Galos, Cécile

Wiki entry: Cécile Galos [in French]

International Music Score Library Project [IMSLP] entry: Cécile Galos

Marie Cécile Larreguy [1821-1903] married Théodore Galos in 1839; Wiki has much more about the family. Although her work was initially published openly under her name, more recently most of the family information seems to have been lost, so for almost all of the 20thC she was a shadowy, mysterious composer about whom nothing was known; not even her nationality or her sex, let alone her name. Finally, it seemed, sources settled on `Giselle Galos'. But then the references to the rest of her family became known. Wiki has much more on the confusions. She wrote lightweight but pleasant salon music, wildly popular, especially Le Lac de Côme and Le Chant du Berger, until modern times.

Piece	MP3	Midi	Genre
Le Lac de Côme		MIDI	piano salon CD2
	This is the sixth of a set of nocturnes, variously given as Op 17 or Op 24; they are all of the same salon style. The set was published in 1876. This version is largely taken from the Gregh edition, though the Ricordi version has better/more dynamics. The middle section is much better in the Gregh; the Ricordi is several bars shorter and sounds rather awkward. The other main difference is that in bar 34, the C's drop to A's three quavers earlier in the Gregh; here I felt that the Ricordi fitted the mood better, even though it doesn't parallel bar 9 [bar numbers in the Midi version].
Chant du Berger		MIDI	piano salon
	Chant du Berger [Shepherd's Song] is subtitled Nocturne, and is the third of Op. 17. There is an introduction marked Allegro con Brio, followed by an Andante Grazioso. Sequenced between 1990 and 2021 from the second Star Folio, published by Paxton, undated. According to IMSLP, this piece was first published in 1861; one of the versions there claims that it was dedicated to Marguerite Duchatel, who may well be the Marguerite-Jeanne Tanneguy-Duchatel who married Prince Louis Charles de La Tremoille the following year. If so, she was 20 at the time; he was two years older and an aristocrat [obviously!]. They both lived into their seventies, dying just before WW1. This is Galos's most famous piece, and is often found in collections of salon music. This is perhaps the most difficult piece I have ever sequenced; not because it is hard to play [apart from a couple of short cadenzas], but because it reacts very badly to any hint of mechanical performance. This is my sixth attempt at sequencing it, and the first that has been even slightly satisfactory.
Grande Valse-Cachucha		MIDI	piano salon
	Sequenced in 2024 from the PD version at IMSLP. There is a short Allegro introduction; the rest of the piece is helpfully marked Mouvement de Cachucha. Like the Chant du Berger, it is dedicated to Mme La Comtesse Duchatel. The IMSLP version was published in Paris by Ledentu in 1855, which seems to be the year of composition. A cachucha ["little boat"] is a fastish dance in triple time resembling a bolero. Originally from Cuba, it is now regarded as a Spanish national dance, with singing and castanets. Singing and castanets are in short supply on my keyboard. Sorry. I have added some sound effects to the MP3 version. The score does not indicate any pedalling; I've added some in moderation.

For more information about MP3 and Midi files, and especially for why they may not work well, or even at all, on your computer, tablet, smartphone or browser, see here.
To see/hear pieces sorted by genre, click on a link under Genre.
To go back to the full list of pieces, click here.
Where applicable, the link above under Wiki entry will give you a biography of the composer; and the IMSLP link is to a page with available scores and online performances relating to the composer.
For general information about copyright and performance restrictions, see here.

Andy Walker, anw [at] cuboid4.me.uk [remove digit to construct address]