Un pensiero a San Francisco (1903)
Introduction
Un pensiero a San Francisco is a fragment for piano composed by Mascagni on February 20, 1903 during his stay in San Francisco.
The title translates into English as A Thought for San Francisco. Mascagni wrote this piece as a thank you to the city and people of San Francisco who had welcomed him with warmth after an otherwise catastrophic North-American tour. A copy of the manuscript of the piece was published in the San Francisco Examiner (and not the Chronicle as initially believed) on February 21, 1903. On March 14, 1903, a newspaper clipping of the score made it to the Library of Congress.
Recording
The recording available below in MP3 format is probably the world's first recording of the piece! You can listen to it online or download it for personal use. Contact Mascagni.org for other uses.
Recording acknowledgements: National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mautaranga; Bronwyn Officer; Claude Tabner; Ross Thornton; David Vine; Roger Flury.
Score
We provide below three versions of the score:
- A scan of the original newspaper clipping. The paper has aged and the impression is difficult to read, but this is the best known source for the piece. The original manuscript may have been lost.
- A modern facsimile of the original score. This version attempts to reproduce the score in a legible way, while keeping Mascagni's markings.
- A modern piano version. This version uses a notation closer to what a modern pianist expects.
Click on the individual images to access them online in several resolutions through the Mascagni.org book reader.
The modern score is also available in a convenient, printable PDF format:
NOTE: Care has been taken proof-reading the score and comparing it against the original, but errors are still possible. Please submit any comments and corrections you may have.
Acknowledgements
Many people have contributed to this page, including: Roger Flury (initial copy of the piece, proof-reading, recording coordination), John Mucci (first computer transcription), David Vine (piano recording, proof-reading), and Erik Bruchez (putting all the pieces together!).