The Elegies
Elegia funebre in onore di Felice Frasi, Op. 89
Elegia funebre in onore di Felice Frasi(1806-1879) was composed in 1881 upon the dedication of Frasi's bust in the Milan Conservatory where he had been the director from 1844 to 1850. In her 1987 catalog, Dr. Sirch noted only the existence of two- and four-hand piano versions, likely prepared by Ponchielli himself. The band score still survives in the Ricordi Archives in Milan. Though it was in a set of microfilms in the Biblioteca statale in Cremona, the quality of the microfilm is terrible, and Dr. Howey recognized it only after having already collected over 200 autographs of band scores by Ponchielli.
The band reflects the Cremona band after Ponchielli's time as bandmaster, Vittorio Franchini (A-flat clarinet) seemingly having departed Cremona after Ponchielli. Though the part is for flute only, there are some passages where a piccolo might have been used because of the extremely high range. The Genis/Horn group has been expanded to four, and the large trumpet section proves useful in passages where they do more than reinforce the horns. The tuba writing is far less adventurous than Ponchielli had used with the Cremona band - he must have missed Robero Haagen and Alessandro Zavaroni. In general, the overall parts are less demanding than he might have composed for Cremona. One wonders if the intended ensemble included more than a few students from the conservatory itself.
Like Sulla Tomba di un Amico and the subsequent Sulla Tomba di Garibaldi, Ponchielli uses the form of a funeral march; however, it is one that must end with the Trio or Maggiore section only. In fact, the entire piece functions extremely well as a funeral march (minus an active percussion part) until measure 128 where a soft chordal section leads to a triumphant close. On initial hearing, it seemed a type of harmony assignment. A web search for Frasi is very slim. The only mention of Frasi outside of a list of directors of the Milan Conservatory is a listing for a requiem he composed for Carlo Alberto, who was the Savoiard King of Sardinia from 1831 to 1849 and was the father of Vittorio Emmanuale. The source of these measures must remain a mystery for the present.
Date on score: None Given
Performances: None can be ascertained