In 1998 we delved into Mel Bonis's archives, which had been kept in a cellar by her family. We found a simple folder containing the scores for these three pieces. It was entitled "Three Pieces for Violin with piano (organ or harp) accompaniment."
The order was not stipulated, so it has been determined by the editor, who also decided to publish the third piece, the Largo, although the composer herself judged it harshly, writing "Bad" in the margin!
All these pieces were only in manuscript, with separate conductor and violin parts. The Andante Religioso, dated 1910, is dedicated to "Sophie Baudot, an affectionate souvenir." The Allegretto, also dated 1910, is dedicated to Raphael Kellert. This manuscript has annotations and shows signs of having been rehearsed. Between 1808 and 1913, the Russian Trio Kellert, in which Kellert was the violinist, performed Mel Bonis's music in many different Parisian concert venues.
The Largo, which is dedicated to Paulin Gaillard, also shows signs of the violin part having been rehearsed.
The Andante Religioso and the Largo are more ambitious works than the Allegretto. They develop a wonderful line for the violin, especially in the Largo, which surpasses the modest genre of drawing-room music. This explains why we decided to keep it with the other two pieces despite the reticence of the composer mentioned above. The Allegretto has a dual charm - that of her epoch and of the composer herself. This charm must be understood in its profound acceptance, that is to say, its capacity for capturing and concentrating the atmosphere of its epoch, and expressing it in a powerful evocation only possible through music.
International Shipping Suspended
With regret we have decided to suspend all international shipping options indefinitely, due to a significant increase in failed deliveries related to customs procedures and lost parcels. We are here to provide a reliable and prompt service to our customers and unfortunately the international solutions available to us are not up to our standards. We will review this decision in the future.
Item prices quoted on our website do not include delivery. All delivery charges are calculated by order value.
Deliveries to the United Kingdom
- £3.00 for orders under £25
- FREE for orders over £25
All deliveries within the UK are sent by Royal Mail First Class Post or 24-Hour Parcelforce dependent on weight. Please see our notes on Delivery Times below for more information.
Deliveries to Europe (SUSPENDED)
Your delivery charge will be calculated at the checkout. All deliveries to the EU will be sent via a tracked service where available.
If you need to place an order with a net value of more than £500 please call +44 (0)1304 872 812 or email us with your requirements.
Deliveries to International (SUSPENDED)
Your delivery charge will be calculated at the checkout. All international deliveries will be sent via a tracked service where available.
If you need to place an order with a value of more than £200 please call +44 (0)1304 872 812 or email us with your requirements.
Delivery Times
We aim to dispatch every order within 24 hours excluding weekends.
However, we have learned from experience not to make promises regarding delivery. We aim simply to provide you with a reliable service at a reasonable cost. To keep our prices competitive we do not keep huge stocks of any particular item. No matter how good our stock control, there will occasionally be times when a particular item is not immediately available.
Sometimes this will be due to overwhelming demand, and sometimes it will be due to circumstances beyond our control, such as the item having gone to reprint or out of print. You should be aware that your payment is taken automatically online at the time you place your order. In the circumstances outlined above, we will do our best to contact you and inform you of any anticipated delays. You may cancel your order at any time if you are not happy to wait.
Although we make every effort to ship your order according to these guidelines, we will not be held responsible for any loss or damage caused by delayed delivery.
Stock information:
Regularly updated stock information is now available to view online at ScoreStore. This information can, on occasion, be incorrect due to delays of up to 12 hours in updating. Our system will also allow you to order more items than we have in stock at any one time. If you require urgent delivery of a large order, please contact us to confirm current stock levels. Our Freephone number is 0800 072 0354 and we are in the office 9-5, Monday to Friday.
If you wish to cancel your order prior to dispatch, please email us at sales@scorestore.co.uk. We will terminate the transaction and refund any payments already made relating to your order. Once an order has been dispatched, we will accept returns where they meet the following conditions:
In the event that your item is faulty you may return it to us within thirty days and we will refund the cost of the item and reimburse the cost of returning the item to us.
If our error has led to an item has been mistakenly supplied to you and it is unopened and in as-new condition, you may return it to us within thirty days and we will refund the cost of the item and reimburse the cost of returning the item to us.
If you have decided that you do not wish to keep an item that has been correctly supplied, you may return it to us unopened in as-new condition within thirty days. In this case we will refund the cost of the item and you will be responsible for the cost of returning the item to us. You may not return items that we have ordered specially for you unless they are faulty or supplied in error.
If you wish to return an item to us, please email sales@scorestore.co.uk for instructions. We will not accept unsolicited returns arriving at our warehouse.
