Jacques Leguerney: Trio for violin, violoncello and piano by Jacques Leguerney Piano Trio - Digital Sheet Music

SKU: A0.533315

French composer Jacques Leguerney (1906-1997) has been recognized for his
outstanding oeuvre of songs for voice and piano, mostly composed upon poems of the
French poets of the Pleiade. After his death, the Leguerney Estate decided to allow the
publication of his instrumental chamber music. These works, many of which were
written in his early years, are valuable contributions to the French chamber music
repertoire, representing the 20th century from its early years through World War II.
This Trio was composed in 1928, but not performed until December 3, 1932. The
respected French musicians Hortense de Sampigny (violinist) and Jacques Serres
(cellist) gave its first and, as far as we know, only performance along with
Leguerney’s friend and mentor, Thérèse Cahen, at the piano. The concert including
this work was organized by the Société Musicale Indépendante at the concert hall of
the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris. A review, in the Journal des débâts, reads:
“We do not know this composer. Judging from his composition, whose variegated
style reminds us of [Cesar] Franck, of Maurice Ravel and of Spanish dances, he must
be quite young.”
The same month as this performance, Leguerney’s father, Marcel Leguerney, died. At
this point, he interrupted his musical activity in order to take over his father’s business
to support his mother and sister. He was not able to resume musical composition until
1940, when the outbreak of the war led him to close the business.
This edition is based upon two autograph manuscript sources of the full score, as well
as copyist’s parts for the violin and ‘cello. His first completed sketch as well as his
final copy are in the Leguerney archives. The parts, made by a copyist, were obviously
used for a performance, and contain suggested phrasing, as well as bowings (which
we have not reproduced). We surmise that the violin and ’cello parts were used for the
first performance. We also think that Thérèse Cahen must have kept her piano score,
as the copyist's score of it was not found with the other parts.
We have added rehearsal numbers, and corrected a few notational mistakes in the
manuscript.
We would like to thank Jean Libermann, cellist, and Marion Larigaudrie, violinist,
for their advice in the preparation of this edition.