Servais - Souvenir de la Suisse, Op. 10 (Urtext Edition, Quintet Version)

Souvenir de la Suisse was composed before 1830 with the title Fantaisie brillante: intitulée concertino. The first known performance happened on 8 January 1830. The work is based on a Ranz des Vaches, likely of Servais’s own composition. The last page of the manuscript cello part is signed “vaque mon ami Poumback [sic].” Jan Poumbak was Servais’s whimsical pseudonym.

A unique aspect of Souvenir de la Suisse is that Servais does not have the soloist play during the tutti sections as he does in most of his other works. Souvenir de la Suisse exists in versions with piano and string quintet. There was an orchestral version planned, but Servais crossed out “orchestre” on the title page of the autograph and replaced it with “quatour.” The vestiges of the orchestra version may be seen in the finale, with several wind demarcations that the strings should play.

Souvenir is composed of four sections. The opening is a dramatic tutti in B minor followed by a recitative. The second section is in G major and is pastoral in nature. This is where the Ranz des Vaches is introduced. The next section is a theme with three variations. The theme is in D major, as are the first two variations. The second variation is a polonaise. The third variation is operatic, in B-flat major, and contains several cadenzas. The finale begins in B-flat major but moves to G major soon after.

This set contains a score and a complete set of solo and string parts.