Novello - Bach Organ Works

[tumult_in_the_praetorium]

Perhaps I'm missing a major point here, but...

...on many organ-related internet forums I constantly hear much criticism concerning the Novello editions of the complete organ works of Bach.

I'd be rather interested to know just why a great number of organists detest this set of publications. I gather that in the UK especially, organ students are greatly discouraged from using this edition.

Tim</P>

[Philip the organist]

Re: Novello - Bach Organ Works



Tumult,
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My teacher told me to buy the Dover editions (based on the Bach-Geschallschaft). I didn't ask why, I just bought and was happy. Do people detest all Novello scores? My teacher photocopied three works from their Mendolssohn book, and there was only one typo, like putting a natural instead of a sharp, or something small like that.
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[Guest]

Re: Novello - Bach Organ Works



Well, I think the main problem is that the editorial suggestions are very much of their time. There are certainly textual issues as well, but most of the notes are right... Still, I see them used a lot, so among the guys on the ground I don't think it's that big a deal.</p>

I bought the complete Barenreiter editions myself and I'm very happy with them. I also have quite a few Breitkopf volumes. I never play or learn from the Novello editions anymore.
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[Guest]

Re: Novello - Bach Organ Works



The Novello editions contain registrations and Italian tempo markings, which are sort of correct, but no way did Bach write that! So why have novello actually written them in if there was absolutely no way that Bach would have written that? We should be left to decide for ourselves what tempo or registration that we should play at....</P>


That's why I HATE Novello. Apart from the orgelbuchlein which gives the actual chorale and the English and German text which is so useful.</P>


Jezza</P>

[Havoc]

Re: Novello - Bach Organ Works



I don't think that just adding a tempo suggestion at the beginning would be reason for much criticism. However if they put in a lot of links and written out trills and fingering and so then there might be reasons. I have been browsing through the Schott edition of the Wohltemperierte and that is like that. </P>

Unless you get copies of manuscripts there will be some changes. I like my Editio Musica Budapest series. Only a few things are suggested or put in brackets certainly nothing that detracts. Bad point however is that they fall apart but it are old editions from the time it was still "from the East".</P>

[nullogik]

Re: Novello - Bach Organ Works



I'm no "note counter" so I don't really care about the small differences from edition to another. None of them are going to be as accurate as playing from the original score, but if the odd trill is placed differently in one or another, or perhaps a handful of notes are slightly different then so what? I have various books of Bach, from Novello, Barenreiter, Breitkopf to even Kevin Mayhew. I've found that the vast majority of pieces are almost 99% the same - occasionally an ornament is slightly different in one or a few differ slightly another but unless you look at the original score how do you know which one is the correct version?
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I'd rather play the piece effectively and bring enjoyment to audience irrespective of version. After all, I really doubt if anyone in the audience is going to notice I'm playing from Novello for one piece, Barenreiter for another and Mayhew for the third.</p>

Actually, I rather like the Kevin Mayhew editions. Laugh as you might, but these scores are very nicely laid out on large sized pages. The music isn't bunched up and page turns are thoughtfully placed. In terms of just page layout, the KM wins hands down over any of the other German editions which seem to try and squeeze as much on to one page as possible. In ternas of accuraccy there are a few technical differences but during performance you'd be hard pressed to notice as its just the odd note or the odd ornament.
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[Guest]

Re: Novello - Bach Organ Works



I have gone through the Barenreiter and Breitkopf (modern, not the Nauman edition from the 1800s) editions of the Orgelbuchlein note by note as part of my proofreading for my own edition (which is free and available for download, see http://www.nerstrand.net/music). There are a surprising number of differences, generally in the areas of repeats, ornaments, musica ficta, and assignment of notes to voices. I have also reviewed a facsimile of the manuscript. This for a series of pieces for which the autograph is available. Greater divergence is no doubt present in those pieces for which there are only copies extant. Both of these editions diverge from the Bach-Gesellschaft compilation in minor yet arguably important ways.
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I believe that the Barenreiter edition is the most reliable and practical edition of Bach's complete works. The newer Brietkopf and Hartell edition is an independent reading but still places too much emphasis on literal acccuracy and does not incorporate as much musica ficta as it should for the modern performer. I have not gone through the Kevin Mayhew edition in detail but the large page size and careful layout are certainly attractive. It is recent so I doubt if it departs much from modern scholarship.</p>

All these are major improvements over the older editions from Durand, Schirmer, B&amp;H (including the Dover reprint), and for that matter Novello, all of which I've looked through. The Durand, Schirmer, and Novello editions suffer from excessive editing. The older B&amp;H edition and the Dover copy are hard to read and don't reflect modern scholarship.</p>

That said, there are worthy editions of the Orgelbuchlein alone, such as the Faulkner edition and the one from Concordia (as long as you find an oversize 10x14 copy, the newer 9x12 ones are almost unreadable).
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[Peterboroughdiapason]

Re: Novello - Bach Organ Works



What do you mean by "musica ficta"? I have never heard the term used except in the normal mediaeval and Renaissance context.</p>

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By the way, can I ask about the fingering in the Stanley Voluntary on the Nerstrand site? Is the fingering Stanley's? </p>

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