Six Polyphonic Etudes for Violin: Urtext: 6 Études à Plusieurs Parties Paperback – May 7, 2022

NEW 2022The Moravian Jewish composer Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst (1812-1865), an outstanding performer even compared to one of the pillars of modern violin technique Niccolò Paganini. He was a friend of Brahms, a collaborator of Mendelssohn and was admired by Berlioz. Together with his Six Polyphonic Etudes (6 Études à Plusieurs Parties) he contributed to the literature for solo violin perhaps the most important work since Bach's Six Sonatas and Partitas. Technically demanding, with multiple voices, these Etudes were published without opus number and probably composed while the composer was in Nice around 1862-1864. It is possible that due to their complexity or Ernst's severe neuralgia, he never performed them in public, yet today violin soloists have performed the Etudes on various stages around the world, especially Etude VI called "The Last Rose of Summer". Ernst takes the level of difficulty to the extreme and combines different technical challenges for one hand. For example, the combination of chords and pizzicato with the left hand, the simultaneity between harmonics with double strings are some of the challenges that by their polyphonic nature allow for a cutting-edge sonic exploration of this musical style.Our Urtext edition is mainly based on the first known Wien edition: C.A. Spina, n.d. Plate C.S. 18033. Possibly published in 1864, when the composer was still alive, we believe it to be the closest to Ernst. Research so far suggests that the autograph manuscript has not survived, however, we have consulted the edition: Leipzig: August Cranz, n.d. as a secondary supporting option. The Six Etudes were written in major keys and dedicated to the violinists Ferdinand Laub, Prosper Sainton, Joseph Joachim, Henryk Wieniawski, Joseph Hellmesberger ( Sr.) and Antonio Bazzini.We have arranged the measures in a comfortable manner, providing more space for reading with better page turns. Roisber Narvaez Verlag with its usual exhaustive research and being insistent in the search for veracity, the publisher has taken precise and very careful decisions to correct problems in the musical spelling which are added in grey. Read more