Beethoven's Sonatas - Which Publishing House?

[flyusx]

I've always heard of high praise for G Henle Verlag, their Bach editions seem to be quite good. However, I've also heard praise for Barenreiter's editions edited by Johnathan Del Mar. I presume the differences to be minute. I know Barenreiter has commentary as a >$100 volume on its own, not sure about Henle. Is one specifically better than the other?

[bwl_13]

I love Henle books, primarily because they're so great to work from. I get them for most composers and the Beethoven sonatas are especially fantastic. When I saw what the 2 volumes looked like I figured there's no way these books can stay open or stay in good condition, but the binding on these books is unreal. I wish all sheet music was bound like this, unlike something like Jan Ekier's PWM edition.

I haven't personally worked from a Barenreiter book, so I wouldn't know about them but I know it's a very trusted edition. Either way you go will be good

[lelle]

I think Henle is great for the beethoven sonatas. I have the hardcover editions and I like them very much.

Agree with you that the Jan Ekier binding sucks, at least when I bought the Chopin Sonatas in 2018. Don't know what they were thinking putting so much work into making an authentic edition and then binding it in a terrible, useless book.

[hmoll53]

I have used almost all editions and have most of them so here is a general review of the Beet Sonatas I have.
Schirmer - Now I hear people talk crap about this but for the price, it's really not that bad. Granted if this edition was like Henle-level expensive, then it's just pure garbage. Now, I wouldn't say this is a good edition either with all its goofy editing and low quality, surely something NOT to use in competitions and auditions.
Henle - Pretty much perfect overall. There's the older Bertha Wallner (I forgot the name of the editor) edition and the newly released Murray Perahia edition. The new Perahia edition has forewords on editing comments for all editions (Volumes and Singles) while the Wallner only has for the large Volumes. Some engraving also changed and there are massive differences in fingerings (See what you agree on by reading comments and prefaces) But quality wise, it's perfect.
Wiener - This one is hard to get if you aren't in Europe or Asia. Based in Vienna (thus the name Wiener), this edition is in my opinion a bit less long lasting as the Henle (It's paper is a bit thinner). The commentary is also quite long though they don't focus on specific Sonatas unless it's the singular edition if I recall. I don't suggest getting this edition in North America because of how pricey and difficult it is to get, when you can get the more accessible and imo better Henle for the same price.
ABRSM - This edition made by Barry Cooper (The guy who discovered Beethoven's 10th Symphony I think) is a newer edition and by far the best for practicing and learning. Unlike some other editions, it not only gives editorial comments, it actually gives interpretative remarks on how to perform Sonatas! It's crazy detailed and draws sources from people who knew Beethoven such as Czerny. It's not too expensive and the notes are woth buying for anyways. Qualities wise, it's on the medium side, better than Schirmer but definitely inferior to Henle.
Alfred - If I recall, there are multiple versions of Beethoven's Sonatas by Alfred as well. There is the Schnabel edition and Stewart Gordon (?) edition. Schnabel's way older and that edition is from 1949. This edition also gives intrepretative remarks and lots of fingerings. If you don't care about the authenticity of who's doing the fingering, than Schnabel is the way to go. (Btw Schnabel is like a god of Beethoven and Schubert that you should definitely check out, but his compositions are very atonal). I'm not familiar with the Stewart Gordon so I can't say much on that
Dover - Dovers are usually reprints that are pretty cheap. I don't use them often and I know the Dover is reprinted from an older German edition. In fact, most of the scores of Beethoven Sonata videos on YT use the score of this Dover reprint, as it is now out of copyright. For the vintage time of publication, you can assume it most likely has interesting but potentially unfaithful edits done to the score.
Peters - Edited by Claudio Arrau, the man himself. I never used this edition but I have seen it as my teacher had it. It's a very large book just like the Henle and Wiener when in volumes, but the paper quality feels more like Wiener. It's durable but isn't as nice looking imo as Henle. The music is pretty compressed on the sheet, so one page might have like 5 or 6 staves so if you can't see well, then this isn't ideal. Paper quality is decent I guess.
The only edition I have never used or seen myself is Barenreiter, it's another expensive edition from Europe that's hard to attain, and me and my poor wallet never had the courage to buy it. 

[hmoll53]

I think Henle is great for the beethoven sonatas. I have the hardcover editions and I like them very much.

Agree with you that the Jan Ekier binding sucks, at least when I bought the Chopin Sonatas in 2018. Don't know what they were thinking putting so much work into making an authentic edition and then binding it in a terrible, useless book.

Ekier's is nice but I always liked Paderewski's layout more.

[bwl_13]

Ekier's is nice but I always liked Paderewski's layout more.

I love everything about it except the binding. Such a shame.

[lelle]

I'll add to hmoll53's comment on Barenreiter - I have some Debussy and Bach with Barenreiter and I am very happy with it. Don't know how they fare with the Beethoven sonatas but I'd be surprised if there was a huge dip in quality. They can be expensive though.

[flyusx]

I'll add to hmoll53's comment on Barenreiter - I have some Debussy and Bach with Barenreiter and I am very happy with it. Don't know how they fare with the Beethoven sonatas but I'd be surprised if there was a huge dip in quality. They can be expensive though.

Yep...I decided to buy the bunch. $37 or so per volume spread across three volumes, not counting the >$100 commentary.

[kosulin]

Urtext does not guarantee the 100% correct match to the composer's original intent, especially for Beethoven. The differences between different Urtext editions are not just in paper, cost, layout, or binding - editor decisions play a huge role, and you will never know which of editors is correct. So you might just decide on what print and layout are best for you.

You might still want to consider that:

1. There are source differences. For example, the older Peters (Fischer, 1974) - not official Urtext, but very popular - uses 1819 London edition of #29 (op.106) instead of 1819 Vienna edition. Vienna is preferred by many as it was proofread by Beethoven (the London one was not).

2. Beethoven used dots, wedges and sometimes | for staccato in his manuscripts, and there is evidence (Beethoven's letter to Karl Holz, and written notes by Muzio Clementi) that these marks have different meaning where wedges mean hard staccato as short as possible, dots are to be played softer, and | is somewhere in between.

I might be wrong (I do not have all of them - and who does?), but it looks like:
- new Peters edition (Fischer, 1988) is probably the only one that uses all 3 forms of staccato marks.
- THE PLANET OF MUSIC Urtext (Egorov, 2020) uses vedges and dots.
- Henle Urtext (Wallner, 1952/1980) unified all staccato marks as dots.
- Wiener Urtext (Hauschild, 1997-2001) uses dots and wedges.
- Barenreiter - I do not know.

Also, it looks like distinguishing between dots and wedges in B's sources is not a trivial task, and requires editor's decision. For example, in Op. 14-1, in bars 4, 15 and 21 Egorov put a dot, while Hauschild (Wiener) has a wedge.

3. Many editions completely drop <> (Schwelltonzeichen) used by Beethoven in many sonatas.

4. Here is one example of where some editors disagree completely: op.27-2 bar 159. Is it staccato (wedge) in the first chord of the manuscript, or a note? The engraver of the first edition put the note and added the staccato wedge as well (see image below), and this possible typo was reproduced by many editions since then.

Here is a quote from Barenreiter: "In A (autograph) LH staccato note 2-4 is written above noteheads, note 1 no staccato. RH note 1 is definitely notehead C sharp as in E (First Edition) not merely LH note staccato, as in one recent edition. Also note 1-4 staccato in E."
I.e. they believe that there is note, and there is no staccato.

At the same time Fischer and Egorov believe there must be only staccato. Egorov (my own translation): "Johannes Fischer gave another example of the advantage the early autograph have before the later - first edition. In bar 159 of the finale of the sonata op. 27 No. 2 on the first chord of the right hand of the manuscript, the engraver struck the staccato wedge as a note (cis). Since then, most publications, including urtexts (Henle G., Nuova Carisch) follow not the original manuscript, but reproduce an obvious engraver's error."

I had a long and interesting discussion about this on another forum, you can google it if you are interested.

[anacrusis]

^I think if Beethoven wanted us to play his music according to his intention, he should have invested some effort into a more legible handwriting

[pianophile]

After years of messing with different editions from the Dover reprints of Schenker to modern Henle, as well as reprints of the original Breihopf and Hartel "urtext" and sundry others (including regrettably, the Shirmer Hans von Bulow), I believe I have found the definitive solution to this  problem: there is ONLY ONE EDITION I consider worthwhile, head and shoulders over anything else. (Piano Roll please.....)

THE circa 1880-1900 EDITION PETERS KOHLER ALL-IN-ONE VOLUME, with the hideous red cover, available on eBay.

The font is utterly perfect and sharp; and the majority of pages have 8 staves per page, and maybe 35-40% have 7 staves per page, with TWICE AS MUCH MUSIC per page as most other editions, but printed SO SHARPLY THAT THE NOTES BURST OFF THE PAGE RIGHT INTO YOUR EYES.
It is engraved to UTTER PERFECTION. Instead of sprawling a typical movement out over 5-8 pages, in this MAGNIFICENT edition, the SAME CONTENT elegantly, crisply, and efficiently fit onto about 3-5/6 pages. This means you see about 30% more of the music with the book opened to any particular pair of pages.

FINALLY, after years of searching, an edition that I find decent and normal, with NO FUSS, and without a million page turns.

Most importantly, the beautifully engraved notes explode off the page right into your eyes, with minimal empty, wasted space on the page. So you see 30% more of the music at any one time, compared to these silly modern customs of almost entirely white pages with a few "precious" notes sprinkled on as if too delicate to be crowded in. (What a load of crap, printing it that way, like 50 notes per page!)

Here's the secret to making this work, though: Cut it out of the hideous cover, shave/file off the binding's glue and thread, and re-bind it as 2 volumes in the customary division (op.2-op.28 in the first volume; op. 31-op.111 in the 2nd volume). Get clear plastic for the covers (4 sheets total), then SPIRAL-BIND (Staples will do it). No other edition can compare, this is pure gold.
 

[kosulin]

Few months ago I compared all more or less modern Urtext editions I could put my hands on, and here are my thoughts (with Cooper and Del Mar being my two top choices):

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ABRSM
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- Tovey and Craxton edition (reprints of 1931 edition) - 3 volumes, 32 sonatas ($90).
Mostly historical value, but has a lot of still relevant performance notes and suggestions (some Tovey ideas can be considered questionable by modern standards though).

- Cooper URTEXT edition (2007-2022) - 3 volumes, 35 sonatas ($87).
Vol. 1 was revised in 2010, 2012, 2017, last print in 2021 AFAIK.
Vol. 2 was revised in 2010, 2015, last print in 2021 AFAIK.
Vol. 3 was revised in 2013, 2015, last print in 2022 AFAIK.
All sonatas are also available separately.
Staccato - dots and wedges.
Fingered by David Ward.
No editorial additions directly marked in the score.
Interpretation and performance notes by Cooper.
Critical notes are in separate inserts in each volume.
Usual ABRSM notation, high quality white paper, sewn paperback. Lays flat with some effort.
Audio CD in each volume with edition introduction, some explanations, and short music extracts on period fortepiano. I see these CD completely useless.

Best bang for your buck IMO if you are looking for a modern high quality performance Urtext with fingerings, as Cooper is one of top Beethoven researchers.

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Alfred Masterworks
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- Gordon edition (2005) - 4 volumes ($100), 32 sonatas. Available as paperback, and as digital edition.
All staccato are marked as dots, no wedges.
Not an official Urtext, but somewhat a mix of critical and performance edition with a lot of editorial suggestions.
Edited and fingered by a well known piano teacher, includes performance practice notes, explains editorial decisions, etc.
Could be good for students, but there is a serious practical issue IMO: a lot of information is put in footnotes. On many pages the score itself takes only half of the space, while the rest is filled with footnotes - not very convenient approach for a study or performance score.
I'd prefer to see most of this stuff moved to appendix.

- Schnabel historical edition  - 2 volumes, 32 sonatas. Available as paperback, and as digital edition.
Definitely overpriced around $90, especially considering its low quality engraving.
Only if you are historic edition collector, or are interested in Schnabel fingerings.
But Schnabel's Curci edition is on IMSLP, and is public domain in many countries. And Schnabel fingerings are available in Henle Library Wallner digital edition.

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Bärenreiter
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- Del Mar URTEXT edition (2018-2021) - 3 score volumes ($90) + Critical Commentary volume ($130) - 35 sonatas.
Reprinted in 2021 and 2022 without revisions.
Staccato - dots and wedges.
No fingerings, no editorial suggestions in the score, such as slurs, or extra bass/treble notes that were not present on Beethoven's piano but are frequently added now.
Preface in the 1st volume explains general editorial challenges faced, and decisions made.
There are footnotes with most important comments/variants shown, but detailed editorial decisions are explained only in the separate Critical Comments volume.
Alternative readings in most cases are also provided only in the Critical Commentary volume.
Critical commentaries provided in this seprate volume are probably the most detailed of all Beethoven sonata editions ever published, and definitely among those I've ever seen.
Exclusion of critical commentaries makes score volumes light and slim (less than 15mm each).
Usual modern (5.5mm staff, i.e. not smallish) Bärenreiter notation, cream paper, sewn paperback. Lays flat easily.
Individual sonata publications (available for all sonatas) provide a little bit of additional analytical and performance/interpretation notes, and all relevant critical commentary and alternative readings from the Critical Commentary volume.

Best edition right now IMO, if you do not need (or do not want) fingerings, as Del Mar is one of top Beethoven researchers.

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Breitkopf & Hartel
------------------

Multiple reprints of 1923 Lamond edition (1989 to 2019, all use the same plates AFAIK) - 2 volumes, 32 sonatas.
Only if you are historic edition collector, or are interested in Lamond fingerings; this is public domain text, and is available on IMSLP.

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Henle
-----

- Schmidt Complete Works edition (Serie 7, bands 2 and 3) - available as clothbound and paperbound - very expensive as all complete editions are, an oldish text published in 1971-1976, only for collectors or libraries IMHO.

- Wallner URTEXT edition (1952-2016) - 2 volumes, 32 sonatas - available as clothbound, paperbound ($100), and digital (Henle Library).
Print editions with and without Hansen fingerings available.
All staccato are marked as dots, no wedges.
No detailed critical comments.
No valid reasons to buy the print edition IMO, but the digital edition offers multiple fingering options (Arrau, Schnabel, d'Albert, Korstick, Hansen), which can be attractive for some.

- Gertsch and Perahia URTEXT edition (2019-) - 3 volumes expected, 32 sonatas - available as clothbound, paperbound ($160 estimated), and digital (Henle Library).
So far, print editions are available only with fingerings.
Perahia edition of WoO 47 is not expected anytime soon if ever AFAIK.
Staccato - dots and wedges.
Fingerings by Perahia who definitely knows how to play Beethoven. Some find them revealing and innovative, and some - quirky. Subject to your own opinion.
Critical comments are at the end of each volume, not as extensive as Del Mar (Barenreiter).
Usual Henle notation, thick light cream paper. Very thick and heavy volumes, each volume is comparable in thickness to Wallner, but there will be 3 instead of 2. Lays flat easily.
Individual sonata publications available not for all sonatas yet.
Obvious choice for Henle aficionados; expensive option for those who needs edition with fingerings and can deal with so big and heavy volumes (Cooper and Reutter are less bulky).
If I ever buy it, I'd most likely go for digital edition (much easier to manipulate fingerings, etc.)

For WoO 47 you'd probably have to look somewhere else, because the Otto von Irmer edition is pretty old.

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Peters
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- Arrau & Hoffmann-Erbrecht URTEXT edition (1973-2022) - 2 volumes ($70), 32 sonatas.
Arrau fingerings is the only selling point IMHO (but Henle Wallner digital edition also has Arrau fingerings).

- Fischer URTEXT edition (1974-) - AFAIK, only the 1st volume and some separate sonatas were published?
Staccato - dots, wedges and |, which is unique between all editions AFAIK.

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Wiener
------

- Hauschild URTEXT edition (1997-2001) - 3 volumes, 32 sonatas ($70).
All staccato are marked as dots, no wedges. Not very accurate musical text.
Fingerings by multiple authors.
No valid reasons to buy IMO; used can be found for very low price though.

- revised Hauschild-Reutter URTEXT edition (2019) - 3 volumes, 32 sonatas ($150).
Reutter edition of WoO 47 (2020, $20) is availbale separately, i.e. we can say this is a 4-volume edition of 35 sonatas for $170.
Staccato - dots and wedges.
Fingerings by multiple authors.
Editorial score additions are in parenthesis.
Critical comments are at the end of each volume, not as extensive as Del Mar (Barenreiter).
Usual Wiener notation, cream paper, sewn paperback. Lays flat easily.
Individual sonata publications (available not for all sonatas yet) provide additional performance/interpretation suggestions, and more extensive critical commentary than those provided in the 3-volume edition.
Might be a very good choice if you like Wiener editions. However, considering that the old Hauschild edition contained many errors, I'd wait for serious reviews before committing to it.
Another question mark - recent Wiener editions are all "edited" by Reutter. I'd prefer to know who really edited those and did the dirty work before Reutter put his signature.

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Editions below are probably irrelevant for most (I own Egorov, but have never seen the rest):

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Planet of Music
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- Egorov URTEXT edition (2002-2020) - 2 volumes - 35 sonatas plus 4 fragments/sonatinas (WoO 50, WoO 51, and both Anh.5) - Russian text.
No fingerings. No critical notes, very limited editorial commentary. 27-2 III bar 159 text differs from usual modern editions with editorial explanation why.
Staccato - dots and wedges.

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Nuova Carisch
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- Damerini URTEXT edition (1998) - 2 volumes - Italian text.

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Könemann
--------

- Máriássy URTEXT edition - 2 volumes.