RWA Online Encyclopedia II – Songs and Choral Works WoO V/8

The Snow WoO V/8

for two-part school choir and piano

Content
Creation
Komponiert in Meiningen, Ende Februar 1913
Status
–
Dedication
–
Performance medium
School's choir [Soprano, Alto, [Piano]]
Work collection
  • -
Original work
  • -
Versions
  • -

1.

Reger-Werkausgabe Bd. II/10: Werke für Männer-, Frauen- und Kinderchor, S. 174.
Herausgeber Christopher Grafschmidt und Claudia Seidl.
Unter Mitarbeit von Knud Breyer und Stefan König.
Verlag Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart; Verlagsnummer: CV 52.817.
Erscheinungsdatum Oktober 2024.
Notensatz Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart.
Copyright 2024 by Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart and Max-Reger-Institut, Karlsruhe – CV 52.817.
Vervielfältigungen jeglicher Art sind gesetzlich verboten. / Any unauthorized reproduction is prohibited by law.
Alle Rechte vorbehalten. / All rights reserved.
ISMN 979-0-007-31440-8.
ISBN 978-3-89948-464-9.

The Snow

Werk
Category
Text template
First edition
unknown
Template edition

unknown

Annotations

Note: Erstausgabe unbekannt. Möglicherweise die Zeitschrift The Youth’s Companion (vgl. die “Acknowledgements” im Teacher’s Guide, S. V), in der auf der “Children’s Page” regelmäßig Gedichte und Geschichten von Alice Carrick veröffentlicht wurden. In den erreichbaren vorangehenden Jahrgängen ist das Rätsel-Gedicht allerdings nicht nachweisbar.

Note: Vorlage unbekannt. Reger erhielt den Text vermutlich von Horatio Parker zusammen mit der Bitte um Vertonung (siehe Zur Entstehung, Herausgabe und Rezeption der Werke).

1. Composition and Publication

On 24 February 1913, Reger informed his principal publisher Bote & Bock that he had been “asked to write 3 short songs as a contribution to an American school songbook”.1 One of the initiators of this Progressive Music Series was the organist, composer and pedagogue Horatio Parker. “Parker’s major function was his acquaintance with nearly every major composer of his day, both European and American. Much of his sabbatical in Europe during the winter of 1912–13 was spent holding personal interviews with composers, many of whom he persuaded to contribute to the series.”2 Parker’s diary lists his contacts with composers including Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Max Bruch, Engelbert Humperdinck, Claude Debussy, Julius Röntgen, Jean Sibelius, Richard Strauss and Reger.3 Parker will have used his meeting with Reger to give him the texts for Night Thoughts (WoO V/7 for unison children’s choir and piano), The Snow (WoO V/8 for two-part school choir and piano) and Good Night (WoO VI/25 for mixed choir). In his letter to Bote & Bock, Reger assured them “emphatically that these 3 little songs […] are only going there for their first print, but that all rights remain with me and thus also with you, if you wish to acquire these 3 little songs.”4 His final request for an “answer as soon as possible” suggests that he wanted to see to this commission in February in order to be able to hand over the manuscripts to Parker.5

Reger’s fee for both pieces (Night Thoughts and Good Night), which were published in 1915 in the fourth volume of the Series,6 was transferred by the publisher Silver, Burdett and Company on 21 April 1913.7 We do not know whether or not Reger was informed about the publication of the volume in question. For reasons that also remain unknown, The Snow WoO V/8 was only published in a school songbook in the early 1930s.8

2.

Translation by Chris Walton.

2
William K. Kearns, Horatio Parker, 1863–1919: His Life, Music, and Ideas, Metuchen 1990, pp. 32f.
3
See ibid., p. 258, fn. 36.
5
In Reger’s mail delivery book (Posteinlieferungsbuch über Wert- und Einschreibsendungen, Postanweisungen, Zahlkarten und Nachnahmen, Meininger Museen, inventory number XI-4-3317) there is no entry to suggest that any such package was ever sent.
6
The Progressive Music Series. For Basal Use in Primary, Intermediate, and Grammar Schools, Book Four (for eighth grade), ed. Horatio Parker, Osbourne McConathy, Edward Bailey Birge und W. Otto Miessner, Boston etc. 1915. – Night Thoughts is on pp. 24f., Good Night on p. 74.
7
On publisher’s copies of Night Thoughts and Good Night (which in 1997 were still in the possession of Silver Burdett Ginn) we find in each case the note: “Paid $ 1666 4/21/13”.
8
The Music Hour Bd. 5, ed. Osbourne McConathy, W. Otto Miessner, Edward Bailey Birge and Mabel E. Bray, The State of Kansas, Topeka 1930 and Silver, Burdett and Company, New York etc. 1931 (both only have the vocal parts for accompanied vocal works). A Teacher’s Guide was also published for this (New York etc. 1931), whose fourth part contains “Accompaniments for Songs in the Fifth Book” (The Snow is given on p. 191).

1. Reception

At present, there are no records of performances in Reger's time.

1. Stemma

Die in Klammern gesetzten Quellen sind verschollen.
Die in Klammern gesetzten Quellen sind verschollen.

2. Quellenbewertung

Der Edition liegt als Leitquelle die posthume Erstausgabe zugrunde.

3. Sources

  • posthume Erstausgabe
Object reference

Max Reger: The Snow WoO V/8, in: Reger-Werkausgabe, www.reger-werkausgabe.de/mri_work_01036.html, version 3.1.0-rc3, 20th December 2024.

Information

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