From the Vault: Solo Music for Social Distancing
Submitted by Robin McClellan on Sun, 05/17/2020 - 12:47pm
Maurice Ravel, 1875-1937. La Valse, arranged for piano.
Autograph manuscript, 1920.
Mary Flagler Cary Collection. Robert Owen Lehman, former owner.
In this time of social distancing, musicians can’t gather as they normally do, and there’s a lot of ensemble music going unplayed. In response, musicians around the world are staying safe and sane by digging into the solo repertoire. And we’re here to help!
The Morgan’s vault is chock-full of music manuscripts written by the great composers, from Mozart to Ravel, Schubert to Chopin, Brahms to Webern. Hundreds of these scores are available at your fingertips in our digitized collection, Music Manuscripts Online.
If you’re looking for something to play on your own during this time of isolation, we’ve made a list of the solo repertoire here at the Morgan, with links to the digital images of the original autograph manuscripts. Each manuscript can be downloaded as a PDF, and we’ve added links to free print editions online where available. So we invite you to print the music or view it on your tablet screen, record or live-stream your performance, and share!
Most of the solo repertoire in the Morgan’s collection is piano music, and we’ve also thrown in a soupçon of violin and flute music just for fun. For households that have multiple persons with keyboard skills, we’ve included some four-hand keyboard works.
Playing directly from the manuscripts can be thrilling, as it allows you to experience the handwriting of the composer. Many are perfectly legible, while the handwriting in others offers a refreshing challenge. We have even included a few fragments and sketches, which can be especially interesting.
Then we invite you to post your recording or live stream to the platform of your choice, and tag @themorganlibrary plus the hashtag #musicforsocialdistancing. We would love to build a glorious collection of your solo performances, to match our magnificent collection of solo music.
We can’t wait to hear you!
Here is our list. (Note: the Morgan is not responsible for content outside our website.)
SOLO PIANO MUSIC AT THE MORGAN
La Valse, arr. Piano
Polonaise op. 53, A♭ major
Etude, op. 10. No. 7
Mazurka op. 50
Mazurka op. 59. No. 3
Impromptus, D. 899
Fantasy, 4 hands, D. 1, G major. Selections
Impromptus, piano, D. 935 (op. 142)
Lieder ohne Worte, piano, op. 19b. Nr. 4
Con moto, piano, A majorShort and sweet, just one page.
Download:
ManuscriptThis work is unpublished! The manuscript is your source.
Webern’s manuscripts are VERY legible! No print scores required.
Variations, piano, op. 27
Download: Manuscript
Variations, piano, op. 27. No. 3
Prelude, K. 284aDownload:
Manuscript Print edition (IMSLP )(Identified in Köchel as the Capriccio, K. 300g/395, the manuscript of which was thought to be lost; subsequently identified by Christoph Wolff as the Preludes for piano, K. 284a.)
Rondo K. 485, D major
Sonata, 4 hands, K. 381, D major (Fragment)Music for two! Short and sweet, just a fragment.
Download:
Manuscript Print edition (IMSLP)W.A. Mozart?
Two little fugues for piano or organ
Short and sweet!
Download: Manuscript
Is this by Mozart? You be the judge! Our catalogue record says that “Köchel, p. 764, states that these are not Mozart's compositions. Aloys Fuchs has authenticated the manuscript twice.”
Sonata no. 2, op. 22, G minor. Allegro (Sketches)Not for the faint of heart!
Download:
Manuscript Print edition (IMSLP)
Sonata op. 34b, F minorThe manuscript is a bit hard to read, but worth the effort. For two pianos.
Download:
Manuscript Print edition (IMSLP)
Nocturnes, piano, no. 11, op. 104, no. 1, F♯ minor
Barcarolle no. 5, op. 66, F♯ minor
Preludes op. 103. No. 4-8
Composition for piano
Don Quixote arr. Violin (fragment, in the hand of Béla Bartók)Anton Fürstenau
Fantasie for Flute
Download: Manuscript
Robinson McClellan
Assistant Curator of Music Manuscripts and Printed Music
The Morgan Library & Museum