Popper - Spanish Dances, Op. 54 (Transcribed for Cello and Orchestra, Score)
Popper - Spanish Dances, Op. 54 (Transcribed for Cello and Orchestra, Parts)
Popper - Spanish Dances, Op. 54 (Urtext Edition, Piano Version)

Known primarily for his etudes and a handful of showpieces for the cello, the Bohemian (now Czech) cellist-composer David Popper (1843–1913) enjoyed an illustrious career as a performer, notably championing Volkmann’s Cello Concerto. His works have left a lasting imprint on how cellists approached their craft in the twentieth century and beyond. Popper’s High School of Cello Playing, Op. 73, Tarantella, Op. 33, and Hungarian Rhapsody remain cornerstones of the standard cello repertoire. In recent decades, however, with the advocacy of prominent cellists such as János Starker, Antonio Meneses, and their students, much of Popper’s lesser-known music has begun to reemerge for both performers and audiences.

Popper orchestrated relatively few of his own works, chiefly the five cello concertos, Im Walde, the early Tarantella for violin, Papillon, Gavotte No. 2, Elfentanz, Requiem, and Kaiser-Marsch. By contrast, the popular orchestrations of his first cello Tarantella (Op. 33) and Hungarian Rhapsody were prepared by Paul Gilson and Max Schlegel, respectively. Other orchestrators of his music during Popper’s lifetime included Alexander Glazunov and Jacobus Oushoorn. This is striking, since Popper’s piano accompaniments often sound highly orchestral, yet his actual orchestral scores are relatively few. There are places where the music suggests a full orchestral tutti while the cello either doubles the piano or accompanies in an orchestral style, textures that could easily be omitted without changing the musical meaning. In fact, such passages appear even in Popper’s own orchestral scores, where the solo part and piano reduction contain material absent from the orchestral cello line, as at the conclusion of “Heimkehr” from Im Walde and others.

In more recent years, composers and arrangers such as Peter Breiner and Jiří Hošek have orchestrated Popper’s works anew. Breiner’s orchestrations lean toward a contemporary, cinematic sound world, whereas Hošek’s readings feel closer to Popper’s idiom, perhaps reflecting his experience as a cellist. Even so, some of Hošek’s coloristic choices, such as harp and snare drum, can seem out of place.

Popper’s Spanish Dances were issued by Rahter in two installments: the first three dances in 1883 and the final two in late 1886 or early 1887. Unlike the Spanish-themed pieces of Sarasate and other contemporaries, these are entirely Popper’s own melodies, not arrangements of popular songs. The first two numbers (Zur Guitarre and Serenade) are dedicated to the Russian cellist Alexander Verzhbilovich (1850–1911); although the first page of No. 1 lacks a dedication, it appears on the title page. The two pieces also bear consecutive plate numbers (2446 and 2447). The third number, Spanischer Carneval (plate No. 2490), is dedicated to Count Guillermo Morphy (1836–1899), a Spanish aristocrat, music critic, musicologist, and composer. The final two dances (plate Nos. 2670 and 2671) are dedicated to the Bohemian-born cellist Heinrich Grünfeld (1855–1931).

The earliest known recording of Zur Guitarre was made by Beatrice Harrison in 1915 with Walter B. Rogers conducting an orchestral version of unknown provenance. To this day, the number of recordings of Zur Guitarre, Spanischer Carneval, and L’Andalouse remains small, in the single digits. By contrast, Serenade is the most frequently recorded dance, with both historic and contemporary renditions, followed by Vito.

Overview of the Five Dances

No. 1 Zur Guitarre – In the style of a bolero (rounded binary form).

No. 2 Serenade – In the style of an Andalusian serenade (ABA). Without careful interpretation, this piece can sound too similar to the preceding dance. It is more introverted and serious than Zur Guitarre. According to Stephen Deák, Glazunov orchestrated the Serenade for Verzhbilovich, although no such score has yet been found in either the Glazunov or Verzhbilovich papers at the National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg. By contrast, Glazunov’s orchestration of Popper’s Sérénade orientale, Op. 18, survives in manuscript and has been published.

No. 3 Spanischer Carneval – In the style of a jota navarra (rondo form). The most technically demanding piece of the set, it features abundant double stops and harmonics (both natural and artificial). Its form is also the most striking, each return of the A theme varying in orchestration, texture, and dynamics.

No. 4 L'Andalouse – In the style of a seguidilla (ABA). Includes extended piano solos clearly conceived as tutti sections.

No. 5 Vito – In the style of a zapateado (ABA). A lively earworm with simple, playful melodies. Popper provided an ossia for the 16th-note run in the retransition section, audible in older recordings. Many modern cellists opt for the more difficult passage in the main text.

About This Edition

Our new orchestration aims to present a reading that is more authentic to Popper’s personal style. In the solo cello part, we supply fingerings, bowings, and articulations combined from both the cello and piano scores. The Critical Commentary outlines errors and significant inconsistencies between the two sources. Artificial harmonic fingerings have been largely omitted, since they follow an obvious pattern once the first note is established.