Concerto No. 1 - Violin and Piano

Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959), one of many European composers displaced by war, was born in Policka, Bohemia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  He lived in Prague from 1906 to 1923 (with some time spent back home), in Paris and Aix-en-Provence from 1923 to 1941, and in the United States from 1941, mostly in New York City.  He became an American citizen in 1952 but lived in mostly in Europe from 1953 on, dying in hospital at Liestal, Switzerland of inoperable stomach cancer.

In spite of his poor record at the Prague Conservatory, from which he was expelled, Martinu became a good enough violinist to play in the National Theatre Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic.  He learned composition by listening to, observing, and memorizing a wide variety of music in Prague and in Paris.  Formal instruction in composition played a lesser role, although Albert Roussel was a valued advisor.  After moving to the United States, Martinu became active as a teacher at the Berkshire Music Center, the Mannes College of Music, Princeton University, the Curtis Institute, and the American Academy in Rome.  He began writing symphonies during his time in the USA.

Bohuslav Martinu wrote his First Violin Concerto in Paris in 1932–33, this work having been commissioned by the violin virtuoso Samuel Dushkin. However, it was never performed during the composer’s lifetime and was even considered lost after his death. It was not until 1961 that musicologist and collector Hans Moldenhauer bought it from Boaz Piller, contrabassoonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Moldenhauer approached Czech violinist Josef Suk, who gave the world premiere of the work with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Georg Solti in October 1973.

This piano reduction is based on the musical text of the first edition. The solo part has been revised by a leading Czech violinist and performer of Martinu’s music.  New Foreword by Martinu scholar Sandra Bergmannova (Cz/Eng/Ger)

Table of Contents:

• 1. Allegro moderato
• 2. Andante
• 3. Allegretto

Publisher:	Bärenreiter
Composer/Author:	Martinu, Bohuslav
Arranger/Editor:	Solc/Bergmannova
Catalog Number:	BA11527-90
Pages:	61