Frederick Chopin, as a Man and Musician — Volume 2 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 526 pages of information about Frederick Chopin, as a Man and Musician — Volume 2.

Frederick Chopin, as a Man and Musician — Volume 2 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 526 pages of information about Frederick Chopin, as a Man and Musician — Volume 2.
style:  Richault et Cie., Successeurs), and Schonenberger, all of Pans;-Breitkopf & Hartel, Probst-Kistner (since 1836 Friedrich Kistner), Friedrich Hofmeister, and C. F. Peters, of Leipzig;—­Ad.  M. Schlesinger, Stern & Co.( from 1852 J. Friedlander; later on annexed to Peters, of Leipzig), and Bote and Bock, of Berlin;—­ Tobias Haslinger, Carl Haslinger quondam Tobias, and Pietro Mechetti (whose widow was succeeded by C. A. Spina), of Vienna;—­ Schuberth & Co., of Hamburg (now Julius Schuberth, of Leipzig);—­ B. Schott’s Sohne, of Mainz;—­Andr.  Brzezina & Co. and Gebethner & Wolff, of Warsaw;—­J.  Wildt and W. Chaberski, of Cracow;—­and J. Leitgeber, of Posen.

From 1836 onward the course of the publication of Chopin’s works in England can be followed in the advertisement columns of the Musical World.  Almost all the master’s works were published in England by Wessel.  On March 8, 1838, Messrs. Wessel advertised Op. 1-32 with the exception of Op. 4, 11, and 29.  This last figure has, no doubt, to be read as 28, as the Preludes could hardly be in print at that time, and the Impromptu, Op. 29, was advertised on October 20, 1837, as op. 28.  With regard to Op. 12 it has to be noted that it represents not the Variations brillantes sur le Rondo favori “Je vends des Scapulaires,” but the Grand Duo concertant for piano and violoncello, everywhere else published without opus number.  The Studies, Op. 10, were offered to the public “revised with additional fingering by his pupil I. [sic] Fontana.”  On November 18, 1841, Wessel and Stapleton (the latter having come in as a partner in 1839) advertised Op. 33-43, and subsequently Op. 44-48.  On February 22, 1844, they announced that they had “the sole copyright of the complete and entire works” of Chopin.  On May 15, 1845, were advertised Op. 57 and 58; on January 17, 1846, Op. 59; on September 26, 1846, Op. 60, 61, and 62.  The partnership with Stapleton having in 1845 been dissolved, the style of the firm was now Wessel & Co.  Thenceforth other English publishers came forward with Chopin compositions.  On June 3, 1848, Cramer, Beale & Co. advertised Chopin’s “New Valses and Mazurkas for the pianoforte”; and on the title-pages of the French edition of Op. 63, 64, and 65 I found the words:  “London, Jullien et Cie.”  But also before this time Wessel seems to have had competitors; for on the title-page of the French edition of Op. 22 may be read:  “London, Mori et Lavenu,” and on September 20, 1838, Robert Cocks advertised “Five Mazurkas and Three Nocturnes.”  On September 23, 1848, however, Wessel & Co. call themselves sole proprietors of Chopin’s works; and on November 24, 1849, they call themselves Publishers of the Complete Works of Chopin.  Information received from Mr. Ashdown, the present proprietor of the business, one of the two successors (Mr. Parry retired in 1882) of Christian Rudolph Wessel, who retired in 1860 and died in 1885, throws some further light on the publication

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Frederick Chopin, as a Man and Musician — Volume 2 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.