Schenk Le nymphe di Rheno (Atelier Philidor)
Much of Schenk’s music is difficult, and written for professional players, or at least, players with a very solid technique. But in this fine collection for two bass viols, Schenk makes fewer demands on the players: gnarly chords are few, as are fast passages, wild jumps, and extended high passages. Partly this is due to the nature of the ensemble — two basses require lighter and more open lines of music than a single bass, playing against a harpsichord or theorbo.
This collection, dating from 1702, has been published before, for example in volume 44 of Das Erbe Deutsche Musik (which can be happily downloaded from IMSLP). There are also very good playing editions (in modern notation) from Editions Guentersberg and from PRB Productions, as well as a ‘performance facsimile’ from Broude Brothers. However, there has been up to now no easily available, professionally produced, and relatively inexpensive facsimile edition. Atelier Philidor, from Quebec, Canada, has thus made a handsome contribution to sheet music for viols.
Unlike many collections of duets, Schenk’s collection was initially published in two volumes — one for each instrument. Hence Atelier Philidor have produced two slim volumes. The music can be bought either as hardcopy with spiral binding, or as PDF files that can be then printed and bound by the buyer. I bought the hardcopy. (The modern editions referred to above present the music as duets, with a score consisting of two staves.)
First, the positives. The music is easy to read, superbly cleaned from whatever original was used, and printed on a light yellow paper which is very easy on the eyes. It is a pleasure to look at, and a joy to play. Negatives (for me) are the size of this publication, on legal sized pages (35.5cm x 21.6cm) as opposed to the more common A4. It thus requires more storage space than much other printed music. Because the volumes are quite slim (each is about 16 sheets), and there are no hard ends, as the covers are very lightweight, the volumes are also flimsy. And as the spiral binding is wider than the volumes themselves, you need to be careful with it so as not to squash it. I think central stapling would have been better. You can’t slip these volumes amongst others on your shelf, as they are very high, and the binding sticks out.
However, should the printed volumes be too inconvenient for you, you can instead buy the digital files (which are cheaper) and either wander down to your local printery, or print them yourself. Or play directly from the PDFs.
Any bass player who has the opportunity of playing with another bass player will want to add these pieces to their collection. And in spite of the physical publications, the production here is top-notch. I don’t regret my purchase for a second.
You can see it (with some sample pages) at https://www.atelierphilidor.com/contents/en-uk/p5999.html
Buy it, and play it.
— Alasdair McAndrew