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From:  John Alexander Blyth <BLYTHE@B...>
John Alexander Blyth <BLYTHE@B...>
Date:  Wed Apr 25, 2001  3:25 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Bach MAGNIFICAT editions


I don't know if I'm *exactly* an expert, but I work in a music library and
have a special interest in the music of Bach. So here is my grandiose 2c
worth: Baerenreiter's performing editions are, in my opinion, the best
there is, and they are also responsible for publishing the Neue Bach
Ausgasbe. Because they limit their markings to what the composer wrote
(with occasional suggestions as to how something might be realized if there
is a perceived problem of style) one does have to do one's homework and to
apply all of the singerly devices that one has learned to be effective.
Certainly compare your new score with the Peters, which was likely prepared
by a fine musician, but only for suggestions. Bach, to the best of my
knowledge, never actually wrote a crescendo *anywhere*, and usually
indicated dynamics either implicitly, by the character of the music and
instrumentation, or, in a few rare cases, where echo effects of forte
followed by piano are required.
If I were not so cheap I would probably get Baerenreiter editions of all
my repertoire, though I made sure to check a few things in Winterreise
against it when I was in Patelsons last year! john


At 06:17 PM 4/24/01 -0400, you wrote:
>I just bought a second of Bach's MAGNIFICAT in D, the Baerenreiter
>edition. I've been working for years with the Edition Peters edition, and
>I was *very* interested to see just how different these two editions are.
>Where Edition Peters is extremely detailed in providing tempo markings and
>dynamic markings, the Baerenreiter edition provides very few tempo
>markings, and no dynamic markings.
>
>Given these are both good publishers, my question is this: who's right?
>Are the tempo and dynamic markings in the Edition Peters version Bach's
>own, or the editor's "suggestions"? Or was the Baerenreiter editor just
>lazy? The Baerenreiter states that its score is based on the Neue
>Bach-Ausgabe. There is no information in the Edition Peters score about
>its provenance.
>
>I'm not even remotely a Bach expert, but I AM very curious about which of
>these scores I should be working with. Any experts out there want to
>weigh in?
>
>KM
>=====
>My NEIL SHICOFF Website:
>http://www.radix.net/~dalila/shicoff/shicoff.html
>
>My Website:
>http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
>
>-----
>We're sitting in the opera house;
>We're waiting for the curtain to arise
>With wonders for our eyes,
>A feeling of expectancy,
>A certain kind of ecstasy,
>Expectancy and ecstasy....Sh's's's.
>
> - Charles Ives
>
>
>
>
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>
John Blyth
Baritono robusto e lirico
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada


  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date Size
11397 Re: Bach MAGNIFICAT editions Karen Mercedes   Wed  4/25/2001   2 KB
11411 Re: Bach MAGNIFICAT editions Lloyd W. Hanson   Thu  4/26/2001   3 KB

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