Anton Rubinstein | Autograph manuscript of six songs op.6, c.1840s

Anton Rubinstein

Autograph manuscript of six songs, 'op.6', signed ("komponiert von Antoine Rubinstein"), APPARENTLY UNRECORDED

A COMPOSING MANUSCRIPT, comprising six songs for voice and piano, "Der arme Thoms", "Der Morgenstern", "Abendglocke", "Liebeslied", "Morgenlied", "Die Bekehrte", and the cancelled last page of a further song, notated in dark brown ink on up to three systems per page, each of three-staves, with autograph titles and dedication ("...A Madame Johanna Rauh"), with a number of deletions and corrections, including a whole-page deletion

11 pages, oblong 4to (27 x 34cm), plus blanks, no place or date [c.1840s?], joints of outer bifolium strengthened, repair on lower outer corner of first leaf, browning

A RUBINSTEIN DISCOVERY.

AUTOGRAPH MUSIC MANUSCRIPTS OF RUBINSTEIN ARE OF GREAT RARITY AT AUCTION.

Evidently an early student work, unrecorded in the TNG work-list. The poems are 1) 'Der arme Thoms' ("Thoms saß am hallenden See") by Johannes Falk, 2) 'Der Morgenstern' ("Wenn ich in stiller Frühe") by Albert Knapp, 3) 'Abendglocke' ("Wandrer zieht auf fernen Wegen") by J.N. Vogl, 4) 'Liebeslied' ("Vom Abendsonnenstrahl ergriffen") by Heinrich Landesmann, 5) 'Morgenstern' ("Noch ahnt man kaum der Sonne Licht") by Uhland and 6) 'Die Bekehrte' ("Bei dem Glanz der Abendröthe") by Goethe. 

Rubinstein assigns these Lieder the opus number 6, which he also originally gave his setting of the song 'Zhavoronok' in 1844. The Austrian poet Landesmann changed his name to "Hieronymous Lorm" in c.1847, and published "Vom Abendsonnenstrahl ergriffen" under that name in 1870, with the title 'Im Sterben'. There are considerable differences between the text found here and the published poem, indicating that Rubinstein possibly used an early version of the text. A setting by Rubinstein of Uhland's "Noch ahnt man kaum der Sonne Licht" was published as 'Morgenlied' in his Sechs Lieder op.33 (1856).