Servais - Fantaisie sur un thème favori, Op. 1 for Cello and Piano or Harp (Urtext Edition)

Servais’s Fantaisie pour Violoncelle et Piano (ou Harpe), Op. 1, was published in 1838 and marks the official beginning of his published œuvre. By then, Servais had already composed several works, some of which he later revised and published. Although less expansive than his mature fantasias, Op. 1 remains an important example of his early style.

Servais dedicated the work to Jean Joseph Vandercammen (1788–1866), an important musical figure in Servais’s hometown of Halle and a close personal connection. The option of harp accompaniment may also reflect Servais’s friendship with the Godefroid brothers, prominent harpists active in the 1830s.

The Fantaisie is based on Martin Mösl’s Air styrien “Und a Freud is auf’n Land.” Servais begins with a solemn E minor introduction, followed by the theme in E major and three variations. The recurring tutti sections between the variations suggest that the work may have originated in a chamber or orchestral version.

ASTA Level: 6