Martin, F :: Deuxieme Ballade [Second Ballade]

Deuxieme Ballade [Second Ballade]

Martin, F

In mid-2008 I discovered a previously unnoticed handwritten manuscript by Frank Martin, entitled Deuxieme Ballade pour Flute et Piano out Flute, Orchestre a cordes, Piano et Batterie.

This is an arrangement of Martin's Ballade for Saxophone and String Orchestra, Piano and Percussion, made by the composer. The original was written for Sigurd Rascher in 1938. It is not clear when this arrangement was made, although Frank Martin wrote '1938' at the end of the flute part in the second Ballade. It is quite probably, however, that the arrangement for flute was not made until the autumn of 1939, the year in which the first Ballade for flute and the Ballade for piano and orchestra were composed.

After a private performance of the work in December 2008, the participants and audience were so delighted by the special qualities of this arrangement and the excellent treatment of the flute part that I felt called upon to publish the work. The first performance took place on August 31, 2009 as part of a Frank Martin project at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, played by Thies Roorda (flute) and Nata Tsvereli (piano).

-Maria Martin