Expert: Marbeth - 10/23/2010

Question
Hi,
I was in a music store today and heard a young woman play a very beautiful piece on a digital keyboard. I asked her the name of the piece and she said it was "Bertini's Suite in G Minor".  

I remember that the piece - at least the part that I heard -  was not too fast and with a very simple left hand.  I have been all over the internet and all I can find is YouTube videos of Bertini's Etudes in C Minor.  I looked up Bertini on Wikipedia and although his works are listed, the Suite in G minor is not listed by name.  (Maybe a component of a larger work?)

I would be very grateful if you could confirm that Bertini did in fact compose a suite in G minor and identify which of his works it is identified with.

Thanking you in advance,
Llogan  

Answer
There are several Bertinis listed in GROVE'S DICTIONARY OF MUSIC AND MUSICIANS, acknowledged as the authoritative research encyclopedia. Your Henri seems to be the most prominent.

Inasmuch as neither GROVE'S or Wiki (derived from GROVE'S) gives details on the keys and individual movements of his multi-section works, I can't find the information you request.  I checked Rosenblum's PERFORMANCE PRACTICES and Magrath's PIANIST'S GUIDE with no luck.

I can't find my copy of BAKER'S DICTIONARY, but I'm pretty sure there is less in there than in GROVE'S and thus wouldn't be illuminating.  I also can't find my Hinson's GUIDE TO THE PIANIST'S REPERTOIRE; there may be some detailed info here.

I suggest you go to Amazon and search for our friend; there may be recordings with partial/sample tracks.  Maybe one is what you seek.

So, I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a G Minor suite. (A suite is a group of movements - often dances - such as Bach's French and English suites; or Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition".  They are played piecemeal or as a whole; sometimes a group.)

Bertini is known today primarily for piano etudes, as you mention, but he did write some suites/fantasias/etc.; these may or may not have been pedagogical. May or may not have been for keyboard, as he did at least as much composition for orchestra/ensemble as he did keyboard music.  He did a fair amount of concertizing but was not as well known as, say, Clementi.

It may also be that the work is a composition of another one of the Bertinis, not Henri, and the person to whom you spoke had the first name wrong.  Or, the person said it was a suite when it was something else.

Sorry I can't be any more help!  I exhausted my sources here at home.  Amazon's your best next step.
mb