CLASSICAL HOLOGRAPHS
Robert Probasco

During the fall of 1980, I took a sabbatical and visited several libraries in Europe. My purpose was to determine the accuracy of printed editions for specific works in the standard repertoire. I was amazed at the discrepancies I discovered.

At the 1981 IDRS convention in Lubbock, I presented some of my findings. The handout distributed in Lubbock is reproduced below, with a few revisions and corrections.

Better editions are being printed. Some reasonably accurate editions now available are: Mozart's Piano Quintet K. 452 (Barenreiter 4730) and Krebs' Fantasia (NOVA Music 136); earlier editions of these works are grossly inaccurate. A new edition of Mozart's Oboe Quartet K. 370 will be available shortly from NOVA.

Beethoven's Trio in C, Op. 87 is not yet available in any correct form, but my edition should be out by the summer of 1982 (NOVA). The listing included in this article will enable you to correct the more startling differences between Beethoven's manuscript score (which I studied in East Berlin) and the Breitkopf edition.

Several persons asked me about the modified K. 370 which I performed in Lubbock. It is a manuscript (#15428) in the West Berlin Stadtsbibliotek, but it is not in Mozart's handwriting. I am attempting to get some answers from the West Berlin librarian- when I learn more about the work, I will communicate it to the IDRS readership.

• Beethoven, Ludwig van - Trio in C, op. 87
• Beethoven, Ludwig van - Trio: Variations "La ci darem la mano"
• Krebs, Johann Ludwig - Fantasia for oboe and organ
• Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Quintet for piano and winds, K. 452
• Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Quartet for oboe and strings, K. 370
• Performance Directions used by Mozart and Beethoven
• Sources, Holographs, Libraries

PHILOSOPHY

• A. Written notation is only a blueprint for a musical performance.
• B. A musical (or unmusical) performance can be achieved with either accurate or inaccurate parts.
• C. Use of accurate parts will probably produce a better performance.
• D. Use of inaccurate parts will certainly produce an inaccurate performance.
• E. Some conventions of an earlier period will be misunderstood in a later period.
• F. It is preferable to allow contemporary performers to view the original, with the modern editor completing the obvious intentions of the composer, rather than attempting to edit everything for the untutored.
• G. Some persons will never be satisfied.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Trio in C, op. 87 - Vienna, 1794?

MANUSCRIPT and LOCATION

11 -- Artaria 151; Deutsche Stadtsbibliotek, East Berlin, Germany

accuracy: mostly clear, but with many messy revisions

COLLECTED WORKS

12 -- Beethoven Auspabe, Series VIII, Number 63, pages 73-86, Breitkopf & Hartel, Wiesbaden; Edwards reprint of 1949

accuracy: poor

MINIATURE SCORES

13 -- Eulenberg No.104/1204, n.d.

accuracy: poor

14 -- Kalmus No. 1007 (photo reduction of Ausgabe)

accuracy: poor

PERFORMANCE EDITIONS

15 -- Artaria Nr. 1803/1804, Vienna, 1806

accuracy: poor

16 -- Breitkopf & Härtel Nr. 1552, Wiesbaden, n .d .

accuracy: poor

17 -- Southern Music Co. (Ferling's 48 Etudes), San Antonio, 1942; Albert J. Andraud, ed.

accuracy: worse

18 -- NOVA Music, London (in preparation); R. Probasco, ed.

accuracy: reasonably accurate

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Beethoven made several revisions in his score. Many additional changes were apparently made in the original parts (which are lost), but it is questionable whether Beethoven approved of those changes. The published editions contain numerous alterations of dynamics and articulations.

In Beethoven's holograph score:

• 76 - turns are not included - 1st
• 142 - wrong notes-1st; see page 2 for correct passage
• 187 - entire measure crossed out
• 225/7/9 - low B on downbeats-EH

• 1, 13, 35 - 3rd beat is 2 equal eighths - 1st
• 61 - sfz, not sfp (as in the Eulenberg score)

• 100 - 2nd ending omits octave on repeat - EH
• coda - contains only 14 measures (not 16-the last two notes in each part are someone's addition, probably to achieve a more climactic ending); also, the last five measures are piano, without accents or sf.

• 183-185 - 2nd oboe/EH parts are reversed for 4 beats (EH plays both motifs)
• 212-215 - four measures crossed out during revision

Johann Ludwig Krebs - 1713-1780
Fantasia for oboe and organ

MANUSCRIPT and LOCATION

31 -- Music ms. 991; Hessische Landes-und Hochschulbibliothek Darmstadt, West Germany

accuracy: *oboe part differs sl ightly from oboe/ organ score

COLLECTED WORKS-none found

MINIATURE SCORES-none found

PERFORMANCE EDITIONS

32 -- Edition Breitkopf Nr. 4177, Breitkopf and Härtel, Wiesbaden, 1942; Joh. Nep. David, ed.

accuracy: transposes oboe to fm, considerable editing

33 -- NOVA Music NM136, London, 1980, Robert Probasco, ed.

(includes pedal part written out for cello or bassoon)

accuracy: transposes organ to gm

34? -- Canadian edition by organist Hugh McClain

accuracy: transposes oboe to fm

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Krebs' holograph has the organ in f minor, but the oboe in g minor (presumably to accommodate the different pitch levels which existed at the time).

PERTINENT SOURCES

MGG, Barenreiter, Kassel, 1958; volume 7, columns 1727-1733.

Horstman, Jean The Instrumental Music of Johann Ludwig Krebs (PhD diss., Boston U.,1959), University Microfilms 59-3465.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Quintet for piano and winds, K 452 -- Vienna, 1784

MANUSCRIPT and LOCATION

41 -- ms. 221; Bibliotheque National, Paris, France

accuracy: clear

COLLECTED WORKS

42 -- Werke, Serie 17, vol. 34, pp. 2-31; Breitkopf & Härtel, 1879

accuracy: poor

43 -- Neue Ausgabe, VI I l/22/l, pp. 107-145; Barenreiter, 1957; Hellmut Federhofer, ed.

accuracy: *good

MINIATURE SCORES

44 Eulenberg No. 160/1260; n.d. (1939), Heinrich Husmann, ed.

accuracy: fair: errata sheet

45 -- Kalmus No. 876A (photo reduction of Werke)

accuracy: poor

PERFORMANCE EDITIONS

46 -- Barenreiter BA 4730, Kassel, 1975; Hellmut Federhofer, ed.

accuracy: *good

47a -- Breitkopf & Härtel, Nr. 874, Wiesbaden, n.d.

accuracy: poor

47b -- International Music Co., NY, 1947 (adds fingerings & pedaling)

accuracy: poor

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Breitkopf and International editions are terrible; numerous phrasing and articulations contradict the clear marking of Mozart, and substantive mistakes occur - for example, the descending piano scale (I, 108) should be ascending.

*The recent Barenreiter edition is good; performers should not "correct" the C-flat (III, 110) or the tied C half-notes (III, 177-178) in the oboe. There are still some differences between the holograph and this edition:

• a. fp, not sfp in exposition (I, 41); however, sfp in recapitulation (I, 94);
• b. the second movement has no tempo/style indication (no Larghetto);
• c. the clarinet rhythm (II, 108) should be dotted 16th/32nd, not equal 16ths;
• d. the third movement has no "dolce" at the beginning

Ms. 250 (Paris Bib. Nat.) is a piano reduction of the four wind parts, not currently available in any published version, to my knowledge.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Quartet for oboe and strings, K. 370 -- Munich, 1781

MANUSCRIPT and LOCATION

51 -- ms. 230; Bibliotheque National, Paris, France

accuracy: clean and usually clear

COLLECTED WORKS

52 -- Werke, Serie 15, vol. 29, pp. 327-337; Breitkopf & Härtel, 1882

accuracy: fair

53 -- Neue Ausgabe, VIII/20/2, pp. 65-82; Barenreiter BA 4532,1962; Jaroslav Pohanka, ed.

accuracy: excellent

MINIATURE SCORES

54 -- Barenreiter 151 (photo reduction of Neue Ausgabe)

accuracy: excellent

55a -- Boosey & Hawkes, b & H 8760, London, 1942

accuracy: good

55b -- Eulenberg No. 194/1294, Leipzig, 1938; Heinrich Husmann, ed.

accuracy: 1938 Eul. has errata listings

56 -- Kalmus No. 969 (photo reduction of Werke)

accuracy: fair

PERFORMANCE EDITIONS

OBOE AND STRINGS

57 -- Edition Breitkopf Nr. 499, Breitkopf and Härtel, Wiesbaden, n.d.

accuracy: fair; many incorrect slurs

OBOE AND PIANO

-both oboe parts are heavily edited: slurs and dynamics

58 -- J. & W. Chester, Ltd., J.W.C.1568, London, 1947; J. Craxton, ed.

accuracy: piano is more `accurate'

59 -- Oboe Solos (Everybody's Favorite Series No. 99), Amsco, NYC, 1958; Jay Arnold, ed.

accuracy: easier piano

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

In the Adagio (2nd movement), measures 28-31 were added in the margin.

Mozart's penmanship is usually quite clear, but the distinction between staccato dots and staccato lines is frequently ambiguous; however, rational musical interpretations will resolve any disputes, even if editors cannot agree.

The Vade Mecum part (p.185) is heavily edited, and is missing beats (III, 114-117).

In the West Berlin Stadtsbibliotek, ms. 15428 is an interesting revision.

SELECTED SOURCES

I. Sources for locating manuscripts

• A. Brook, Barry S., Thematic Catalogs in Music, Pendragon Press, Hillsdale, N.Y., 1972; ML 113
• B. thematic catalogs; ML 134
  • 1. Kinsky, George, Das Werk Beethoven, 1955
  • 2. Kochel, Ludwig, Chronologisch-thematisches Verzeichnis. . . Mozart, 1862/1905/ 1937/ 1947/1964
• C. other standard sources
  • 1. MGG ML 100
  • 2. RISM ML 116
• D. other publications of interest
  • 1. articles by David Whitwell, in Instrumentalist during 1970s
  • 2. Catalog of Chamber Music for the Oboe 1654-c. 1875 (4th ed., 1980) Bruce Haynes, De Ruyterstraat 47, The Hague, Holland
  • 3. ??? Wind Chamber Music of the World
  (in preparation ???), Firebird Press, Phoenix, AZ; Mark Stross, editor

II. Published copies of holographs ML 96

• A. Mozart, W. A., Gran Partita, K. 361 (Serenade for 13 Winds), Library of Congress, US GPO # 030-008-00005, Washington, D.C., 1976 ($28.85)
• B. Winternitz, Emanuel, Musical Autographs from Monteverdi to Hindemith, Dover Pub., NYC, 1965; 2 volumes

III. Libraries

• A. addresses of libraries: The World of Learning, annual publication
• B. Library of Congress Reference Dept., Music Division, Washington D.C. 20540 (202/287-5504)
• C. Foreign Libraries
  • 1. Uniwersytet Jagiellonski
    Biblioteka Jagiellonski
    Aleja Mickiewicza 22
    30-059 KRAKOW, Poland
    
  • 2. British Museum
    LONDON WC1, England
  • 3. Service Photographique
    Bibliotheque Nationale
    58, rue de Richelieu
    75084 PARIS, France
  • 4. Deutsche Staatsbibliothek
    Reprographische Abteilung
    Postfach 1312, Unter den Linden 8
    DDR-108 BERLIN, East Germany
  • 5. Staatsbib. Preussischer Kulturebesitz
    Potsdamer Str. 33
    Postfach 1407
    1000 WEST BERLIN 30, Germany

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