Verdi
Reminiscenze dell'opera
Un Ballo in Maschera
Add 13, PP.54.15
Though listed second in the "addendum" -ADD- as the second of the two commentaries on Ballo in Maschera, There are signs in the score that it may have preceded the Pout-pourri. The most telling is the naming what should be a cornet (cornetto to Ponchielli) as "Tromba Si bemolle." Though the earliest extant documents listed a cornet player, Ponchielli seems to have been unsure how to designate the instrument. In consideration, this score may have been included in his packet of scores he submitted to the committee in Piacenza which was charged with setting up a band.
As with the Pout-pourri, the "Reminiscenze" title was used rarely and relatively late (1871-2) in the published programs. Most of the material seems to be derived from Act Three, and that designation seems to have been the one used by Ponchielli. The actual title may have been from programs submitted by second leaders (vice-maestri) Bissocoli and Cesura. Another clue to its date is the single bombardino, perhaps a realization of the careful financial considerations of the Piacentini whose fiscal concerns finally ended the band in 1864. Cremona and Piacenza were communities that preceded their shared Roman settlements in 218 B.C. Thus, their rivalry has survived more than two millennia.
If this work preceded the actual founding of the band in Piacenza, Ponchielli was either sure of the quality of available musicians or foolishly optimistic. The musical and technical demands are equal to any work, viz., the cadenza for "tromba" beginning in measure 109.
Date on score: None given
Performances: Sunday, September 30, 1866, Piazza Cavour; Monday,April 22, 1867, Piazza Cavour; Sunday, April 5, 1868, Piazza Garibaldi; Sunday May 17, 1868, PC; Sunday, June 7, 1868, Baluardo del passaggio pubblico; Sunday, July 5, 1868, Baluardo del passaggio pubblico; Sunday, January 24, PG; Sunday, February 14,Piazza Garibald; Thursday, September 23, 1869, Piazza Cavour; Thursday, May 26, 1870, sull'area della chiesa demolita di San Domenico; Sunday, July 17, Passeggio pubblico; Sunday, July 24, Passeggio pubblico; Sunday, May 28, 1871, Piazza Cavour; Tuesday, July 23, 1872, Piazza Roma; Monday, September 8, 1873, Piazza Cavour.