Le Beau - 4 (5) Pieces, Op. 24 (Urtext Edition)

Luise Adolpha Le Beau (1850–1927) was a German composer, pianist, teacher, critic, and performer. She studied with several noted musicians, including Clara Schumann and Franz Lachner, though her primary composition teacher was Josef Gabriel Rheinberger. Like many women composers of the nineteenth century, Le Beau first built her musical career as a pianist before earning her living through teaching, performing, and writing about music.

Le Beau composed five pieces for cello and piano in 1881: Romanze, Wiegenlied, Mazurka, Gavotte, and Barcarole. The Romanze was completed on January 29, 1881, and the Barcarole on May 4, 1881. Four of the pieces were eventually published as Op. 24, though the autograph suggests that the order and final title of the set were settled after the music had already been composed. The title page originally read Fünf (Five), later erased and replaced with Vier (Four).

This edition is based exclusively on the autograph manuscript, which is more detailed than the published editions and avoids the pitch, rhythm, slurring, and articulation errors that entered the publications. The autograph cello part contains fingerings that were later printed by J. Rieter-Biedermann in 1882, though some were crossed out or replaced, suggesting that the manuscript may have been used for post-publication performances. This edition favors the revised fingerings. The Barcarole, later published separately in Cologne by P. J. Tonger and reused in Op. 65a for violin and piano, is included in the appendix. We are grateful to the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin for providing the sources for this edition.

These pieces are suitable for intermediate cellists and work well for lessons, recitals, and programs featuring Romantic character pieces or music by women composers. The Romanze is also included on the ABRSM Grade 8 syllabus.

ASTA level: 5