Klarinet Archive - Posting 000350.txt from 1996/01

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: Editions for the Brahms Sonatas
Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 11:54:19 -0500

Two magnificent editions in Urtext of the Brahms sonatas were published by
Wiener Urtext Edition in 1973 by Musikverlag Ges. m.b.H. & Co., K.G. Wien
and distributed by B. Schott's Sohne, Mainz which I think is
handled by Universal Edition in Vienna.

The editor, Hans-Christian Muller goes into considerable detail in his
prefecae about exactly what Brahms' principal alterations were in both the
viola parts and the clarinet versions. These changes are different because
Brahms was attempting to handle problems of changes of register with the
viola. Not only was the autograph of each sonata consulted (and a page
or two of which is included in the edition in facsimile), but so was
the engraver's copy of the original printing done under Brahms personal
supervision and to which he made a number of editorial changes.

It is hard to believe that at this date (102 years after composition)
that the engraver's copies of the original version still exist but
they do and are located in the Staats- und Universitatsbibliothe, in
Hamburg.

If you want serious authenticity, these are the editions for you.

I also want to congratulate the submittor of the original posting for
his interest in dealing with the sonatas at this level of authenticity.
One can buy the Schirmer edition for a few dollars and, to the uncritical
eye, they seem to satisfy all needs. To the person who wants to know
what Brahms wrote, they do no such thing.

I will give only one of the corrections made in this edition. Can one
live without it? Yes and no. It depends what you mean by "live."

F minor sonata: first movement, m. 34 and 35: clarinet, last
crotchet of both bars is without the staccato dot in both the original
edition (Simrock, Berlin, 1895) and the engraver's copy. These are
the things that Brahm's himself made notations about in his review
of the engraver's copy!!

Hot stuff. Makes one proud at the intensity of care involved.

====================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
====================================