Popper - Elfentanz, Op. 39 (Urtext Edition)

David Popper’s Elfentanz, Op. 39, is one of the most frequently performed perpetual-motion works in the cello repertoire. Unlike Davydov’s At the Fountain or Van Goens’s Scherzo, Elfentanz offers no moments of respite for the bow arm; its relentless motion demands stamina, fluidity, and precise control.

In the late 1940s, the celebrated cellist-composer Gaspar Cassadó created a truncated version of the work, recomposing the piano part in his own harmonic language. Nevertheless, Popper’s original version has stood the test of time and remains the standard. Remarkably, Elfentanz is one of the very few shorter works that Popper orchestrated himself, alongside his five concertos, Im Walde, and several smaller concert pieces.

Structurally, Elfentanz is a concert etude cast in sonata form. The first theme is accompanied by punctuating chords in the piano (or orchestra), while the second theme features a lyrical melody in the accompaniment, which the soloist ornaments with measured tremolo. The primary technical challenge lies in maintaining a relaxed bow arm and hand throughout, ensuring endurance and clarity of tone to the end. Another hurdle is the section with extremely high notes. This section, appearing twice in the piece, lies outside the typical cello range and, in fact, is not much more frequently used by violins except in concertos. The intonation and coordination, especially at the prescribed tempo, make this passage particularly challenging.

The work’s brilliance and charm inspired at least two violin transcriptions, by Emile Sauret and Karel Halíř, both of which preserve the original octave of the most demanding passages. Popper’s friend, the Brazilian cellist-composer Frederico Nascimento (1852–1924), was likely influenced by Elfentanz in composing his own Danse des Elfes (1888), a less technically demanding but equally delightful piece.

Elfentanz was dedicated to Franz Xaver (František) Neruda (1843–1915), a Czech-Danish cellist and composer of Moravian origin. Neruda, in turn, had dedicated his Zwei Concertpiecen, Op. 38 (published in 1877), to Popper, reflecting the collegial friendship and mutual respect between the two artists.

The cello line in the orchestral score differs slightly in pitches from both the printed solo part and the cue line in the piano version; it is also largely devoid of dynamics. The orchestra version is not a direct orchestration of the piano version, as they occasionally deviate harmonically and with regard to register. This edition is based on the first edition published in 1881 with piano (score and part) and in 1882 with orchestra (score and parts) by D. Rahter (plate numbers 2207 and 2262, respectively). All editorial changes and deviations from the original text are clearly indicated in the score.