Danish Classical Music
Udgivelsesserien Danish Classical Music (DCM) har til formål at tilgængeliggøre dansk musikalsk kulturarv i pålidelige og gennemarbejdede praktisk -videnskabelige nodeeditioner for musikere og forskere i ind - og udland. Således er ambitionen at overtage stafetten fra Dansk Center for Musikudgivelse, som opererede som et forskningscenter under Det Kgl. Bibliotek, 2009 – 2019. Centeret udgav praktisk- videnskabelige editioner af høj filologisk kvalitet, og siden lukningen af centeret er denne opgave ikke blevet varetaget – men behovet er ikke blevet mindre.
Mens Dansk Center for Musikudgivelse fungerede som et center med ansatte medarbejdere er forholdene for det nye DCM anderledes: Her er tale om selvstændige og individuelt finansierede projekter under DCM - paraplyen. Derfor er der ikke blevet udarbejdet et nyt sæt redaktionelle retningslinjer – i stedet videreføres de retningslinjer, som blev formuleret af Dansk Center for Musikudgivelse. De eneste ændringer fra retningslinjerne er layoutmæssige, og så er der i DCM - udgivelserne tilføjet en kort biografisk introduktion til komponisten.
De redaktionelle retningslinjer sikrer udgivelsernes høje og konsistente editionsfilologiske niveau og grundindstillingen til udgivelsesarbejdet kan sammenfattes i nogle få, centrale punkter.
Om “praktisk - videnskabelige editioner”
Med begrebet “praktisk - videnskabelige editioner” sigtes der til, at udgivelserne skal være praktisk anvendelige for musikere, uden at musikerne nødvendigvis skal forholde sig til redaktørens arbejde og filologiske overvejelser. Derfor er selve nodesiden “ren” og uden fodnoter eller lignende. Samtidig er udgivelserne videnskabelige, idet interesserede læsere kan finde den nødvendige information om det editionsfilologiske arbejde i tekstdele placeret før og efter nodedelen: Før nodedelen bringes en introduktion til værket, dets tilblivelses – og receptionshistorie samt generelle kommentarer til det filologiske arbejde (eksempelvis nogle særlige udfordringer eller valg); efter nodedelen følger en grundig kildebeskrivelse og en oversigt over redaktionelle ændringer, deres begrundelse i kilderne samt information om varianter.
Om redaktørens rolle
Som James Grier skriver i bogen The Critical Editing of Music fra 1996, så er al editionsfilologisk arbejde også et fortolkningsarbejde, ideelt set baseret på grundige, kritiske og historisk forankrede studier af kildematerialet. Idéen om at den videnskabelige edition videregiver den “eneste rigtige” version af værket er en fiktion: Ofte vil redaktører komme frem til varierende udlægninger af et værk, og ofte kan der argumenteres lige godt for den ene læsning som den anden. Det er derfor vigtigt at bevæggrunden for de enkelte valg er tydeliggjort i oversigten over redaktionelle rettelser.
I serien undgås såkaldte “eklektiske” editioner, en sammenblanding af forskellige kilder, der kan resultere i en version af værket, der aldrig har eksisteret fra komponistens hånd. Der bestemmes derfor altid en hovedkilde, som editionen er baseret på, mens varianter kan bruges som hjemmel ved rettelser af klare fejl.
Thomas Husted Kirkegaard, ph.d.
Danish Classical Music
The publication series Danish Classical Music (DCM) aims to make Danish musical heritage accessible for musicians and researchers in Denmark and abroad by providing reliable and meticulous practical – scholarly music editions. The ambition is thus to take over the baton from the Danish Centre for Music Publication which operated as a research centre under the Royal Library from 2009 to 2019. The centre published practical – scholarly editions of high philological quality, and since the closure of the centre, this task has not been undertaken –but the need has not diminished.
While the Danish Centre for Music Publication functioned as a centre with dedicated employees, the conditions for the new DCM are different: it comprises of independent projects funded individually under the DCM framework. Therefore, a new set of editorial guidelines has not been developed – instead, the guidelines formulated by the Danish Centre for Music Publication are being sustained. The only changes to the guidelines relate to layout, and in DCM publications a brief biographical introduction of the composer is added.
The editorial guidelines ensure a high and consistent level of philological quality in the publications, and the fundamental editorial approach can be summarized in a few key points.
On “Practical -Scholarly Editions”
The term “practical -scholarly editions” refers to the aim of making the publications practically useful for musicians without requiring them to engage directly with the editor’s work and philological considerations. The sheet music is therefore “clean”, without footnotes or similar additions. At the same time, the publications are scholarly in nature, as interested readers can find the necessary information about the philological work in sections placed before and after the sheet music: Prior to the sheet music, there is an introduction to the work, its genesis and reception history, as well as general comments on the philological work (such as specific challenges or choices). After the sheet music, a thorough description of sources and an overview of editorial changes, their justification based on the sources, and information about variants are presented.
On the Role of the Editor
As James Grier writes in his book The Critical Editing of Music from 1996, all philological work is also an act of interpretation, ideally based on thorough, critical, and historically grounded studies of the source material. The notion that the scholarly edition presents the “only correct” version of a work is a fiction: Editors often arrive at varying interpretations of a piece, and equally compelling arguments can often be made for different readings. Therefore, it is important to clarify the rationale behind each choice in the overview of editorial revisions.
The series avoids so - called “eclectic” editions, which involve a mixture of different sources and may result in a version of the work that never existed in the composer’s hand. Therefore, a primary source is always determined as the basis for the edition, while variants can be used as evidence for correcting clear errors.
Thomas Husted Kirkegaard, Ph.D
Biografi
Hilda Sehested blev den 27. april 1858 født ind i en adelig familie på herregården Broholm på Fyn og døde 15. april 1936 i København.
Som del af den almene dannelse, som kvinder fra Sehesteds socialklasse var pålagt, blev hun som barn undervist i klaver og musikteori. Sehested gik ikke på konservatoriet, men hun begyndte at modtage privatundervisning i klaver hos komponisten C.F.E. Horneman som 15-årig i 1873. Fra 1886 studerede hun komposition privat hos Orla Rosenhoff.
Sehested udtrykte en trang til at frigøre sig fra sin hjemegn og sine selskabelige pligter på Broholm og flyttede i 1892 til København. Der var hun tættere på musiklivet i hovedstaden og ligesindede, aspirerende musikere og komponister.
Sehested blev forlovet med arkæologen Henry Petersen, som dog døde kort før deres planlagte bryllup i 1896. Efter dette stoppede hun både med undervisningen hos Rosenhoff og med at komponere. I de efterfølgende år forsøgte hun at finde en ny vej i livet og uddannede sig som organist. Hun fik sit afgangsbevis i 1899, men vides ikke at have haft embede som organist efterfølgende.
Først i 1900 vendte hun tilbage til sin gamle musikalske omgangskreds og begyndte igen at komponere og udgive musik. I 1903 udgav hun værkerne Klaversonate i As-dur og Intermezzi for violin, cello og klaver, og året efter begyndte hun at komponere for blæseinstrumenter. I 1905 skrev hun Suite für Cornet in B und Klavier, der i 1915 blev bearbejdet til Suite for Kornet og Orkester Klaversonatens kompositionsstil blev af hendes læremester Orla Rosenhoff beskrevet som “hyper-romantisk,” og han mente, at den bar præg af hendes kærlighed til Wagner og Schumann.
I 1913-1914 skrev hun sin første og eneste opera Agnete og Havmanden, der havde tekst af forfatteren Sophus Michaëlis, og som blev antaget til opførelse på Det Kongelige Teater. Grundet 1. verdenskrig og den materialemangel, krigen medførte, måtte opsætningen aflyses.
I 1910’erne havde hun opnået anerkendelse som komponist, og hendes værker blev opført af flere solister og ensembler. Orkesterstykkerne Lygtemænd og Mosekonen Brygger blev begge opført ved en kompositionskoncert i 1915, hvor Politikens anmelder skrev, at Sehested viste sig som en “virkelig dygtig Dame.” 1
Sehesteds forkærlighed for at komponere musik for blæseinstrumenter fortsatte, og hun skrev i midten af 1920’erne de to større værker for basun Morceau pathétique pour trombone avec accompagnement de piano i 1924 og Course des athlètes du Nord. Morceau symphonique pour trombone avec orchestra ou piano i 1925. I de sidste ti år frem til sin død i 1936 indstillede Hilda Sehested komponistkarrieren.
Maria Claustad
Biography
Hilda Sehested was born on 27 April 1858 into a noble family at the Broholm manor on Funen and died on 15 April 1936 in Copenhagen.
As part of the general education that was required of women of Sehested’s social class, she was taught piano and music theory as a child. Sehested did not attend the conservatory, but began receiving private piano lessons from the composer C.F.E. Horneman as a 15-year-old in 1873. From 1886 she studied composition privately with Orla Rosenhoff.
Sehested expressed a desire to free herself from her home environment and her social duties at Broholm and in 1892 moved to Copenhagen. There she was closer to the musical life of the capital and like-minded, aspiring musicians and composers.
Sehested became engaged to the archaeologist Henry Petersen, who, however, died shortly before their planned wedding in 1896. Following this, she stopped both her lessons with Rosenhoff and composing. In the following years, she tried to find a new path in life and trained as an organist. She obtained her graduation certificate in 1899, but is not known to have held office as an organist afterwards.
It was not until 1900 that she returned to her old musical circle and began to compose and publish music again. In 1903 she published the works Piano Sonata in A Major and Intermezzi for Violin, Cello and Piano, and the following year began composing for wind instruments. In 1905 she wrote Suite for Cornet in Bb und Piano, which in 1915 was adapted into the Suite for Cornet and Orchestra The compositional style of the piano sonata was described by her teacher Orla Rosenhoff as “hyper-romantic,” believing that it was influenced by her love of Wagner and Schumann.
In 1913 – 1914 she wrote her first and only opera Agnete og Havmanden, to a text by the author Sophus Michaëlis, and which was accepted for performance at the Royal Theatre. Due to the 1st World War and the shortage of materials caused by the war, the staging had to be cancelled.
By the 1910s, she had achieved recognition as a composer, and her works were performed by several soloists and ensembles. The orchestral pieces Lygtemænd and Mosekonen Brygger were both performed at a composition concert in 1915, where Politiken’s reviewer wrote that Sehested proved to be a “really talented lady.” 1
Sehested’s penchant for composing music for wind instruments continued, and in the mid-1920s she wrote the two major works for trombone Morceau pathétique pour trombone avec accompaniment de piano in 1924 and Course des athlètes du Nord. Morceau symphonique pour trombone avec orchestra ou piano in 1925.
In the last ten years before her death in 1936, Hilda Sehested suspended her career as a composer.
Maria Claustad
1 “Gusch”, Politiken 26.3.1915.
1 “Gusch”, Politiken 26 Mar. 1915.
Forord
Hilda Sehesteds Nocturne for lille orkester med horn- og violoncello solo er færdigkomponeret 3. februar 1919, og blev uropført 4. november 1919. Koncerten blev afholdt til fordel for foreningen “De to Løver” der arbejdede for genforeningen med Sønderjylland. Værket blev opført af Akademisk Orkester 1 under ledelse af Vilhelm Poulsen (1875-1930). For at vise deres støtte til sagen blev koncerten overværet af flere af kongehusets medlemmer. 2 Dagen efter koncerten skrev avisen Berlingske Tidende, at Nocturne er et “elegisk, lidt flakkende Stykke, der dog momentvis svingede sig op til virkningsfulde Højdepunkter og som Helhed dokumenterede sin Autors stadig sikrede Herredømme over de orkestrale Virkningsmidler”. 3 I avisen Nationaltidende skrev de, at Nocturne viste “et opladt Øre for moderne Klangvirkninger”. 4 I Socialdemokraten skrev de, at Nocturne var “Kønt klingende”. 5 Den 10. feb. 1920 skrev Hilda Sehested til sin bror Hannibal Sehested om koncerten:
Det var en morsom Koncert, min Nocturne kom smukt til sin Ret, det er et mindre Stykke af lyrisk Karakter. Alle Bladene omtalte den udførligt og venligt, kun Kbh., hvis Anmelderformentlig ikke havde været der, kaldte den “køn”. 6
Omkring samtidig med Nocturnes uropførelse blev Sehesteds orkesterværk Poême lyrique opført. Værkerne har flere lighedspunkter, såsom de mange augmenterede og dissonerende klange. Endvidere har begge værker flere passager med træblæsere i parallelle tertser i enten heltoneskala eller ved realparallelføring i store tertser.
Af Nocturne er to kilder overleveret: et partitur i Sehesteds hånd (kilde A) og et stemmesæt produceret af en professionel nodetegner (kilde B). I stemmesættet findes en del forskelle fra partituret. Af disse er langt størstedelen korrigeret af musikerne, der har brugt stemmerne. Dermed kan disse forskelle kategoriseres som fejl fra nodetegnerens side. I partituret findes kun få rettelser, hvor de fleste er indført med blyant i Sehesteds hånd. Hvornår disse rettelser er foretaget, er svært at bestemme, men de er øjensynligt indført efter koncerten 4. november 1919, da disse rettelser ikke findes i orkesterstemmerne. I nærværende udgave af Nocturne bruges partituret (kilde A) som hovedkilde uden at konsultere stemmematerialet (kilde B).
Frederik Døj Erforth Larsen København 2024
Preface
Hilda Sehested’s Nocturne for lille orkester med horn- og violoncello solo (Nocturne for small orchestra with horn and violoncello solo) was completed on 3 February 1919 and premiered on 4 November 1919. The concert was held in support of the association “De to Løver” (“The Two Lions”), which worked towards the reunification with Southern Jutland. The piece was performed by Akademisk Orkester 1 (The Academic Orchestra) under the baton of Vilhelm Poulsen (1875 – 1930). To demonstrate their support for the cause, several members of the Danish royal family attended the concert. 2
The day after the concert, the newspaper Berlingske Tidende described the Nocturne as an “elegiac, somewhat wandering piece, which nevertheless occasionally rose to impactful highlights and, as a whole, documented its composer’s steadily assured mastery of orchestral means of expression.” 3 The newspaper Nationaltidende wrote that the Nocturne demonstrated “a keen ear for modern tonal effects.” 4 Meanwhile, Socialdemokraten described it as “pretty-sounding.” 5
On 10 February 1920, Hilda Sehested wrote to her brother Hannibal Sehested about the concert:
It was an enjoyable concert; my Nocturne was beautifully rendered. It is a smaller piece of lyrical character. All the newspapers reviewed it thoroughly and kindly, except for Kbh., whose critic, presumably absent from the performance, called it ‘pretty.’ 6
Around the time of the Nocturne’s premiere, Sehested’s orchestral work Poême lyrique was also performed. The two works share several similarities, such as the frequent use of augmented and dissonant harmonies. Both also feature multiple passages where woodwinds play in parallel thirds, either in whole-tone scales or through real parallel motion in major thirds.
Two sources of the Nocturne have been preserved: a score in Sehested’s handwriting (source A) and a set of parts produced by a professional copyist (source B). The parts contain numerous discrepancies compared to the score, most of which were corrected by the musicians who used them. These discrepancies can thus be categorised as errors on the part of the copyist. The score contains only a few corrections, most of which were made in pencil by Sehested herself. It is difficult to determine when these corrections were made, but they were evidently introduced after the concert on 4 November 1919, as they do not appear in the orchestral parts. In the present edition of the Nocturne, the score (source A) has been used as the primary reference, without consulting the set of parts (source B).
Frederik Døj Erforth Larsen Copenhagen 2024
1 I dag under navnet Akademisk Orkester og Kor.
2 Lisbeth Ahlgren Jensen, Hilda Sehested og Nancy Dalberg (København: Multivers, 2019), 81-82.
3 Berlingske Tidende 5.11.1919 citeret i: Ahlgren Jensen, Hilda Sehested og Nancy Dalberg, 82.
4 Nationaltidende 5.11.1919 citeret i: Ahlgren Jensen, Hilda Sehested og Nancy Dalberg, 82
5 Socialdemokraten 5.11.1919 citeret i: Ahlgren Jensen, Hilda Sehested og Nancy Dalberg, 82.
6 DK-Kra, Hannibal Sehesteds Arkiv. Brev fra Hilda Sehested til Hannibal Sehested, 10.02.1920. Sehested refererer til avisen København, men hun huskede avisen forkert, da det var Socialdemokraten, der kaldte den “pæn”.
1 Today known as Akademisk Orkester og Kor (The Academic Orchestra and Choir).
2 Lisbeth Ahlgren Jensen, Hilda Sehested og Nancy Dalberg (Copenhagen: Multivers, 2019), 81-82.
3 Berlingske Tidende 5 Nov. 1919 cited in: Ahlgren Jensen, Hilda Sehested og Nancy Dalberg, 82.
4 Nationaltidende 5 Nov. 1919 cited in: Ahlgren Jensen, Hilda Sehested og Nancy Dalberg, 82.
5 Socialdemokraten 5 Nov. 1919 cited in: Ahlgren Jensen, Hilda Sehested og Nancy Dalberg, 82.
6 DK-Kra, Hannibal Sehesteds Arkiv (Hannibal Sehested’s Archive). Leter from Hilda Sehested to Hannibal Sehested, 10 Feb. 1920.
Sehested is referring to the newspaper København, but she misremembered the newspaper, since it was Socialdemokraten who called it “pretty”.
Faksimile
Kilde A: Side 1 af det renskrevne partitur i Hilda Sehesteds hånd (DK-Kk, MA ms. CII, 12 mu 1949.50.1035).
Facsimile
Source A: Page 1 of the fair-copy score in Hilda Sehested’s hand (DK-Kk, MA ms. CII, 12 mu 1949.50.1035).
Orkesterbesætning / Orchestral forces
2 Flauti
2 Oboi
Corno Inglese
2 Clarinetti in La
2 Fagotti
4 Corni in Fa
Timpani
Violini 1
Violini 2
Viole
Violoncelli Contrabbassi
NOCTURNE
Hilda Sehested
Hilda Sehested: Nocturne - 12
Hilda Sehested: Nocturne - 13
Abbreviations
Abbreviation Meaning - Upbeat
b. bar
bb. bars
cb. Contrabbasso cl. Clarinetto cor. Corno cor.i Corno Inglese cresc. Crescendo div. divisi dim. diminuendo
DK-Kk Det Kongelige Bibliotek København (The Royal Danish Library, Copenhagen)
DK-Kra Rigsarkivet (Danish National Archives) fag. Fagotto fl. Flauto
HS Hilda Sehested ob. Oboe stacc. staccato strings String instruments timp. Timpani unis. unison vl. Violino vla. Viola vlc. Violoncello woodw. Woodwind instruments
Critical Commentary
In the Critical Commentary the following conventions are used:
1 “by analogy with” is used when something has been “added”, “emended” or “omitted” by analogy with another passage in the main source. The analogy may be vertical. When something is added “by analogy with” one or more instruments, it is understood that the analogy is with the same place in the same bar(s). The analogy may also be horizontal. When something is added “by analogy with” one or more bars, it is understood that the analogy is with a parallel place in the same instrument(s).
2 “as in” is used when something is “added”, “emended”, or “omitted” to correspond to the same place in another source.
3 “in accordance with” is used in cases where there is no authoritative source, only guideline – for example part material.
Editorial Strategy
In accordance with the purpose of the Danish Classical Music series, and as described in the series preface in the current edition, the works are presented here in their full length and without indication of editorial additions and corrections. These are only found in the critical apparatus. Pencil corrections and notes written by the composer are included tacitly. Corrections and notes in crayon where such are found is often by the conductor and are not included. In cases where corrections and notes by others than the composer are included, this is documented in the critical review.
The musical texts are standardised so that they follow modern practices regarding instrument names, notation practices, layout, performance indications, tempi, practices regarding fixed and loose accidentals (in horns), and more. This is done tacitly. “muta in” in connection with retuning of timpani and switching between A and Bb clarinets is tacitly standardised.
Rehearsal marks
Rehearsal marks in the present edition follow Sehested’s own as they appear in the main source.
Slurs and ties
Sehested often forgets to continue a tie or a slur over a page or line break. This is corrected and documented in the editorial emendations and alternative readings.
Divisi and pizzicato
For divisi and pizzicato, Sehested does not always use unison and arco. These are tacitly inserted editorially.
Solo parts
In both sources A and B, there is no indication of when the horn or cello has soli. There is not a specific solo part in source B, nor any marks of solo. The editor has decided not to speculate on which parts may be solo parts since there is no evidence supporting it.
A Autograph score
The Royal Danish Library (DK-Kk, MA ms. CII, 12 mu 1949.50.1035). Autograph score in ink in the composer’s hand with additional marks in unknown hands in both pencil and blue crayon.
The score: 22 numbered pages (1–22) and 1 title page on 6 folios bound with bookbinding tape.
Paper type: unknown, marked as “5” on every recto. (520mm × 350mm), 18 systems per page.
Title page: “Nocturne / for / lille Orkester med Horn- og Violoncel. Solo”. Page 1: “Nocturne / Hilda Sehested / 3-2-1919”. Tempo: Andantino
B Autograph parts
The Royal Danish Library (DK-Kk, MA ms. Mf.a.1573 mu 1949.50.1035). Autograph parts in ink in an unknown hand. With additional string parts in the composer’s hand. All parts contain additional marks in various unknown hands (presumably the musicians who used the parts) in pencil. The parts furthermore contain marks and emendations the composer’s hand in both ink and pencil.
The parts: Flauto 1,2, Oboe 1,2, Cor.i., Clarinetto 1,2, Fagotto, 1,2, Corno (Fa) 1,2,3,4, Timpani, Archi (6/5/4/3/3).
Paper type: unknown. (260mm × 325mm), 12 systems per page. Title page on each part: “[Part name] / Nocturne / for lille Orkeser med Horn- og Violoncel-Solo / Hilda Sehested”.
Filiation and Evaluation of Sources
Source A is the only extant source of the score and is in the composer’s hand. Source A is a performance score with indication of it being used for conducting. It is therefore presumed that there are sketches and earlier versions of this piece which are lost. Source B is in an unknown hand, and contains many corrections in different handwritings (most likely the musicians who played the part) and variations from source A. This present edition of Nocturne follows source A. Source B is of no significance for the edition.
Editorial Emendations and Alternative Readings
Bar Part
Comment
4 fl.1 beginning of slur emended from note 3 to note 1 by analogy with cor.i. ; “1.” added in accordance with B.
4 cor. 1 A: note 3: b added with pencil.
8 vl. 2 notes 3–4: c added by analogy with vl. 1.
12 cor.i A: note 1: accent added with pencil.
12 fag. 1 notes 1–3: slur added by analogy witch cl.
13 cl. 1 A: note 1: m emended to f with pencil [HS].
13 vlc. note 1: p added by analogy with cb.
14 cb. note 1: “cresc.” added by analogy with vlc.
15 cb. note 1: m added by analogy with strings.
16 vla. A: notes 1–3: slur added with pencil [HS?].
17 vlc., cb. note 1: f added by analogy with vl. 1, 2, vla.
18 cl. notes 1–3: slur added by analogy with ob.
18 cor. 1, 3
A: cor 1, 3: notes 1–3: slur added with pencil [HS?].
21 ob. 2 b. 21, note 5 to b. 22, note 3: c added by analogy with fl. 2, cor.i.
22 ob. 1, 2 last two notes: c added by analogy with fl., cor.i.
23 fl. 1 note 1: p added by analogy with ob.
25 fl. A: note 1: m added with pencil [HS].
26 vl. 1 A: m emeded to p with pencil [HS].
27 cor. 2, 3 note 1: p added with pencil [HS]
28 cl. 1 A: “f espressivo” added with pencil [HS].
29 fag. 2 note 1: f added by analogy with woodw.
29 vlc. note 4: n added by analogy with cb.
32 fag. a2 added in accordance with B.
43 vlc. A: note 1: bass added with pencil [HS].
46 A: 4th beat (crotchet) : f crossed out with pencil; rit. emended from 2nd beat to 3rd beat with pencil [HS].
48 vla. r added to regularise bar.
50 vl. 2 c added by analogy with vl. 1, vla.
54 fag. 2 A: note 1: accent, m added with pencil [HS].
55 vl. 2, vla., cb m added by analogy with vl. 1, vlc.
66 vl. 2 slurs added by analogy with b. 64.
