Six Humoresques
- Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
- Paul Cherkassky (violin)
The Six Humoresques, Opp. 87 and 89,[a] are concertante compositions for violin and orchestra written from 1917 to 1918 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Despite spanning two opus numbers (due to publishing technicalities), the composer—who originally considered calling the humoresques Impromptus or Lyrical Dances—intended them as a suite. They are:
- Humoresque No. 1 in D minor, Op. 87/1 (Commodo)
- Humoresque No. 2 in D major, Op. 87/2 (Allegro assai)
- Humoresque No. 3 in G minor, Op. 89/1 (Alla gavotta)
- Humoresque No. 4 in G minor, Op. 89/2 (Andantino)
- Humoresque No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 89/3 (Commodo)
- Humoresque No. 6 in G minor, Op. 89/4 (Allegro)
The Six Humoresques premiered on 24 November 1919 in Helsinki, with Sibelius conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra; the soloist was the Russian-Finnish-American violinist Paul Cherkassky.[5] Also on the program was the definitive version of the Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major (Op. 82), as well as Song of the Earth (Op. 93), a cantata for mixed choir.[6][7]
In the autumn of 1940, Sibelius revised No. 1's instrumentation (most notably, he eliminated the harp part); the original, while promised to Wilhelm Hansen in February 1917, was never published. The violinist Arvo Hannikainen [fi] premiered the revised No. 1 on 15 December 1940, with Toivo Haapanen conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.[5] Hansen, who had published the other five humoresques in 1923, completed the set in 1942.[5] The 1917 version is extant.[7]
Instrumentation
The Humoresque No. 1 is scored for the following instruments:[5]
- Soloist: violin
- Woodwinds: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (in B♭), and 2 bassoons
- Brass: 2 horns (in F)
- Percussion: timpani
- Strings: violins, violas, cellos, and double basses
The Humoresque No. 2 has identical scoring, except for the omission of the entire woodwind section.[5] The Op. 89 pieces are even more delicately scored. In addition to the soloist, Humoresques Nos. 3 and 4 utilize strings only.[5] No. 5 adds to this scoring three woodwinds: 2 flutes, 2 clarinets (in B♭), and 2 bassoons, while No. 6 omits the clarinets but retains the flutes and bassoons.[5]
Recordings
The sortable table below lists commercially available recordings of the complete Six Humoresques:
Notes, references, and sources
- Notes
- ^ The four Op. 89 humoresques are typically designated with the letters a–d. However, this article follows the Urtext Edition (2016) of the Six Humoresques, which utilizes the numbers 1–4.[4] Thus, for example, the Humoresque No. 3 in G minor, Op. 89/a, becomes Op. 89/1.
- ^ Refers to the year in which the performers recorded the work; this may not be the same as the year in which the recording was first released to the general public.
- ^ T. Szöke–Vox (PL 11.600) 1959
- ^ P. Berglund–Finlandia (FINCLA 2) 2013
- ^ C. Davis–Decca (Eloquence 482 5097) 2016
- ^ C. Dutoit–Erato (0630–12746–2) 1995
- ^ V. Handley–Koch-Schwann (CD 311 003 F1) 1988
- ^ J. Lamminmäki–Finlandia (4509–95859–2) 1991
- ^ N. Järvi–BIS (CD–472) 1990
- ^ J. Saraste–RCA Red Seal (19439704812 (8)) 2020
- ^ T. Dausgaard–Virgin Classics (7243 5 45534 2 4) 2002
- ^ P. Kuusisto–Ondine (ODE 1074–5) 2006
- ^ B. Engeset–Naxos (8.572827) 2012
- ^ A. Garrido Porras–La Dolce Volta (LDV 23) 2015
- ^ J. Carewe–Somm (SOMMCD 0153) 2015
- ^ G. Vass–Resonus (RES10277) 2021
- References
- ^ Dahlström 2003, pp. 377, 384–386.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, pp. 376–377, 384–386.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, pp. 356, 376–377, 384–386.
- ^ Eskola 2016, pp. ii, xii.
- ^ a b c d e f g Eskola 2016, pp. xii.
- ^ Tawaststjerna 2008, p. 162.
- ^ a b Barnett 2007, p. 284.
- Sources
- Barnett, Andrew (2007). Sibelius. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-11159-0.
- Dahlström, Fabian [in Swedish] (2003). Jean Sibelius: Thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke [Jean Sibelius: A Thematic Bibliographic Index of His Works] (in German). Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel. ISBN 3-7651-0333-0.
- Eskola, Jari (2016). Jean Sibelius: Six Humoresques for Violin and Orchestra, Opp. 87 & 89. Translated by Jaako; Mäntyjärvi (Urtext ed.). Painojussit, Kerava: Fennica Gehrman. ISMN 979-0-55011-261-2.
- Tawaststjerna, Erik (2008) [1978/1988; trans. 1997]. Sibelius: Volume III, 1914–1957. Translated by Layton, Robert. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-24774-5.
- v
- t
- e
- Kullervo (1892)
- Symphony No. 1 (1899, rev. 1900)
- Symphony No. 2 (1902)
- Symphony No. 3 (1907)
- Symphony No. 4 (1911)
- Symphony No. 5 (1915, rev. 1916, 1919)
- Symphony No. 6 (1923)
- Symphony No. 7 (1924)
- Symphony No. 8 (mid 1920s–c. 1938, abandoned)
- Violin Concerto (1904, rev. 1905)
- Two Serenades (1912–1913)
- Two Serious Melodies (1914–1915)
- Six Humoresques (1917–1918, No. 1 rev. 1940)
- Suite for Violin and String Orchestra (1929)
- En saga (1892, rev. 1902)
- Spring Song (1894, rev. 1895)
- The Wood Nymph (1895)
- Lemminkäinen Suite
- 1895, rev. 1897, 1900, 1939; includes The Swan of Tuonela
- Finlandia (1899)
- Pohjola's Daughter (1906)
- Nightride and Sunrise (1909)
- The Dryad (1910)
- The Bard (1913)
- Luonnotar (1913)
- The Oceanides (1914, rev. 1914)
- Tapiola (1926)
- The Building of the Boat (1893–1894, abandoned)
- The Maiden in the Tower (1896)
- King Christian II (1898)
- Kuolema
- 1903; includes Valse triste
- Pelléas et Mélisande (1905)
- Belshazzar's Feast (1906)
- Swanwhite (1908)
- The Lizard (1909)
- The Language of the Birds (1911)
- Scaramouche (1913)
- Everyman (1916)
- The Tempest (1925)
- Cantata for the University Graduation Ceremonies of 1894
- Cantata for the Coronation of Nicholas II (1896)
- Cantata for the University Graduation Ceremonies of 1897
- The Origin of Fire (1902, rev. 1910)
- The Captive Queen (1906)
- My Own Land (1918)
- Song of the Earth (1919)
- Hymn of the Earth (1920)
- Väinämöinen's Song (1926)
- The Rapids-Rider's Brides (1897)
- The Breaking of the Ice on the Oulu River (1899)
- Snöfrid (1900)
- Marjatta (1905, abandoned)
- Impromptu (1902, rev. 1910)
- The Raven (1910, abandoned)
- Overture in E major (1891)
- Ballet Scene (1891)
- Karelia Suite (1893)
- Rakastava (1894, arr. 1912)
- Scènes historiques I (1899, arr. 1911)
- Overture in A minor (1902)
- Romance in C major (1904)
- Cassazione (1904, rev. 1905)
- Pan and Echo (1906)
- In memoriam (1909, rev. 1910)
- Scènes historiques II (1912)
- Suite mignonne (1921)
- Suite champêtre (1922)
- Suite caractéristique (1922)
- String Quartet in E-flat major (1885)
- String Quartet in A minor (1889)
- String Quartet in B-flat major (1890)
- String Quartet in D minor, Voces intimae (1909)
- Andante festivo (1922, orch. 1938)
- Piano Trio in A minor, Hafträsk (1886)
- Piano Trio in D major, Korpo (1887)
- Piano Trio in C major, Lovisa (1888)
- Water Droplets (c. 1875–1881)
- Pieces for brass septet (1889–1899)
- Piano Quintet (1890)
- Malinconia (1900)
- Violin Sonatina (1915)
- Six Impromptus (1893)
- Piano Sonata (1893)
- Ten Pieces, Op. 24 (1895–1903)
- Kyllikki (1904)
- Three Sonatinas (1912)
- The Bells of Kallio Church (1912, arr. 1912)
- Two Rondinos (1912)
- Five Pieces, The Trees, Op. 75 (1914)
- Five Pieces, The Flowers, Op. 85 (1916–1917)
- Five Esquisses (1929)
- Seven Runeberg Songs, Op. 13 (1891–1892)
- "Serenad", JS 168 (1894–1895)
- Six Songs, Op. 36 (1899–1900)
- Five Songs, Op. 37 (1900–1902)
- Seven Songs, Op. 17 (1891–1904)
- Five Songs, Op. 38 (1903–1904; includes "Höstkväll")
- Six Songs, Op. 50 (1906)
- Two Songs, Op. 35 (1908)
- "Kom nu hit, död", Op. 60/1 (1909, orch. 1957)
- "Arioso", Op. 3 (1911)
- Five Christmas Songs, Op. 1 (1897–1913; includes "Giv mig ej glans, ej guld, ej prakt")
- Six Runeberg Songs, Op. 90 (1917)
- Hymn, Op. 21 (1896, rev. 1898)
- Songs for Mixed Chorus from the 1897 Promotional Cantata (arr. 1898)
- Finlandia Hymn (1899, arr. 1938–1940)
- Six Partsongs, Op. 18 (1893–1901)
- Jäger March (1917)
- Ainola (home)
- Aino Sibelius (wife)
- Ruth Snellman [fi] (daughter)
- Heidi Blomstedt (daughter)
- Christian Sibelius (brother)
- Aulis Blomstedt (son-in-law)
- Jussi Jalas (son-in-law)
- Jussi Snellman [fi] (son-in-law)
- Alexander Järnefelt (father-in-law)
- Elisabeth Järnefelt (mother-in-law)
- Armas Järnefelt (brother-in-law)
- Arvid Järnefelt (brother-in-law)
- Eero Järnefelt (brother-in-law)
- Kasper Järnefelt [fi] (brother-in-law)
- Helsinki Music Institute: Martin Wegelius (theory, composition)
- Mitrofan Vasiliev (violin)
- Hermann Csillag [de] (violin)
- Post-graduate studies: Albert Becker
- Robert Fuchs
- Karl Goldmark
- Toivo Kuula
- Leevi Madetoja
- Bengt de Törne [fi]
- Juhani Aho
- Aino Ackté
- Granville Bantock
- Ferruccio Busoni
- Axel Carpelan [fi] (patron)
- Olin Downes
- Ida Ekman
- Richard Faltin [fi]
- Ida Flodin [fi]
- Karl Flodin [fi]
- Akseli Gallen-Kallela
- Heikki Klemetti [fi]
- Santeri Levas (secretary)
- Erkki Melartin
- Oskar Merikanto
- Rosa Newmarch
- Abraham Ojanperä
- Selim Palmgren
- Adolf Paul
- Wilhelm Stenhammar
- Karl Wasenius [fi]
- Fabian Dahlström [fi]
- Karl Ekman [fi]
- Erik Furuhjelm [fi]
- Glenda Dawn Goss
- Cecil Gray
- Robert Layton
- Nils-Eric Ringbom [fi]
- Erik W. Tawaststjerna
- International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition
- Jean Sibelius Quartet
- Sibelius (2003 film)
- Sibelius (scorewriter)
- Sibelius Academy
- Sibelius Academy Quartet
- Sibelius Glacier
- Sibelius Hall
- Sibelius Medal
- Sibelius Monument
- Sibelius Museum
- Sibelius Piano Trio
- Sibelius Society of Finland
- 1405 Sibelius (asteroid)
- Wihuri Sibelius Prize