sheetmusic: favourite edition

[Diabolos]

Hi all.

I was wondering which sheetmusic edition you find most competent, thought out, useful, best arranged etc.
I'm currently using mostly Bärenreiter for Händel and Mozart, Henle for more common works, like those of Beethoven, Bach and Chopin; besides, I use Dover Publ. a lot.

So, which editions do you trust? Is it Peters, Boosey&Hawkes or another?

Regards

[Colette]

Practically every teacher I've had has highly recommended "Dover" editions for countless works. Dover is inexpensive and legitimate, as it prints music taken directly from the origional, most respected scores. Just cause its cheap doesn't mean it's not as good. I learned that the hard way. Always check any edition to see where the printed version was derived from. My teachers also favor Verlag editions for Liszt, Durand (very costly) for French music such as Messiaen and CF Peter is quite good for Bach. Good luck!

[Diabolos]

You're right, the liszt Edition by Peters is very authentic; and Dover publishes a lot of rarely printed pieces, such as the arrangement for piano, 4 hands of Brahms' 1st piano concerto (which, arranged by the composer himself, was one published in 1864 and is now only available at dover).

[Mandy]

I'm really partial to Henle editions.  When staring at piano music for hours on end, I really want clear printing, which is easy to read.  So far I have found these the easiest to read and I trust they are accurate in their edition of the music.  I agree that Dover editions are practical, and generally good editions, but I find them very difficult to play from-they cram too many notes on a page, they are printed to small and unclearly.  I also find them to be inconsistent from page to page in the quality of printing-this makes it hard to stare at for a long time.  

Just my opinion....

[Diabolos]

You've certainly got a point in that; especially collections by dover are of very different quality from piece to piece, since they only copy already existing editions (I found at at Brahms Concerton Nr.1, four hands).
The Grieg and Schumann Piano concertos edition is, in contrary, the best I ever used.

You're right with Henle, they are doing a very good job in printing and research; if Evgeny Kissin trusts them, there must be something about these guys, I guess. It's just sad that they are mostly dealing with German composers, or, let's say, the more common ones.
I'd really love to see names like Rachmaninoff, Prokofieff, Gershwin etc. in their catalogue.

[MikeThePianist]

I agree with what everyone says about Henle.  I use it religiously.  I also use Barenreiter (sp?), Durand, Boosey & Hawkes, Universal, and Vienna, and Presser/Paderewski (for Chopin).  These are all very reliable sources, although expensive.  If I can stand to afford it, I buy them and steer clear of Dover and G.Schirmer.  Dover, in particular publishes everything under the sun.  If you need something in a crunch, that's what I would get.  However, I would not trust their sources, not to mention their binding (nothing stays open at the piano like a Henle).  Anyway, I hope that helps.

Mike

[martin_s]

Funny, I always had the feeling with Henle, they don't tell you the whole truth... And they suggest CRAP fingerings, and they are all by the same guy!! ...I have started to appreciate Henle more over the years though. If there is one thing I don't like in my music is other people's fingerings, and that goes for editors too. Consequently, I fell in love with Bärenreiter (and then we are talking about the "Urtext Das Neue xxxxx-ausgaube" ones of course) instantly and I use that for Bach, Schubert, Mozart, etc. I find Henle good for Beethoven, both solo and chamber. I also use Wiener Urtext, B&H, Dover, Durand and many others for other music.

[rachfan]

I chose an edition based on the composer.  For example, I like Durand for Debussy, International for Brahms, Paderewski Institute for Chopin, etc.  I always prefer an urtext over an edited publication.  In that regard several of the Henle editions are very good.  What I would never consider doing is using one publisher for all.