Allegro Moderato / A Rhythmical Joke

Giacomo Meyerbeer’s forgotten treasures  

Edited by musicians for musicians   

Director: Andrea Chudak    

The short piano piece "Allegro Moderato" was composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer at the request of the Bremen publisher Franz Schlodtmann. The composer's diary of June 1852 mentions a request for such an "autograph work“.   

The album was published under the title "Deutsches Stammbuch - Autographisches Album der Gegenwart" (German Family Album - Autograph Album of the Present), it contained short pieces of music and texts by numerous respected authors of the time and was able to produce several editions.   Meyerbeer signed the piece with the date 20.06.1852 and enclosed the following accompanying letter when sending it to the publisher:   

H. Schlodtman                        Berlin, 20 June 1852   

To my great regret, I have still been unable to fulfill your wish to have an autograph of mine for your German album. Herewith, Your Worshipfulness will finally receive this little paper that has been promised for so long. I apologize for any hesitation, and remain with the greatest respect, yours sincerely, Meyerbeer.   

This little gem contains a bar that the player can repeat as often as desired (bar 18). Meyerbeer indicated this by circling the bar, several double dash marks at the bar lines and the French addition "bis".   We found the manuscript again in 2020 in the holdings of the Berlin State Library. In 2023, Thomas Kliche, the chairman of the Int. Giacomo Meyerbeer-Gesellschaft e.V., also found a complete copy of the "Stammbuch" (Second Edition of 1857).   

Since 2021, the "Allegro Moderato" has again been given contemporary performances in Berlin as part of several of Andrea Chudak's concert programs with pianists Yuki Inagawa and Max Doehlemann.  

The albumblatt (sheet from an album) with the short eight-bar composition entitled "Ein rhythmischer Scherz"* (a rhythmical joke) can be found today as a manuscript at the Heinrich-Heine-Institute in Düsseldorf. Meyerbeer signed the playful Allegretto Scherzando in the unusual 5/4 time signature with an ornate signature, dated: "Paris 1863".     

Andrea Chudak  

*spelling in the original: "Ein rhytmischer Scherz"