IMSLP Forums

not sure this is the right subforum (though how to handle this sort of identification problem -in general- is an interesting IMSLP-related discussion I expect...)

LoC (the Library of Congress @Washington, DC which has a large - several large and appreciated - digitization projects, very many thanks to them and apologies for occasional gripes) has a piano arrangement by Charles E. Pratt (1841-1902) of a work by Franz Wilhelm Abt that fills I think -some- (small!) gap,

but all I have to go by at the moment is that it is a piano arrangement of some song by Abt called "Ich denke dein"/"I think of thee"- and Abt at least wrote 4 or 5 (see List of compositions by Franz Abt)

(counting one called "Ich denke deiner" which I assume means much the same? My German ... isn't. (The piano piece just gives the English title.)

There is one hint on the piece - the "No.1" - on the score- which could mean that the song is no.1 in the opus list (as Ich denke dein is no.1 in the op.213 set, for example, but op.95 no.1 Ich denke dein is the first duet of the op.95 set too, etc. ... ) - it also might mean that this piano piece is one of two - as it says on the cover I think...! - and that is what I am guessing is all the "No.1" means. (You can find the piano piece at the LoC at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/sm1872.10221 . I do have it ready for upload once I have an idea where to.)

Maybe only that last one listed, from his op.399, actually counts, for ought I know, in which case it's time to set up a op.399 workpage...) - just counting those written before the date of publication on the LoC work (1872- here again actually, op.399 might be closest. RISM isn't helpful here and I'm not sure what else is... anyone? ...)

(I had originally hoped that it was op.213/1, the first of the op.213 songs, which is also "Ich denke dein" and for which we have practically no information of any kind-well, I've been able to find an incipit (first line of text of the song), from Hofmeister, I think it was, so now we have some - but I'm beginning to guess probably not.) Anyhow, again- any ideas? ... ...

Hi Eric −
Well, I'm almost sure I did read this theme − I can't found where. Maybe I just read this score? (in fact I did − I've already read once all the Abt pieces at LoC...)
It is not the same as this one (which should be Op.95-1, because it is a duet).
I don't think that "No.1" refers to the No. within an Opus: I'm afraid it is only the No. in this collection of transcriptions, No.2 (Far o'er the stars) being obviously the well-known (!) Op.128-2 (Über den Sternen ist Ruh).
I would suggest Op.399-1 may not be the good one because of the text ("Deiner"), and Op.260-3 also not, because the textual incipit ("Kaum ist wohl") doesn't fit well on the melody.
It still could be either Op.197-1 or 213-1... What do you know against 213-1?

I have thought of, and i think I maybe will create, a page called 'Songs, Op. unidentified (Abt, Franz)' or so, for songs with only an English title, waiting for identification.
(There will be dozens from LoC). What do you think of this?

It has also nothing in common with Je pense à toi, No.36 of the Mélodies collection translated by Victor Wilder.

I'm of two minds about the op. unverified page. or three or four minds. Will try to explain why, and not only in-re-Abt, aptly. (poor fellow - visited the USA and I think the UK quite a lot in his last years- interesting bio at Wikipedia! - probably got rather a few under-imaginative puns from wags like myself on his surname, alas... ) It does have its points.

Had another work from LoC I had to identify just now, but fortunately a recording of the real, identified piece was (is, for the next couple of hours) in the BBC Radio 3 electronic archive (sounding quite nice- a Gade chorus-with-orchestra) and so I was able to identify -that- one positively anyway. Good fortune sometimes... but yes, often a problem...

Hi Eric,
I think I just found evidence that Abt's "I think of thee" arrangement at LoC, you were talking about, is indeed Op. 213/1 "Ich denke dein"...
It is No.24 in this incipit list.

BTW, the theme is also in Arban's Cornet Method (No.54 of ''The Art of Phrasing'').