The Music to Shakespeare's Hamlet, Op.50 (Henschel, George)

Sheet Music

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Cypressdome (2011/12/8)

Editor First edition
Publisher. Info. London: Novello, Ewer & Co., 1892. Plate 9318.
Copyright
Misc. Notes Original scans: 300dpi, grayscale jpg2000 files approximately 3150 by 4070 pixels. Converted to black and white tif files, de-skewed, re-sampled to 600dpi, and set uniform margins.
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General Information

Work Title The Music to Shakespeare's Hamlet
Alternative. Title
Composer Henschel, George
Opus/Catalogue NumberOp./Cat. No. Op.50
I-Catalogue NumberI-Cat. No. IGH 10
Movements/SectionsMov'ts/Sec's 17 numbers:
  1. Prelude to Act I
  2. Appearance of the Ghost
  3. Danish March
  4. Appearance of Ghost
  5. Prelude to Act II: Ophelia
  6. Flourish of Trumpets
  7. Hamlet. alone
  8. Act III: Interlude
  9. Hamlet's Monologue
  10. The Play Scene
  11. Appearance of Ghost in Queen's Chamber
  12. Prelude to Act IV: Ophelia's Death
  13. The Queen relates the drowning of Ophelia
  14. Prelude to Act V: Pastorale
  15. Churchyard Scene
  16. Fencing Scene
  17. Hamlet's Death
First Performance. 1892-01 – London
First Publication. 1892 – London: Novello, Ewer, & Co.
Librettist William Shakespeare
Language English ; German translation by Schlegel (possibly August Wilhelm Schlegel) (in final scene)
Dedication Inscribed to the memory of his friend Max Eberstadt
Composer Time PeriodComp. Period Romantic
Piece Style Romantic
Instrumentation Voices: female chorus (SAA)
Orchestra: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets (B, A), 2 bassoons, 4 horns (F, E, D), 3 trumpets (C, E, F), 3 trombones, tuba, triangle, tam-tam, cymbals, small side drum, timpani, organ, harp, strings

Navigation etc.

Composed for the production of the play at the Haymarket Theatre, London in January, 1892.
The choral part is only used in the final number and apparently consists of 3 voices per part. The score contains various textual cues in both English and German for the timing of performance. Henschel specifies that the concert suite is to consist of the following numbers: 1, 5, 8, 14, 12, and 3. Some of the numbers have alternate endings in the score for the concert version.

BL (and the title page) give "Deutsche ubersetzung von Schlegel" without saying -which- Schlegel. Lieder.net suggests in another context (not in-respect-to-Henschel but in respect to Hamlet...) perhaps August Wilhelm Schlegel?...