Composed in 1853-54 as a kind of 'musical vacation' from the operas he was busy with, Gouod's first symphony was given its official premiere in Paris at a concert of the Société des jeunes artistes on March 4, 1855 under the direction of Georges Paseldoup. The publisher Colombier issued score, parts and an arrangement for piano duet by the young Georges Bizet. This work might have served to inspire Bizet to try his own hand at the symphonic form as made the arrangement for piano duet shortly before starting his own
Symphony in C major
, which was forgotten for many years after Bizet's death.
This newly engraved edition was made by Clark McAlister with some assistance from Nancy M. Bradburd, retired associate librarian of the Philadelphia Orchestra. First issued in 2006 by the now-defunct publisher E.F. Kalmus, the edition is now exclusively available from Serenissima Music. This new study score is a reduced-format reissue of the large score.