Prelude and Fugue Op43

Prelude and Fugue, Opus 43 for Flute and Piano by Marion Eugenie Bauer

Edited by Michele Aichele and Susan Pickett
Piano score and flute part

Prelude and Fugue for flute and piano was composed by female composer Marion Bauer (1882-1955) in 1947. The venue and performers for the premiere have not been discovered. However, a holograph at the New York Library for the Performing Arts has “edith Sagul” handwritten on the score.  Sagul was a flautist who premiered Marion’s piano trios.  Perhaps this work was written for her.  This holograph has pencil emendations.  Another holograph is at the Houghton Library at Harvard University (Moldenhauer Archive).  In both cases Bauer signed the scores and the notation is in her own hand.  The only major difference is a 2/4 measure added after measure 17 in the NYPL-PA holograph.

In 1948 Bauer arranged the work for solo flute and string orchestra.  The premiere if that version was April 28, 1948, with the New York University Orchestra, Laura Spielvogel, flute, conducted by Harold Herremans.  The professional-caliber premiere was July 19, 1950, with flautist Ruth Freeman and the Chautauqua Symphony conducted by Franco Autori.  The New York City premiere was October 7, 1952, with Philip Dunigan, flute, and the New Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maurice Bonney.  An orchestral score is at the Philadelphia Free Library (Fleischer Collection).  marion signed the score, but the music notation is not hers.  Orchestral parts are at the Mount Holyoke College Archives (Dwight Hall).  Although found in a different venue, the notation of the parts appears to be by the same copyist who wrote out the score.

Neither version of the Prelude and Fugue has been published previously.

About this edition: Important discrepancies between the piano score, orchestral score and orchestral parts are enumerated in the critical notes.