Many editions of musical works, especially older editions, contain articulations, dynamics, and fingerings supplied by an editor — often anonymous — rather than by the composer. Conscientious musicians seek out modern critical editions that are carefully prepared from the composer's holograph or from first editions the composer supervised and from other trustworthy sources. This project will help you learn how to identify modern critical editions and find them in the library. Incidentally, don't be misled by the word "historical": in this usage, "historical" refers to editions published after circa 1950, embodying scholarly editing techniques and drawing on sources an expert editor deems reliable.

1) Choose any solo vocal work with keyboard accompaniment, any solo keyboard work, or any solo instrumental work by Bach, Handel, Mozart, Schubert, Haydn, or Beethoven. Find and photocopy the first three pages of a non-critical ("practical" or "interpretive") edition — that is, an ordinary circulating edition from the stacks. The older and more heavily edited it is, the better. Many early 20th- or late 19th-century editions make excellent examples.

2) Find and photocopy the entry for your work in the appropriate thematic catalog. Thematic catalogs can be searched in various ways, so choose the appropriate index (e.g., title index) or find the appropriate section by consulting the table of contents.

3) Locate within the entry the reference to where your work can be found in the composer's most recent complete works set (Gesamtausgabe). To do this, you will probably first need to locate the list of abbreviations (Verzeichnis der Abkürzungen). This is usually found in the front of the book. For example, in the Mozart catalog by Köchel (Chronologisch-thematisches Verzeichnis sämtlicher Tonwerke Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts (1983), the abbreviation "NMA" stands for "Neue Mozart-Ausgabe," which is the newer Mozart complete-works edition entitled Neue Ausgabe sämtlicher Werke (Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1955- ). In red pen or colored highlighter, mark this volume reference on your photocopy of the thematic catalog entry and include it as an appendix to your Project 4. If the volume is not specified in the composer's thematic catalog, then check the works list in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and photocopy (or print out) and mark this page as an appendix to your Project 4.

4) Use that volume reference to find the historical edition in the Graduate Reading Area. Composers' complete works sets (Gesamtausgaben) are usually catalogued under the unqualified uniform title "Works," so do an AUTHOR search under your composer's name in the OSU Library Catalog, and then use the "locate in results" function to advance to that uniform title. Find your edition and photocopy the pages that correspond to your non-critical, over-edited edition. When photocopying, please be careful not to damage the book's spine or pages. For these typically large volumes, reduced photocopies — 70% to 80% — usually work well.

5) Compare your two editions and write a one- or two-page summary of their differences. Take note of the following points:

a) Dynamics, articulations, and fingerings (circle on your photocopy and refer to specific examples in the music)

b) Differences, if any, in notes (melody, harmony, ornamentation, etc.; give examples)

c) Presence or absence of information about editorial policies, and the type and content of that information (e.g., information about the manuscripts or first editions on which your scholarly edition is based; it is unlikely that your practical edition will have this information). This information may take the form of critical reports (Kritiche Berichte) in an adjacent volume of the composer's complete works, which frequently give detailed comments on notes and markings. If the sources on which your edition is based are identified in the critical report (look for such terms as Autograph, Abschrift, Originalausgabe), note them in your paragraph discussing sources (give the location and name of the library or private collection, and the shelfmark of the source in that library).

d) At the beginning of your summary, provide a bibliographic citation for both editions, and include their call numbers.

6) Hand in your entry from the thematic catalog (or New Grove) works list, photocopies of the first three pages from both editions, and your 1-2 page summary.

Sample Project 4
Music 786 Home
Music/Dance Library Home