The fifth volume of the Musica Revelata series presents Pot-pourri pour le pianoforte avec accompagnement de l’orchestre op. 12 (Potpourri in B flat major, Op. 12 for piano and orchestra) by Franciszek Lessel.
Around 1809, after a stay of about nine years in Vienna, Franciszek Lessel (c. 1780–1838) returned to Poland permanently. The growth of patriotic sentiment also had a significant impact on Lessel’s creative attitude. The national character of his works is most easily seen in Śpiewy historyczne (Historic songs) to the words of Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz (1758–1841), published in 1816. The Polish musical idiom is also clearly visible in many other pieces by Lessel. One of them is Potpourri in B flat major, Op. 12 for piano and orchestra. The recent discovery of a copy of the complete instrumental parts made it possible to prepare a complete edition of the work.
Potpourri in B flat major was scored for piano accompanied by an orchestra consisting of flute, two oboes or clarinets, two bassoons, two French horns, two trumpets, timpani, triangle, and first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. Based on the first edition’s plate number (1698) and press advertisements, it is known that the piece was published between August 1812 and March 1813,5 which allows us to consider Lessel’s work as one of the first symphonic potpourris in European musical literature and most likely the first large-format piano fantasy on national themes in history, alongside compositions by Louis Spohr (1784–1859), Ferdinand Ries (1784–1838), and Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826).
The work were edited and commented on by Jakub Skrzeczkowski, a graduate of the Institute of Musicology at the University of Warsaw.
The PDF file can be free downloaded in the Publications tab, the paper version of the work is available on the website of the Sup Lupa printing house.