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Preludes to friendship: improvisatory instrumental souvenirs in 19th-century autograph albums

2024; Oxford University Press; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/em/caae032

1741-7260

Steven Zohn,

Historical and Literary Studies

Abstract Among the musical souvenirs found in 19th-century autograph or friendship albums is an overlooked repertory of improvisatory pieces for solo string and wind instruments. These cadenzas, capriccios and preludes were given to collectors by some of the leading performers of the day, including violinists Charles-Auguste de Bériot, Ole Bull, Ferdinand David, Joseph Joachim and Niccolò Paganini; and flautists Louis Drouët and Jean-Louis Tulou. Most of these pieces are found nowhere else, and because they include precise indications of date and place, some can be connected to specific performances. As musical self-portraits, they capture their authors’ personalities and artistry in strikingly varied ways: from visually extravagant (and occasionally humorous) roulades, to bel canto ‘vocal’ cadenzas and more extended flights of fancy. Taken as a whole, this repertory brings us a step or two closer to what was heard in salons and concert halls than the more familiar repertory of published cadenzas, capriccios and preludes.