Lange, Gustav

International Music Score Library Project [IMSLP] entry: Gustav Lange

Gustav Lange [1830-89] was a German composer of salon music. He wrote well over 500 pieces, mostly of a tuneful nature.

Piece	MP3	Midi	Genre
Sehnsucht		MIDI	piano salon
	Sehnsucht [or Longing] is marked Andante sostenuto, espressivo. IMSLP dates first publication to 1881, but that seems to me rather late for the Op. 20 of a prolific composer. Sequenced in 2021 from the Sixth Star Folio [Paxton, undated], but checked against the IMSLP PD version. The score shows rather heavy pedalling, which I've retained. I've expressed the espressivo sections by adding a little rubato. Yes, it's rather slushy, but that's what the genre is about.
On Wings of Song		MIDI	piano salon
	Auf Flugeln des Gesanges [usually translated as On Wings of Song] is Lange's version of the well-known song by Felix Mendelssohn, his Op 34 no 2, a setting of an 1827 poem by Heinrich Heine [1797-1856]. The song was published in 1837, though written in 1834; IMSLP doesn't give a date for Lange's version, his Op 102 -- indeed, nor generally for his music. Sequenced in 2021 from the Collection Litolff edition, also available at IMSLP. Slightly weirdly, this edition translates the German title as On Song's light Pinion, which means nothing to me, or into French as Sur les Ailes du Reve [On the Wings of a Dream], which is at least poetic. The piece is marked Andantino con moto, with the right hand further marked cantando e molto espress and the left hand legato [Singing and very expressive and Smoothly]. The middle section, marked poco piu mosso ed agitato [a little faster and agitated], has as far as I can see no counterpart in Mendelssohn. Franz Liszt also wrote a transcription for piano of this song; as might be expected, his version is better.

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