CARNIVAL OF VENICE - The Tune

Being a collection of numerous and diverse works written by various composers embellishing on a simple tune.

Paganini was the first to introduce the piece to England — nay, to the whole world, one may say. The great violinist first heard the melody when he visited the Queen of the Adriatic in 1816. No one seems to know who composed it, though many a musician has added to it, and varied it, and embroidered it from time to time. Several fantasias have been written upon it, notably by Herz and Schulhoff, and these have been played by most pianists of note. It has been introduced into comic operas. Ambroise Thomas introduced variations of it into the overture of his opera "Le Carnaval de Venise," and Victor Masse makes use of it in his "Reine Topaz ...

from University Musical Encyclopedia
By Louis Charles Elson

 

More Information on Paganini's version of the tune.


Welcome to my contribution to the Internet's plethora of totally useless webpages. I've been collecting links to various versions of the music from "Carnival of Venice", a simple tune to which variations have been written by many of the world's greatest composers.

I kept notes on the links I found and the numerous spellings for the name itself (Carnival, Carnaval, Carneval, Venice, Venise, Venedig, Venezia, Veneci) and the composers (Makaroff, Makarov, Johann, Ivan, Jean, Padovetz, Padowetz, Padovec)

I had no idea how many different versions existed, and how much of the sheet music was online and in the "public domain", so I thought I'd organize the information on a web page. It's a work in progress. Soon I will post pdfs of the various public domain copies that I have.

HELP WANTED - If you have any public domain pdfs of the sheet music or get to one of the archival libraies cited to make photocopies, please send me a copy. Feel free to email corrections, comments or additional information to me at carnivalofvenice@gmail.com

 

Aptommas 1829-1913

 

harp

       
       
Scans at Library of Congress      

 

Arban, Jean-Baptiste 1824-1889  

cornet

       
       

PDF from la.trompette.com.free.fr

PDF at WIMA

PDF in Bass Clef

MIDI Sample PDF and MIDI arrangement for concert band  

 

Barbi, Carlo ?-1878  

clarinetto e pianoforte

22 Variazioni sopra il “Carnevale di Venezia”   WorldCat Listing  
Variatione sossa al Carnevale di Venezia (Carnival of Venice). Clarinet, 2 horns, 2 trombones and bombardon
pub for clarinet and piano Cundy-Bettoney Co. Boston USA. c1881
ms c1840 Mattsee Austria
     
  MIDI Info  

 

Bellak, James c. 1860 Op. 113

piano

       
       
SCANS at Library of Congress      

 

Benedict, Jules 1804-1885  

voice and piano

Concert variations on The Carnival of Venice      
       
Scans from Library of Congress      

 

Berger, Carl J    

4 hands easy piano

       
       
Scans from Library of Congress      

 

Beyer, Ferdinand 1803-1863  

piano

Le carneval de Venise: variations sur la chansonette "O cara mamma mia"      
      Buy Sheet Music
       

 

Bottesini, Giovanni 1821-1889  

bass

       
       
  MP3 excerpt by Catalin Rotaru    

 

Briccialdi, Guilio 1818-1881 Op. 78

flute

Il Carnevale di Venezia      
       
   

MIDI

MIDI

Buy it

 

Carulli, Ferdinand

1770-1841

 

guitar duo

Carnaval de Venise      
       
     

Buy it

Buy it

 

Chopin, Frederic 1810-1849  

piano

Variations "Souvenir de Paganini"      
      excerpt
       

 

Clarke, Herbert L. 1867-1945  

cornet

       
       

PDF - one page sample

    Buy it

 

J.S Cox    

violin/flute

       
       
Scans at Library of Congress      

 

Czerny, Charles 1791-1857 Op. 825 #12

piano

    WorldCat Listing  
       
       

 

Demersseman, Jules Auguste Eduard 1833-1866 Op. 7

flute

       
       
       

 

Ernst, Heinrich Wilhelm 1814-1865 Op. 18

violin

Le carnaval de Venise      
Le carnaval de Venise - variations burlesques : pour violon avec accompagnement de piano

The Carnival of Venice, as played by Sivori and the Author, with Variations for the Violin, and (ad lib) accompaniment for the pianoforte

not available?

   
     

 

 

Frosini, Pietro 1885-1951   accordian
       
       
       

 

Gambini, Carlo Andrea 1819-1865 Op. 50

piano

Remembrances of Paganini, Carnevale Venezia

     
       
       

 

Genin, Paul (Pierre) Agricole 1832-1903 Op. 14

flute

       
       
   

MIDI

MIDI - classical midi connection

 

 

Giampieri, Alamiro pub 1948   clarinet
Il Carnevale Di Venezia, Capriccio Variato      
       
PDF - arrangement for quartet by A. Amore MIDI   Buy it

 

Gibsone, Ignace 1826-1897 Op. 10

piano

[L] Parafrase de concert sur le carnaval de Venise      
       
       

 

Gottschalk, Louis 1829-1869 Op. 89 (RO45)

piano

       
       
PDF at www.gottschalk.fr      

 

Hall, Miss Jette    

piano

       
       
Scans at Library of Congress      

 

Hartmann, John pub. 1882  

cornet

       
       
Scans from Library of Congress      

 

Hayden, Winslow L    

guitar

    BOSTON: Oliver Ditson Company (1890), Pl.no. 25428, 3 pp.  
       
       

 

Herz, Henri 1808-1888 Op. 170

piano

Le Carnaval de Venise: Variations Brilliantes      
       
Scans from UNC      

 

Holland, Justin 1819-1887  

guitar

Fantaisie on the Carnival of Venice   WorldCat Listing  
       
       

 

Holmes, G.E. pub. 1937  

euphonium

    WorldCat Listing  
       
       

 

Jaell, Alfred 1832-1882 Op. 22

piano

       
       

Scans from Library of Congress

PDF from Henselt

Scans from Duke

     

 

JeanJean, Paul 1874-1928  

clarinet

    WorldCat Listing  
       
  MIDI   Buy

 

Klinger, Iwan A ?-1887 Op.8

guitar

       
       
PDF from REX      

 

Knoop, Mrs pub. 1847   guitar

       
       
Library of Congress      

 

Krug, Dietrich 1821-1880  

piano

       
       
Scans from Library of Congress      

 

Kurs, Adolphe    

piano

       
       
Scans from Library of Congress (4 pp)      

 

Lalliet, Theodore 1837-1892 Op. 20

oboe

Prelude and Variations on The Carnival of Venice   WorldCat Listing  
       
       

 

Liszt, Franz 1811-1886 S700A

piano

Clochette et Carnaval De Venise - Grande fantaisis di bravura sur des themes de Paganini

  R (231), SG5 (420), NG2 A113  

Variations de bravoure sur des thèmes de Paganini: Le Clochette et Le carnaval de Venise (I & II), for piano, S. 700a (LW A113)

Grande Fantaisie (Variations) sur des thèmes de Paganini -- La Clochette et Le Carnaval de Venise, for piano, S. 700i (1845)

     
       

 

Makaroff, Nikolai Petrovich

(Makarov, Nikolaj)

1810.1890 Op. 4

10 string guitar - 24 fret

       
       
PDF from REX      

 

Melnotte, Claude 1840-1923  

piano

       
       

Scans from Library of Congress

PDF from Henselt

     

 

Mertz, Johann Kaspar 1806-1856 Op. 6

guitar

   

PDF from Tuscany

Biojes 1057 manuscript - pp 31

 
       

PDF from Boijes

 

     

 

Mirco, Domenico    

clarinet

“Carnevale di Venezia”, Variazioni per clarinetto e pianoforte      
       
  MIDI    

 

Moscheles, Ignaz 1794-1870 Op. 4

piano

Rondo with an Introduction on the favorite Barcarolle in the Carnival of Venice      
       
PDF from Henselt      

 

Mower, Mike     flute/piano
Deviations on the Carnival of Venice      
       
  MP3   Buy it

 

Muller, Julius    

easy piano

       
       
Scans from Library of Congress      

 

Oesten, Theodore 1813-1870 Op. 37

piano

The Carnival of Venice, with 10 Metamorphoses: Capriccietto Brilliant      
       

Scans from Indiana Univ. (short version)

Scans from National Library of Australia

  Piano Duet Version  

 

Padovetz, Ivan 1800-1873 Op. 62

guitar duet

Der Carneval von Venedig mit concertanten Variationen für zwei Guitaren      
       
PDF from REX      

 

Paganini, Niccolo 1782-1840 Op. 10

violin

Carnevale di Venezia      
  Watch Recordings  
   

MIDI

MIDI

 

 

Rossini, Gioachino 1792-1868  

Quartetto per voce di soprano, contralto, tenor e basso con accompagnamento de pianoforte

Il carnevale di Venezia      
      Buy Sheet Music
       

 

Schnicke, H. Wm c. 1880 Op. 21

guitar

Grand Fantasia For Guitar on the "Carnival of Venice"   CINCINNATI: The JOHN CHURCH COMPANY (1894), Pl.no. 10148 4T, 5 pp. / Lithograph  
       
       

 

Schulhoff, Jules 1825-1898 Op. 22

piano

Le Carnaval de Venise      
       
PDF from Henselt      

 

Staigers, Charles Delaware (Del) 1899-1950  

cornet

       
       
PDF - one page sample MP3 - errors?    

 

Strauss Sr. Johann (I) 1804-1849 Op. 126

 

The Carnival of Venice Fantasie
  WorldCat Listing Vienna Phil/Zubin Mehta
DG 477 6225

" Memories of Ernst" (or the "Carnival of Venice").

"Erinnerungen an Ernst"

     
       

 

Tarrega, Francisco 1852-1909  

guitar

       
       
PDF from CreativeGuitar.org  

MIDI

MIDI

 

 

Tedesco, Ignac (Ignaz) Amadeus   1817-1882 Op. 29 piano
Le Carnival de Venise   Leipzig: Friedrich Hofmeister. p.n. 2211  
       
    info  

 

Van der Weyde   Op. 67

aeolian piano

Le carnaval de Venise, caprice burlesque for aeolian piano      
       
Scans from Library of Congress      

 

Vizzutti, Allen b. 1952   trumpet
The Carnival of Venus      
    YouTube  
       

 

Voss, Charles 1815-1882  

piano

       
       
PDF from UNC      

 

Williams, T.H.    

harp

       
       
Scans at Library of Congress      

 

Zani de Ferranti, Marco A. 1802-1878 Op. 5

guitar

       
       

PDF from Boijes

TAB - you need this because the guitar uses an alternate tuning.

  MIDI  

 

 

MISC LINKS

More Scans - from the Library of Congress

Listen to a virtuostic performance on Ocarina

Concertina arrangements

Easy Piano Version - from SheetMusicUSA.com

Lyric Opera - André Campra (1660-1744) - Le Carnaval de Venise, comédie lyrique, 1699

 

Satanella Pas De Deux


 

According to http://www.lewisvillesymphony.org/hollywood.htm the tune was worked into the musical accompaniment for the silent movie 'Il Carevale di Venezia' (1928)

It was also used in the soundtrack of 'The Five Pennies' (1959) and 'sung' by Danny Kaye imitating a trumpet.

 

     

 

       
       
       

 

 

     

 

       
       
       

 

 

 

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