical training. Technically, the easier pieces are comparable to Czerny's 100 Etudes, and even the most difficult do not exceed the level of Czerny's 40 Etudes. They can be categorized with etudes by Burgmüller, Streabbog, Duvernoy, Lemoine, and Le Couppey, which are aimed at elementary to intermediate learners. However, Concone has a distinct characteristic in his thorough pursuit of the “singing piano.” Originally, in the piano accompaniment parts of his vocal methods, Concone demonstrated a refined compositional style that, though simple, maximized the vocal performance. Concone was not only a vocal specialist well-versed in Bel Canto singing but also an outstanding pianist. The significance of Concone writing piano etudes that, even without vocals, condense the essence and charm of Bel Canto is immense. This is why these etudes are unique. In today's piano education, where there is a demand for instruction that draws out diverse individualities rather than molding learners into a single type, now is the time to shed new light on Concone's piano etudes and actively utilize them.
10 Etudes dramatiques pour piano à 4 mains, sur les plus jolies Mélodies de Fr. Schubert, Op. 58, is Concone's last work with an opus number. The published score explicitly states “Oeuvre posthume” (Posthumous Work), indicating that this work was published after the composer's death. It is a substantial work, representing the pinnacle in both content and difficulty among Concone's series of four-hand etudes. As the title suggests, it draws upon representative Schubert lieder, which Concone arranged for four hands with his unique sensibility. Technically, it is at the difficulty level of Czerny's 40 Etudes, with thick textures, frequent chromaticism, and challenging repeated notes. Each piece is given only a French title. This indicates that French translations of Schubert's lieder were widely popular and sung in France around 30 years after Schubert's death, which is interesting from the perspective of the dissemination history of Schubert's lieder to non-German-speaking regions. The fact that the selection of pieces from 150 years ago still resonates today is likely due to the extraordinary vitality of Schubert's lieder. Incidentally, as known from “The Trout,” “Death and the Maiden,” and “Withered Flowers,” Schubert often adapted his own lieder for chamber music. While he also composed the Wanderer Fantasy for solo piano, he never wrote pieces derived from his own lieder for four-hands. Considering Schubert's special affection for four-hand piano and his composition of numerous masterpieces that could be considered canonical for the genre, this is indeed regrettable. Concone's work splendidly fulfills this unfulfilled potential and more. Concone, who was thoroughly conversant in vocal music, accompaniment, and four-hand playing, fully assimilated the poetic world of the original songs and arranged them with an understanding of Schubert's four-hand compositional style. It goes without saying that a consistent homage to Schubert, who lived a life that seemed to rush through the same era, is poured into this work. Furthermore, Concone displayed original imagination, vividly depicting a truly dramatic world. And this, unexpectedly, became Concone's final work. Combining historical significance, educational utility, and high artistic merit, this four-hand work deserves attention as one that stands alongside Schubert's own canonical works.
Below, the pieces are listed in the order of French title, Japanese title (common Japanese translation based on the German original), German original title, Schubert Opus number, and Deutsch number.
- No. 1 Les astres 星屑 [Die Gestirne D. 444] Maestoso sostenuto 2/4 F major
- No. 2 Ave Maria アヴェ・マリア(エレンの歌 第3番) [Ellens Gesang III, Op. 52-6, D. 839] Andante espressivo 4/4 B-flat major
- No. 3 Au bord de la fontaine どこへ(「美しき水車小屋の娘」より) [Wohin?, Op. 25-2, D. 795-2] Allegretto grazioso 2/4 E-flat major
- No. 4 Amour secret ひそかな恋 [Heimliches Lieben, Op. 106-1, D. 922] Andante espressivo 4/4 B-flat major
- No. 5 Marguerite 糸をつむぐグレートヒェン [Gretchen am Spinnrade, Op. 2, D. 118] Moderato assai 6/8 D minor
- No. 6 Le message d’amour 愛のたより(「白鳥の歌」より) [Liebesbotschaft, D. 957-1] Moderato 4/4 [Different time signature from original] G major
- No. 7 La cloche des agnisants 臨終を告げる鐘 [Das Zügenglöcklein, Op. 80-2, D. 871] Andantino non troppo lento 4/4 E-flat major
- No. 8 On nous attend ブルックにて [Auf der Bruck, Op. 93-2, D. 853] Allegro vivace 4/4 A-flat major
- No. 9 La jeune religieuse 若い尼 [Die junge Nonne, Op. 43-1, D. 828] Moderato 12/8 F minor
- No. 10 Le roi des aulnes 魔王 [Erlkönig, Op. 1, D. 328] Allegro vivace 4/4 G minor