Schlesinger

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Berlin cover 1847
Berlin Schlesinger-Lienau cover 1906
Paris Schlesinger cover 1820s

Contents

History

Berlin: A. M. Schlesinger (1810-1864)

The name actually refers to two different, but related, publishers. The original firm was founded in Berlin in April of 1810 by Adolph Martin Schlesinger (1769-1838). The German company was run by his third son Heinrich (1810-1879) after the eldest son Maurice (1798-1871) established his own firm in Paris (the second son, Carl, having died in 1831). Schlesinger soon established relationships with Spontini, Loewe, and Weber - who signed a contract for exclusive publication in 1814.

Shortly before his move to Paris, Maurice traveled to Vienna in order to establish contact with Beethoven. The trip was successful, resulting in Schlesinger's publication of Beethoven's Opp. 108-112, 132, and 135. Contracts were issued to the prodigy Felix Mendelssohn shortly later, which led to the first publication of J. S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion shortly after Mendelssohn conducted its revival in 1830. The Berlin firm's catalog consisted of over 2000 titles by 1836. Prominent publications of Heinrich's tenure (1840-1864) included works by Berlioz, Cornelius, Liszt plus an important series of posthumous issues of piano works by Chopin. The Berlin company was sold to Robert Lienau in 1864. Lienau continued to use the Schlesinger name and plate numbering system well into the 20th century.

Paris: M. Schlesinger (1821-1846)

The Paris firm was founded by Maurice Schlesinger no later than 1821. In 1822-23, Schlesinger published authentic (and first) editions of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas, Opp. 110 and 111. Despite a disastrous fire which destroyed numerous manuscripts, including a number of Beethoven letters in 1826, Schlesinger managed to issue the composer's late string quartets, Opp. 130, 132, 133, and 135 in the next year. Complete editions of Beethoven's piano works, string trios, quartets and quintets were initiated by 1829. The 1820s also saw the publication of substantial amounts of piano music by other composers, including significant collections by Moscheles, Weber, and Hummel.

Works of Mendelssohn, Liszt and Berlioz were added in the next decade, along with a number significant opera publications including first editions of Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable and Les Huguenots, Halevy's La Juive, and Donizetti's La Favorite. Richard Wagner was employed by Schlesinger from 1840-1842 to make piano arrangements from La Favorite and Halevy's La Reine de Chypre. From 1835, Schlesinger also published the important periodical Revue et Gazette Musicale, which continued publication for 45 years.

The waning years of the 1830s and early 1840s saw the addition of works by Heller, Thalberg, Lanner, Labitsky and Johann Strauss Jr, along with some 40 works of Frederic Chopin, including many first editions. Maurice Schlesinger was reputed as being imaginative, reckless, hard-nosed in business and an infamous rogue. He was involved in legal disputes with other Parisian publishers such as Escudier (1839) and Troupenas (1841) and with the composer Gioacchino Rossini (1843). He sold the business, which had grown to some 4200 titles, in 1846 to Brandus et Cie. and retired to Germany a few years later.

Imprints, Addresses, Agencies

Imprints

Berlin

  • Ad. Mt. Schlesinger
  • A.M. Schlesinger
  • Schlesinger'sche Buch-und Musikhandlung

Paris

  • Mce. Schlesinger

Addresses

Berlin

  • 34, Unter den Linden

Paris

  • 97, rue Richelieu

Plate Numbers

A. M . Schlesinger's publication (Berlin) plate numbers generally use the schema S. #### for numbering, while those of Maurice Schlesinger employ the M. S. #### schema. However, since the two firms jointly issued a number of titles, there are naturally exceptions to these rules (letter prefixes dropped, used partially, etc.).

A. M. Schlesinger - Berlin

Unless otherwise indicated all plates have a prefix of S. Dates in italics are estimated.

Plate Number Composer Work Year
00183 Weber Clarinet Quintet, Op.34
00233 Weber Divertimento assai facile, Op.38 1816
01086 Kreutzer 6 Lieder von Uhland, Op.23 1821
01490 Spohr Double String Quartet No.2, Op.77 (pts.) 1828
01574 Hiller La danse de fantômes 1829
01732 Weber Trio in G minor, Op.63 (arr. piano 4-hands by Jähns) 1833
01961 Taubert Piano Quartet No.1, Op.19 (parts) 1835
02095 Saint-Lubin String Quintet, Op.38 1837
02205 Taubert Bacchanale, Op.28 (pf4h arr.) 1838
02255 Lvov Preghiera-Gebet "1838"
02389 Prume 6 Grandes études, Op.2 1839
02542 Kullak Cavatine de Robert le Diable 1843
02629 Lvov Le Duel Divertimanto, Op.8 (orch. and solo parts and piano accomp.) 1842
02631 Kullak Grande Sonate, Op.7 1842
03072 Taubert Tour de mazurka, Op.52 1844
03090 A. Berlioz Benvenuto Cellini, H 76 (arr. Bülow) 1854
03152 Gumbert Das theure Vaterhaus, Op.9 1845
03300 Liszt Elégie sur des motifs du Prince Louis Ferdinand de Prusse, S.168 1851-52
03302 Heller Scherzo Fantastique, Op.57 1846
03336 Alkan 25 Preludes in all Major and Minor Keys, Op.31 1847
03427 Liszt Grande paraphrase de la Marche pour le Sultan Abdul-Medjid Khan, S.403 1848
03457 Heller 2 Valses, Op.62 1848
03527 Conradi 2 Zigeuner-Polkas, Op.5 (arr. Liszt, S.481) 1849
03707 Henselt 2 Romances Russes de Soumarokoff, Op.22 1850
03786 Heller Fantaisie et Valse sur 'L'Enfant prodigue' d'Auber, Op.74 1851
03827 Kontski Impressions de voyage, Op.83 (No.2) 1852
03962 Heiser Das Grab auf der Haide, Op.30 (1st ed. vers. for alto/baritone) 1852
04155 Hiller 3 Ghasèles, Op.54 1854
04189 Beethoven Piano Concerto No.3, Op.37 (Cadensa by Adolf von Henselt) 1855
04392 Chopin Fantaisie-impromptu, Op.66 1855
04507 Glinka Kamarinskaya (arr. for Piano 4 Hands) 1859
04626 Beethoven Coriolan, Op.62 (arr. Henselt) 1860
05020 Kontski Wilhelmus, Op.200 1862
05070-71 Kontski Souvenir de St. Pétersbourg, Op.207-208 1862/1863

--- N.B. again, as noted several times above: Items offered after 1864 (or 1864 or later? look carefully at the title page) from Berlin belong not to this table but to that on the Robert Lienau page.

Maurice Schlesinger - Paris

Plate numbers are in the format of M.S. ####. Dates in italics are estimated.

Plate Number Composer Work Year
0099 Moscheles Grande sonate, Op.41 1823
00391 Weber Euryanthe, Op.81 (parts)
0666 Moscheles 50 Preludes, Op.73 1830
1052 Sayve Symphony, Op.16 (pts) 1831
1214 Hiller Piano Trio No.1, Op.6 1832
1312 Chopin Variations on "Là ci darem la mano", Op.2 (Orchestral parts) 1833
1376 Chopin Grand duo concertant sur des thèmes de Robert le diable, B.70 1833
1507 Hiller La Danse des fées, Op.9 1833
1574 Chopin Grande fantaisie sur des airs polonais, Op.13 (orch. parts) 1834
1926 Chopin Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante, Op.22 (for solo piano) 1836
1941 Thalberg Fantasia on Meyerbeer's 'Robert le diable', Op.6 1836
2005 Schunke 3 divertissements, Op.31 1836
2322 Panofka Air tyrolien, Op.14 1837
2578 Döhler Fantaisie et variations de bravure sur une cavatine d'Anna Bolena', Op.17 1838
2647 Döhler Fantaisie sur des motifs favoris de 'Robert le diable', Op.6 1838
2691 Thalberg Scherzo, Op.31 1839
2713 Döhler 2 Nocturnes, Op.25 1838
2800 Taubert La campanella, Op.41 1839
2894 Mendelssohn Cello Sonata No.1, Op.45 (sc&pt?) 1839
2903 Reissiger L'espérance, Op.134 1839
2924 Döhler 3 Morceaux brillants de salon, Op.29 (No.2) 1839
3092 Döhler 2 Nocturnes, Op.25 1840
3212 Heller Scherzo, Op.24 1841
3503 Labarre Duo sur des motifs de 'La favorite', Op.111 1842
3660 Labarre 3 Duos sur 'La révolte au sérail', Op.67 1842
3796 Döhler Les plaintes d'un amant (vers.1) 1843
3858 Dreyschock La coupe, Op.25 1843
3958 Chopin Polonaise in A-flat major, Op.53 1844
4081 Liszt Gaudeamus igitur, S.240 1845
4090 Thalberg Piano Sonata, Op.56 1845
4138 Thalberg Nocturne, Op.51bis 1845

Authority control

  • VIAF (Schlesinger, Adolf Martin, -1838)
  • VIAF (Schlesinger, Maurice, 1798-1871)

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