Bloch, Ernest: Méditation

The manuscripts of the score and violin part of the Méditation raise many questions. On the cover page of the score, the title Aria has been crossed out. The first page of the score and the part retain the title Aria which suggests that the decision to use Méditation would seem to have been made latterly. The restyling of the title towards a potentially sacred context suggests that Bloch may have considered this piece for use in a religious setting. When viewed together with the late-Romantic musical vocabulary of the piece and the paucity of works for violin and organ at this time, the Méditation is a fascinating contribution to the literature. There are passing hints of Strauss and Wagner and the opening theme bears a certain similarity to both J. S. Bach’s Fugue in E major, BWV 878, and also the Poco adagio of Camille Saint-Saëns’s Symphony 3 (1886), where the theme also begins on A flat. This edition has been originated with only minor corrections from the manuscript.