Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Anton Eberl and other lesser known composers

Perhaps most of you know about this composer already, but I had just discovered him myself the other day. His dates are 1765-1807, so a contemporary of Beethoven, Mozart and Clementi. I found a sonatina he composed, Op. 5 in a Henle collection of sonatinas as I was looking for something unique to give a student. Here's what the notes in the book say:

"This sonatina in C major had appeared earlier as Op. 6, published by Gunther & Bohme in Hamburg (1797). Eberl later reworked the piece and had the new version published 10 years later by A. Kuhnel in Leipzig. This latter version appears in our collection. Many of Eberl's early works were published with his consent under the name of Mozart; later, especially as a composer of symphonies, he was even ranked alongside Beethoven."

This is a charming piece and does show some of the chromaticism of Mozart. Does anyone else know pieces by this composer, or have any other obscure gems they'd like to share?

Heard of Armstrong Gibbs? He's a romantic/impressionistic composer and his music is so rare!

I've played a number of his songs with various singers - I don't think I've ever come across any piano music. Was it piano music you were thinking of, Rebekah - or perhaps you've sung some of the songs!

Well ... He has written some solo piano stuff (and that is rare in itself). Right now I am trying to find "A Song of Shadows" and I can only find choral arrangements. I am learning the song for an exam ... I do believe that he has written some Lieder (A song of Shadows is one of them), that is what I am looking for. I had my teacher search out at the CON for that piece and to my amazement it wasn't there!

Some of his songs I've accompanied singers in:
The Splendour Falls (Tennyson) - quite evocative
To One who passed whistling through the night - this one has a rather nice florid piano part
Five Eyes - this would be his best-known song, I think
The Lamb and the Dove - words by Christina Rossetti, and I think it's from a group of settings of Rossetti. I really liked this one -interesting harmonically.
All my copies were old, from the days when songs were more often published singly, instead of in volumes. You can find out a fair bit about what else these composers wrote by looking at the information on the backs of the sheets. Then you just have to find the music, and as far as I can gather, much of his music is out of print.

[edit to add:]
But I just did some googling and found:

The Armstrong Gibbs Society
Email: christopher.kingsley@chelmsford.gov.uk

There's more out there than I thought .

Another Gibbs link.

FOUND IT! At allans music!

I know Five Eyes, which is a great song for young boys

Has anyone come across much music by Polish composer Stanislaw Proszynski? There was one little piece of his in an AMEB grade 1 book some years ago that all my students just loved.

Also, what about another Polish composer, Janina Garscia? Once again, there was one piece in an exam book but I haven't come across any others. It was called "A Sad Chicken" and everyone loved it . (lots of little melancholy staccato "pecks")

ANGRY ... very ANGRY > ... the piece I ordered from the music store has just informed me that it is no longer available. Any one have any ideas where to find Song of Shadows I need it soon!

Have you tried Zephyr Music ? I just did a quick look at the catalogue and they seem to have it - hopefully they'll do better than Allans. In my experience they usually do . They're very helpful.

Yes
I did check and they have to order it (5 weeks but I need it haste ... my exam is in five weeks) ... do you live in Sydney? PM me if its too personal ... Then checked Allans they said 6 weeks

What sort of copy do you have now? Doesn't your teacher have a copy you could borrow for the exam? Did they check at Zephyr whether it was in the volume of Gibbs songs that's also in the catalogue? Or in some other anthology? Maybe they could get that more quickly. Can your teacher ask around other vocal teachers? Have you tried the Con library?

Good luck.