Conclusion
summary
To answer the research question ‘In what way does a publisher influence the interpretation of a violinist?’, it is the best to summarize what has been found by doing this research. First of all it should be mentioned that there is no thing such as “the best edition”. Even the ‘clean’ Urtext editions do differ sometimes form each other. Furthermore, it depends in what way you are going to use the sheet music.
As explained in the first chapter ‘type of editions’, there are different kind of editions available. When you are interested in a specific violinist who edited a piece then it is definitely a valid reason to find a performance edition a good kind of edition. Also for etudes or exercises it could be useful to take a performance edition. However, the difficulty with these editions is that it is most of the time not clear which remarks were added by the composer or by the editor. With the popular Urtext edition it is already more clear what has been taken from the manuscript and what has been edited by the publisher. But even with these editions it does not mean that what is printed, is completely true. And exactly this could also be a pitfall for violinists (and musicians in general): How often do you hear that it should be played in the way it is written because it is an Urtext edition? It is assumed that these editions are good, and therefore it could happen that people take it more for granted how the music has been edited. The study case showed us that even here are some differences in resources and opinions and therefore it happens that Urtext editions differ from each other.
With the second chapter it was really striking in what way publishers react on the question ‘In what way does a publisher influence the interpretation of a violinist?’. From the questionnaire it became clear that the Urtext publishers claimed to have no influence on the interpretation of a violinist. Or, a bit, because of the lay-out, page turnings and historical information. So, the user-friendliness and mentioning the resources. At the other hand, the performance edition publishers addressed the fact that by editing the piece they do have influence on the way of playing. This could be because a violinist has given his/her view on the piece or because the publisher has the copyright or publishing right and therefore they are the only one who is allowed to sell a certain work. By making the overview of the most important publishers, and finding out how they profile themselves, it gives more an idea of which direction a publisher takes. This could also be a consideration when picking an edition for a specific piece.
The next chapter concerned the violinists’ point of view. ‘On what basis do violinists choose an edition to play from?’. Striking was the fact that so many people appreciate an Urtext edition more than a performance edition. It was mentioned very often in the questionnaire amongst violinists that they prefer original bowings and articulations. However, a lot of them claimed that they use online (free) sources to pick their music. Those are never Urtext editions. And when music sheets are bought, it is done quite often online. Exactly this proves that musicians trust that what they bought is of good quality, without the option to compare editions. Perhaps , now we know that also Urtexts could differ from each other, it would not be a bad idea to compare these editions next time. The most striking discrepancy was the reason why certain editions are chosen, based on the experiences of Broekmans & van Poppel. The reason claimed by one of the employees of Broekmans was a matter of price. They noticed that people see price as a very important consideration. Does it mean that musicians are less thoughtful (when money involved) than they appear to be, according to the questionnaire? It could also be that the people who filled out the questionnaire were already attracted to the subject of this research and therefore a bit more aware of what they find important compared to the general buyers Broekmans & van Poppel have in their shop.
Interesting was the study case to do. A big difference is audible in Bach with the Urtexts compared to the unknown Performance edition. The difference between Bärenreiter and Henle is not so obvious but it proves that no Urtext necessarily is right. The two Prokofieff that I played for the study case was also very interesting. I found out that for me the IMC edition with the Oistrakh remarks were so much easier than the Szigeti version. That means unfortunately that I have to wait a few years until I can buy the edition I like more. Untill then, because of the publishing rights, I will have to play from the Boosey & Hawkes edition.
My opinion
With everything I found out concerning this research I think there is a lot about music scores that could be very interesting and helpful to know as violinist. Especially for students like me, who are expanding their repertoire and therefore their own music library it would be wise to make thought-out decisions. It is the intention I think when we buy sheet music that we use the sheet music for many years. So I think our habits in picking specific scores deserves a bit of attention. I suggest to go more to an actual shop (I still do it always) and experience the difference between editions. Look for the differences: Not only the notes but the extra information that is given, the lay-out, spacing, quality of paper and binding, and if it concerns an Urtext: Is it clear where they got their sources from? And, is it clear which remarks in the score are from the composer and which ones from the editors? I believe it is way more difficult to experience this behind the screen of your computer. It would be great if teachers could also learn their students what to take into account. Or even better: a subject at the conservatoire concerning history of publishing houses, their profile, different kind of editions and finally, what to keep in mind when choosing an edition. In my opinion you become a richer musician when you know more about the sources we get our inspiration from. So, I made a shortlist with aspects that could be taken into account when buying new sheet music.
Tips for picking your “best” edition
- Have in mind what the purpose is, you want to buy sheet music. (playing score – study score)
- Do you want Urtext or do you have a specific violinist as editor in mind? (repertoire but also etudes)
- Is the music rights-free? Then changes are bigger that there are more than one edition available.
- Find out in which year the edition has been published/revised. The way it has been edited fits quite often in the ‘zeitgeist’ of that period.
- Give a look to the lay-out, turning pages, quality of paper and binding.
- Concerning Urtexts: Check if the resources are mentioned and if it is clarified why certain decisions are made. It should be clear too, what whas the composer’s intention and what was edited by the publisher.
- Always try to find a way to compare editions before buying them. (go to a shop)
- Last but not least: be curious and try to find out why some editions are different. Then you can make a grounded opinion why you choose that specific edition for this composition.
