Kring Erik Gustaf Geijers cellosonat

Abstract

Few Swedes have influenced their environment to such an extent as Erik Gustaf Geijer (1783-1847). As historian and philosopher he had an enormous influence and his musical and literary activities gave him an important position in Uppsala’s cultural circles during the decades around 1830. As a composer, Geijer was essentially an autodidact. It was mainly through his industrious efforts at the keyboard that he obtained a thorough knowledge of contemporary musical trends, a knowledge that he transformed into a considerable production of songs and instrumental music, mainly based on the Vienna classics. The present article deals with Geijer’s music for the cello and piano, a group of works which have long been problematical. Two works remain in manuscript, a sonatina in three movements from 1838 (one source) and a sonata in four movements from 1826 (two sources of which one is incomplete). Two of the movements are common to both works. The article discusses the relationship between the sonata and the sonatina movement by movement. The scherzo of the sonata arranged by Geijer in 1827 for violin, cello and piano for inclusion in a piano trio is of particular interest (Cf. the table on p. 61). The emphasis in the discussion is placed on the history of the pieces and of their composing, and the relationship between the sources. A number of questions also briefly mention the planning of a critical
edition of Geijer’s cello sonatas.