You're right - the Mechem was originally from Tartuffe (his Op. 47); he seems to have liked it so much he also included it in his song cycle TO AN ABSENT LOVE, which is his Op. 58. Other composers have certainly been known to do the same type of thing, e.g., Michael Tippett's "Songs of Achilles", which were excerpted as a song cycle from his opera KING PRIAM.
Orchestrally, this kind of excerpting seems to be done even more often - e.g., the Four Sea Interludes from Britten's PETER GRIMES, the Dances from his GLORIANA, Beethoven's Leonore Overture #3, etc.
Karen Mercedes http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html *************************************** Verdi and Wagner delighted the crowds With their highly original sound. The pianos they played are still working, But they're both six feet underground. - Michael Palin
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