Nikos Skalkottas QUARTET No. I QUARTET No. 2 for Piano and Winds (Oboe, Trumpet and Bassoon) MARGUN MUSIC INC. 167 Dudley Road Newton Centre Massachusetts 02159center CRITICAL PREFACE Our publication of Quartet No. 1 is based on two manuscript draughts by Skalkottas (identified as SK1 and SK2) and the Quartet No. 2 from the single manuscript draught. There are a number of discrepancies between these manuscripts, as well as inconsistencies within them. Since Skalkottas composed prodigiously and with enormous speed, errors of haste crept into his work, We have listed below all deviations and inconsistencies found in Skalkottas’ manuscript(s), as well as making some additional suggestions, thereby taking a “suggested” editorial position, but at the same time allowing performers to make the final decisions. ‘The following editorial/notational procedures have been consistently applied: 1, Basically all additions and changes are notated in small cue-sized print in the score, be they dynamics or notes, Slurs and ties are rendered in perforated form, while graphic crescendos and diminuendos as well as accents are enclosed in parentheses. 2. So that the individual wind parts will be of “practical” use and uncluttered with editorial pros and cons or different type sizes, they have been autographed in normal notational style and uniform size, Skalkottas is referred to in the following commentary as SK. QUARTET NO. 1 I 1, m.1—Armetronome marking of | = 116-126 has been suggested, but it seems to us that a tempo of J = ca. 100 corresponds more correctly to Skalkottas’ (henceforth SK) indication of Moderato assai. Moreover, a better contrast between the first and second movements is achieved by our suggested slower first movement tempo, (It is doubtful that the second movement can go much faster than J = 126-132.) 2. m.4, winds — No dynamic in SK1 and SK2; mf has been supplied as the most likely intended dynamic. 3. m.8, oboe — Accents have been added, as in the pianos statement of this theme (1, 4) and its return in the oboe (m. 26). 4, m. 8, bassoon — A cresc. has been added to bring the bassoon’s level up to mf in m. 10. Conevivably SK could have meant the bassoon to remain at a p level through m. 20, but it seems doubtful to us. 5. m. 19, piano ~ No dynamic in SKI and $K2; a culminating mf has been added. 6. m.23, bassoon — On the second beat a mf is suggested rather than sub, mf 7. m. 26, trumpet ~ A erese, has been added to match the bassoon. 8, m.29, piano — SK’s mss, clearly indicate p here. Possibly mf would provide a better supportive balanee for the f winds. 9. m, 34, 37, bassoon; m. 39, oboe ~ We suggest mf (for reasons similar to those given in item directly above). See also mm, 89 and 91, 10. m. 35, trumpet — A slur over the first four sixteenths would seem to have been inadvertently left out in both SK1 and SK2, 11. m.36, oboe — In SK2, SK accidentally copied the trumpet’s notes to the oboe part, We have eliminated these five notes, for itis highly unlikely that SK would have meant such a gratuitous unison doubling. 12. m, 43, piano ~ erese. has been added to bring the piano up to f in m, 44 to match the winds. 13. mm. 46, 48, piano ~ Accents have been added in rh. 14, m. 46, trumpet and bassoon — Since the piano has the leading voice, the dynamic suggested here is mf (SK1, SK2 contain none). 15. m, 58, piano ~ f added, 16. mm, 60, 61, winds — The slurs have been carried into the final note of the phrase; SK’s tonguing of the iatter is possible on wind instruments but quite awkwatd technically.17, m, 61, winds (1, beat), piano (2. beat) — The implied fs have been made explicit. 18, mm. 74, 75, winds — Accents on the eighth notes have been removed in view of the prevailing dynamic of p (and the piano’s dynamic of pp). 19, m. 76, piano ~ A evese. has been added to bring the piano up to p in r.h. (as in the beginning of the movement). 20, m. 77, piano — mfadded to correspond to initial statement of the theme (m. 1); similarly added dynamics in mm. 78, 79. 21, m. 81, trumpet — senza sord, has been added. 22, m, 85, piano ~ SK’s mss. contain ac! 4] J in addition to the given rhythm. We have eliminated this ¢ (originally, by transposition, ih the oboe, m. 34) for it isa technical impossibility to honor both the rhythmic figure and the sustained note. 23. m, 85, oboe — SK’s f should probably be mf (as in the trumpet in m. 33). I 1. m. 2, piano (last eighth) — We have “corrected” SK’s G/E to Ab/F, as probably intended (see analogous passage at m. 40). 2. m, 4, oboe — SK’s p seems a rather low dynamic against the trumpet and piano’s mf We suggest mf (see also similar passage in bassoon at m. 42). 3. mm. 4, 5, trumpet (and oboe) — cresc. has been eliminated on the premise that the trumpet’s resultant ff in m. 6 would overbalance all the other instruments, especially the piano’s clearly marked p. 4, m. 18, bassoon — === has been added to match the trumpet. 5, mm. 19, 21, piano — Slurs have been added in this lyrical “second subject”; similarly in the oboe at m. 21. 6. m. 25, oboe and bassoon — = to match piano has been added. 7. m, 30, oboe, trumpet, piano — mf added to balance with the bassoon. 8, m, 31, bassoon = added to bring bassoon into balance with oboe and trumpet. 9. m. 34, tutti — erese?s added (not in SK’s mss.). They seem appropriate not only to delineate this imperiously rising “fanfare” figure, but also to bring all instruments to a level relatable to SK’s clearly marked ff (in all parts) in m, 38. Another solution for this passage is to have the oboe and trumpet enter f in m. 30, preceded by @ f in the piano in m. 27 to correspond to m. 1. 10, m. 40, piano ~ Possibly mf (instead of SK’s f) might provide a better contrast to the previous two measures’ ff. 11, mm. 41, 42, piano — F# s have been added to correspond (by transposition) to the original statement of the theme in mm, 3 and 4. 12. m. 44, trumpet — SK (in SK2) inadvertently copied the trumpet’s notes of m. 45 into m, 44; not so in original ms, (SK1). Therefore we make this measure tacet. 13. m, 49, bassoon — erese, has been added to match oboe and trumpet. 14, m. 49, piano ~ In both mss, no dynamics are given, We suggest p, although mf is also possible. 15. m. 55, piano — No dynamic is given by SK; we suggest mf. 16, m, 56, trumpet — —— added (see m. 18), 17. m, 56, bassoon — No dynamic is given by SK; we suggest mp dolce. 18, m. 56, piano — dim. added. 19, m. 59, bassoon — Slur has been added on first beat. 20. m. 64, piano ~ Slur added in r.h, 21. m, 74, tutti — There is no erese. in SK’s mss., but it seems appropriate to us in order to arrive at ending with great finality in the last two measures (our added ff). 22, m, 77, bassoon — The first note is a curiosity: clearly A¥ in both mss, Is it possible that SK meant this to be a D (a fifth lower)? The A clashes (untypically) with the piano’s I.h.QUARTET NO. 2 1. Tango 1, m. 1 — We suggest a metronome marking of 2, m, 10 — We have added a crese. in all parts, but it is also possible that SK meant the sf and f in m. 12 to be subito. (See also mm, 36-38; unfortunately SK has no dynamic indications between m, 22 and m, 41, We suggest fin m. 38 and a final ffin m, 41.) 3. m. 13, trumpet — We have assumed that, in view of the further development of the trumpet part, SK meant m, 14 to be “open” trumpet. approximately 104; none was given in the ms. 4, m, 20, trumpet — crese. has been added to match the piano’s erese, and to reach a mf ensemble level, indicated in the oboe in the ms. in m, 22, 5, mm, 29, 30, piano — Phrasing slurs seem to have been inadvertently left out by SK (see trumpet in mm, 14, 15; oboe in mm, 22, 23). 6. m, 33, trumpet — A mf has been added to correspond to the analogous passage in the piano in mL 7. mm. 36, 38, piano — Appropriate phrasing slurs have been added. Il, Fox Trot 1, m, 1 ~ Assuming a basic 1920s-1930s Foxtrot “stride-piano” tempo, we suggest J = ca. 158 as a metronome marking; none was given in the ms, 2. m. 6, oboe and piano — We suggest mf to clarify a slight structural contrast between the main theme (mm. 1-5) and its variant in the (now muted) trumpet (mm. 8-11). 3. m, 21, trumpet — There is no indication to remove the mute in SK’s ms., but in view of the main theme’s recapitulation in the trumpet in m, 30, we assume the trumpet to be “open” from m, 24 on, 4, m, 30, bassoon — There is no dynamic given in the ms.; we have added mf. 5. m. 34, piano — A reminding f has been added to highlight the right hand’s thematic priority. 6. mm. 38-39, oboe — We suggest a marcato fenuto here. 7. mm, 40b, 41 — We suggest ff for the final two chords for greater finality. AteQUARTET No. 1 for Piano and Winds I Nikos Skalkottas (1943/4) cited by Gunther Schuler 4nd John G. Papaiowannon Moderato assal 4 «116-126 Be a po Oboe ie Trumpet inc Bassoon Piano © 1986 MARGUN MUSIC INC,, Newton Centze, Massachusetts 02159 stemational Copyright Secured Printed in U.S.A, [All Rights Reserved [NOTE: Wir volition af he US. Copyeght Law to veproduce copies of the Sompeston, kn wha rn part by any means whaWowvesNN senza sord. a 7ff Pe fp cree, a ff pce > f Pp eres. >cy il. FINA Vivace (Rondo) d= 126-132 aip crese. b> (eer, (ar erese,18