Comment disaient-ils, S.276 (Liszt, Franz)

Contents

Performances

Sheet Music

Scores

1st version (S.276/1)

PDF scanned by Bassani
Bassani (2010/5/9)

Editor Eugen d' Albert (1864–1932)
Publisher. Info. Leipzig: C.F. Kahnt Nachfolger, 1908. Plate 3835b.
Copyright
Misc. Notes Transposed for medium voice.
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PDF scanned by D-Mbs
piupianissimo (2010/3/20)

Editor Peter Raabe (1872–1945)
Publisher. Info. Musikalische Werke. Serie VII, Band 1 (pp.42-46)
Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1917. Plate F.L. VII 6.
Copyright
Misc. Notes Originally scanned at about 160pi, converted to 600dpi monochrome.
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2nd version (S.276/2)

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Schissel (2014/5/4)

Editor Hans von Bülow (1830–1894)
Language French / English
Translator Caryl Florio (1843–1920), English text
Publisher. Info. Miss Lizzie Cronyn’s Favorite Songs (No.11)
New York: Edward Schuberth & Co., 1876. Plate E.S. & Co. 131.
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Funper (2007/4/4)

Editor Carl Armbruster (1846-1917)
Language English / French
Translator Charles Fonteyn Manney (1872-1951), English text
Publisher. Info. Thirty Songs: for High Voice
Boston: Oliver Ditson, 1911.
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piupianissimo (2010/3/31)

Editor Peter Raabe (1872–1945)
Publisher. Info. Musikalische Werke. Serie VII, Band 2 (pp.164-66)
Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1921. Plate F.L. VII 66.
Copyright
Misc. Notes Originally scanned at about 160pi, converted to 600dpi monochrome.
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Arrangements and Transcriptions

1st version

For Piano solo (Liszt)
See: Buch der Lieder II, S.535–540 (No.2)

Free Recordings

Salute to Liszt Concert in Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston, January, 2011.
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General Information

Work Title Comment, disaient-ils
Alternative. Title Was tun? (Wie flieh’n, sagten sie) / How, they said
Composer Liszt, Franz
Opus/Catalogue NumberOp./Cat. No. S.276/1 ; LW.N12/1 (1st version)
S.276/2 ; LW.N12/2 (2nd version)
I-Catalogue NumberI-Cat. No. IFL 64
Movements/SectionsMov'ts/Sec's 1
Year/Date of CompositionY/D of Comp. 1844 (1st version)
1849–59 (2nd version)
First Publication. 1849 (1st version)
1859 (2nd version)
Librettist Victor Hugo (1802-1885), French text
Victor Massé (1822–1884), German translation (1st version)
Language German / French (1st version)
French (2nd version)
Average DurationAvg. Duration 2 minutes
Composer Time PeriodComp. Period Romantic
Piece Style Romantic
Instrumentation Voice and piano
External Links The Lied, Art Song, and Choral Texts Archive
All Music Guide

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Version History

  • Composed for soprano or tenor voice and piano, 1842 (= 1st version, S.276/1)
Published 1844 by Schlesinger (Berlin)
Published 1985 by Editio Musica Budapest (Budapest)
  • Revised 1849–59 (= 2nd version, S.276/2)
Published 1859 by Schlesinger (Berlin)


Hugo's poem had the title "Autre guitare"; the poem was set by several other composers, including Saint-Saëns, Lalo, etc., sometimes as "Guitare" or with similar titles (as noted in the notes to the recordings of those other songs on Hyperion Records- where the Liszt connection is mentioned- and at Recmusic.org as above).

Published in a "Buch der Lieder (Band II)" by Schlesinger in 1844. (HMB suggests 1849, but publication date of 1844 is more strongly suggested by letters of Liszt to Schlesinger from early 1844 discussed in "Liszt Letters in the Library of Congress" (2003).) These letters also suggest that he was already beginning or at least discussing the transcriptions (S.535) with Schlesinger as early as mid-1844- in fact a mid-1844 letter had it that Liszt's friend Count Bethlen was going to bring Schlesinger transcriptions of the lieder; perhaps they were not published or Liszt decided to rethink them?