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A world of musical knowledge
MGG is complete

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, his life and his work, are excellently documented in an article of almost 100 pages devoted to him in ’MGG’, the German-language music encyclopaedia ’Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart’, which has recently been completed. Anyone who has read this article will be up-to-date with current research.

But who was Nicolas Dubut? The ’maître joueur d’instruments à vent’, that is a master of wind instruments in Paris in the 17th century, is only granted seven lines. Few in comparison with Mozart, but enough to ensure he retains a place in music history. In this way, the biggest music encyclopaedia in the world encompasses a huge range, with major articles the length of books and smaller entries just a few lines long. Now, this publication has been completed, published by Bärenreiter-Verlag and J. B. Metzler between 1994 and 2008. The nine volumes of the subject part of the encyclopaedia have been followed by 17 in the biographical part, each accompanied by an index volume. The final instalment is a supplementary volume.

Both publishers engaged in this ambitious project to cover the whole of musical knowledge in book form. When the project was announced, there were some sceptical reactions: the book was no longer an adequate medium, knowledge could be presented better in electronic form, and anyway, German was no longer the language of musicology. Yet after just a few volumes had been published it was clear, that the new MGG was recognised worldwide as a standard reference work. It is in no way inferior to the first edition of MGG, published from 1949 to 1986 in 17 volumes.

Simple statistics can only give a flavour of the scope of the encyclopaedia. Nevertheless, they are always impressive. 29 volumes containing a total of 25,000 pages. Over 3,000 authors from 55 countries have written articles on 1,500 subjects and 18,000 people. The 29 extensive volumes measure almost 2 metres in length and weigh 43 kilos.

However, the contents are weightier. What the editorial department, together with the editor, Ludwig Finscher, have achieved fulfils the brief which was set for the project: MGG captures knowledge about music, as portrayed at the beginning of the 21st century. And because the times of narrow nationalisms are over, as the dominance of the ’Western’ perspective has long since given way to a global one, readers can go on a world tour through the volumes. The music of China is described in 36 pages, and that of Arabia in 60. The major themes of western music such as the symphony and string quartet are treated on an equal footing. Non-European musical forms and instruments, such as the huayno (an Andean dance) or the Kamance (a type of lute found in the Middle East) have their place alongside the waltz and the piano.

In our time, MGG stands firm as a rock. It is testimony that a clear conception of a body of scholarship in printed form can still be purposeful and successful today.

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Bach, Bärenreiter, Best Edition

Bärenreiter publishers has just been awarded the Deutscher Musikeditionspreis ”Best Edition” for three of its Bach publications. Last year, the company completed its publication of the ”New Bach Edition”. Prizes were given to the 19-volume study edition of the complete Bach Cantatas, the sumptuous facsimile of Bach’s manuscript of the B Minor Mass and the catalogue ”Die Kopisten Johann Sebastian Bachs” [Johann Sebastian Bach’s copyists]. Since 1991, the Deutscher Musikverleger-Verband [German Music Publishers’ Association] has awarded the Deutscher Musikeditionspreis ”Best Edition” annually, prizes which are given to sheet music publications and books on music of exceptional quality. With these awards, the Association recognises the special editorial achievements of its publisher members.

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A new edition from Bärenreiter

Bärenreiter-Verlag is expanding its publishing programme with a new historical-critical edition – ”Works of / Opere di Gioachino Rossini”. With this, Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) becomes the most recent composer in the gallery of complete and selected editions from Bärenreiter music publishers in Kassel. Rossini, in his day probably more famous than any other European composer, left a considerable oeuvre of works, with many rediscoveries yet to be made. In addition to over 50 works for the stage, more and more of which are finding their place in opera programmes, he wrote a large number of sacred vocal works and an equally large number of chamber music works. For this edition of Rossini’s works, the American musicologist Philip Gossett has been engaged as General Editor, in collaboration with the Center for Italian Opera Studies at the University of Chicago. The new project, the first volume of which (Chamber Music without piano) has just been published, has been planned as far as 2011 in the first instance. Both partners are keen for this to continue. The ten volumes planned for publication by 2011 include songs, piano music and the ”Petite Messe Solennelle” as well as Rossini’s most famous and successful work, the opera ”Il Barbiere di Siviglia”.


The first Volume

Gioachino Rossini: Chamber Music without piano / Musica da camera senza pianoforte. Edited by Martina Grempler and Daniela Macchione. Opere di Gioachino Rossini, vol. 1. Bärenreiter-Verlag 2007. BA 10511. € 162,–; Critical Commentary € 36,–.

The Publication Schedule

Vol. 1 Chamber Music without piano
Ed. Martina Grempler / Daniela Macchione 2007. BA 10511 (bereits erschienen)

Vol. 2 Petite Messe Solennelle
(both versions for two pianos and harmonium)
Ed. Patricia B. Brauner / Philip Gossett 2008. BA 10501

Vol. 3 Music for Band
Ed. Denise Gallo 2008. BA 10502

Vol. 4 La cambiale di matrimonio
Ed. Alexandra Amati-Campera 2008. BA 10504

Vol. 5 Songs for voice and piano
Ed. Patricia B. Brauner / Philip Gossett 2009. BA 10503

Vol. 6 Messa di Gloria
Ed. Martina Grempler 2009. BA 10507

Vol. 7a/b Il barbiere di Siviglia
Ed. Patricia B. Brauner 2010 BA 10506

Vol. 8 Piano pieces
Uncollected piano pieces from the Péchés de vieillesse
Ed. Marvin Tartak 2010. BA 10505

Vol. 9 Didactic works
Ed. Marco Beghelli 2011. BA 10509

Vol. 10a/b Le Comte Ory
Ed. Damien Colas 2011. BA 10508

Further information

Brochure Download






Una nuova edizione Bärenreiter

Con la nuova edizione storico-critica ”Works of / Opere di Gioachino Rossini” la Bärenreiter arricchisce il proprio programma editoriale. Gioachino Rossini è, infatti, l’ultimo acquisto nella galleria delle edizioni integrali e di opere scelte della casa editrice di Kassel. Rossini, ai suoi tempi celebre come nessun altro compositore in Europa, ha lasciato una grande produzione in cui molto vi è ancora da scoprire. Oltre alle più di 50 opere liriche, che continuano a conquistare sempre maggiore spazio nei cartelloni, egli ha composto una grande quantità di opere vocali sacre, nonché numerosa musica da camera. Per l’edizione dei lavori rossiniani ci si è potuti avvalere della guida del musicologo americano Philip Gossett, direttore editoriale del progetto, in collaborazione con il ”Center for Italian Opera Studies” della University of Chicago. Di questo progetto – la cui durata è prevista fino al 2011, sebbene entrambi i partner coinvolti ne auspichino un ulteriore proseguimento – è appena stato pubblicato il primo volume (Musica da camera senza pianoforte). I dieci volumi previsti nell’edizione entro il 2011, oltre alle Romanze, alla Musica per pianoforte e alla ”Petite Messe Solennelle”, comprendono anche l’opera rossiniana più celebre e di maggior successo, ”Il Barbiere di Siviglia”.

Il primo volume

Gioachino Rossini: Chamber Music without piano / Musica da camera senza pianoforte. Edited by Martina Grempler and Daniela Macchione. Opere di Gioachino Rossini, vol. 1. Bärenreiter-Verlag 2007. BA 10511. € 162,–; Critical Commentary € 36,– .


Calendario delle pubblicazioni
Vol. 1 Chamber Music without piano
Ed. Martina Grempler / Daniela Macchione 2007. BA 10511 (bereits erschienen)

Vol. 2 Petite Messe Solennelle
(both versions for two pianos and harmonium)
Ed. Patricia B. Brauner / Philip Gossett 2008. BA 10501

Vol. 3 Music for Band
Ed. Denise Gallo 2008. BA 10502

Vol. 4 La cambiale di matrimonio
Ed. Alexandra Amati-Camperi 2008. BA 10504

Vol. 5 Songs for voice and piano
Ed. Patricia B. Brauner / Philip Gossett 2009. BA 10503

Vol. 6 Messa di Gloria
Ed. Martina Grempler 2009. BA 10507

Vol. 7a/b Il barbiere di Siviglia
Ed. Patricia B. Brauner 2010 BA 10506

Vol. 8 Piano pieces
Uncollected piano pieces from the Péchés de vieillesse
Ed. Marvin Tartak 2010. BA 10505

Vol. 9 Didactic works
Ed. Marco Beghelli 2011. BA 10509

Vol. 10a/b Le Comte Ory
Ed. Damien Colas 2011. BA 10508