Schütt - Fantasie, Op. 63 for Piano and Cello (Urtext Edition)

Eduard Schütt (1856–1933) was a Russian-born Austrian composer and pianist whose music, though largely forgotten today, offers a distinctive voice that bridges Romantic lyricism and early modernist color. Born in Saint Petersburg to a musical family, his father a skilled cellist, Schütt grew up in the cultural orbit of Anton Rubinstein. Though his father initially opposed a musical career, Rubinstein’s influence helped Schütt gain the family’s support and pursue formal studies.

He graduated with distinction from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1875 and continued his training in Leipzig with Salomon Jadassohn, Ernst Friedrich Richter, and Carl Reinecke. A further period of study in Vienna with Theodor Leschetizky proved formative, not only technically but personally; the two remained lifelong friends. Though active as a performer and conductor (notably leading the Vienna Academic Wagner Society from 1881 to 1887), Schütt eventually turned his focus to composition. His musical language draws on the warmth of late Romanticism while gesturing toward the harmonic colors similar to Scriabin, Alexander Krein, and even early Prokofiev.

Schütt’s Fantasie, Op. 63, published in 1901 (the same year as Rachmaninov’s Cello Sonata) is an expansive, expressive work that deserves renewed attention. Structured in three movements, it functions almost as a sonata, lasting around 16 minutes. The opening movement, Im Frühling, and the concluding Humoresque-Finale are both cast in sonata form, with the former’s principal first theme returning in the coda of the finale to give the work a satisfying cyclic unity. The central Intermezzo, written in 3/4 time and marked to be played as a march, offers a solemn, Franckian texture. Its five-part rondo form (A–B–A–C–A) brings contrast through a nostalgic C section, recalling Brahms.

Some editorial adjustments have been made to better reflect the musical sense of the work. The original tempo marking for the first movement, Allegro tranquillo, was given a metronome marking of dotted half = 80, clearly a misprint. We have corrected this to dotted quarter = 80, a pulse that aligns with the intended affect and supports the reprise of the theme in the finale. The Intermezzo’s metronome markings appear consistent with its character, while the finale, not given a mark, works effectively at a tempo of dotted quarter = 80–88, but not faster than 96. All other editorial interventions are clearly indicated in the musical text.

Though richly lyrical and structurally sophisticated, Schütt’s Fantasie seems to have been overshadowed by Rachmaninov’s contemporaneous sonata and rarely performed since its initial publication. This edition seeks to help restore the work to the repertoire, offering performers and audiences alike the chance to rediscover its charm and craftsmanship.

The first edition (Simrock, Plate Number 11648) copy used for this edition comes from the library of violinist and pedagogue Michael Press (1872–1938), generously provided by his grandson, Michael Haber. We are grateful for this connection to a lineage of musicians who valued Schütt’s work, and we hope this edition will contribute to its revival.