Organ Editions From Barenreiter.

Jones, Peter Ward

Weimarer Orgeltabulatur: Die fruhesten Notenhandschriften Johann Sebastian Bachs sowie Abschriften seines Schulers Johann Martin Schubart. Mit Werken von Dietrich Buxtehude, Johann Adam Reinken und Johann Pachelbel. Herausgegeben von Michael Maul und Peter Wollny. Kassel: Barenreiter, c2007. (Documenta musicologica, Reihe 2: Handschriften-Faksimiles, 39.) (Faksimile-Reihe Bachscher Werke und Schriftstucke, 3.) [Preface in Eng., Ger., p. vii--xxxv; transcription, score, p. 1-46; Krit. Bericht, p. 47-48; 4 facsims.: 8, 2, 4, 4 p. ISBN 3-7618-1958-9, 978-3-7618-1957-9; pub. no. BVK 1957. Paper in slipcase. [euro]89.]

Deutsche Orgel-und Claviermusik der Bach-Zeit: Werke in Erstausgaben = German Organ and Keyboard Music from Bach's Period: Collection of First Editions. Herausgegeben von Siegbert Rampe. Kassel: Barenreiter, 2007. [Preface in Eng., Ger., p. iii--xvii; facsims. (b&w); score, 98 p. ISBN 979-0-006-53707-5; ISMN M-006-53707-5; pub. no. BA9255. Paper. [euro]35.]

Louis Vierne. 3eme symphonie, op. 28 (1911). Edite par Helga Schauerte-Maubouet. Kassel: Barenreiter, c2008. (L'oeuvre d'orgue = Complete Organ Works, 3.) (Barenreiter Urtext.) [Preface (biographical overview, genesis of the editions, genesis of the Third Symphony, notation and interpretation), in Fre., Eng., Ger., p. ix--xxxiv; facsims., p. xxxv-xxxvii; score, p. 2-53; crit. report in Fre., Eng., Ger., p. 54-57. ISBN 979-0-006-53437-1; ISMN M-006-53437-1; pub. no. BA 9223. Paper. [euro]29.95.]

Hugo Distler. Die grossen Partiten = The Large-scale Partitas. Herausgegeben von Armin Schoof. Kassel: Barenreiter, c2008. (Neue Ausgabe samtlicher Orgelwerke: Jubilaumsedition zum 100. Geburtstag = New Edition of the Complete Organ Works: Centennial Jubilee Edition, 1.) (Barenreiter Urtext.) [Preface (overview of Distler and his organ works), in Eng., Ger., p. vi-xi; Distler's preface and concluding remarks for the Barenreiter edition of 1933, p. xiv-xv, xx-xxi; illus., p. xvii, xix; facsims., p. xxii-xxiii; score, p. 2-43; Krit. Bericht in Eng., Ger., p. 44-55; glossary of Distler's performance instructions, p. 56. ISBN 979-0-006-53444-9; ISMN M-006-53444-9; pub. no. BA 9231. Paper. [euro]26.95.] Contains: "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" ("Veni, redemptor gentium"), op. 8, no. 1; "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme," op. 8, no. 2.

Of these four new Barenreiter organ publications, perhaps the most significant is the Weimarer Orgeltabulatur. The disastrous fire at the Anna Amalia Library at Weimar in 2004 saw most of the music collection perish along with the library's superb rococo interior. The following year a systematic search was begun by scholars from the Bach-Archiv in Leipzig for any traces of Bach's activity amongst the Weimar-related items in the library. In May 2005 the autograph of an unknown aria, "Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn' ihn," was discovered, and published that same year (in facsimile as Documenta musicologica, Reihe 2, vol. 33; and edited by Michael Maul as Barenreiter BA 5246). Then in the summer of that year an even more important find was made, preserved amongst the manuscripts in the theological section. In a modern box were four fascicles containing five organ works written in tablature: a Reincken chorale fantasia, a fragment of a Buxtehude chorale fantasia, and three works by Pachelbel. The handwriting in two of these fascicles turned out to be that of the young J. S. Bach, while the other two fascicles were in the hand of a very early Bach pupil, Johann Martin Schubart. The importance of this discovery lies not in the works themselves--they are all known from other sources--but in the valuable clues and information the manuscripts provide about Bach's early biography, and the fact that they include the earliest examples of Bach's musical hand. For as Michael Maul and Peter Wollny reveal in the excellent preliminary essays, close examination of the Bach pages shows them to have been written during his school days at Ohrdruf (1695-1700) and Luneburg (1700-1702?). Moreover, the Reincken fantasia on "An Wasserflussen Babylon" provides a direct link between Bach and Georg Bohm, organist of the Johanniskirche in Luneburg, for it was copied from the latter's own copy, and confirms their close association. Being written in tablature probably ensured the manuscripts' survival, for when they entered the Anna Amalia Library (probably in the early nineteenth century) they were evidently not recognized as music, and found their way into the theological section; otherwise they might well have ended up amongst the destroyed music manuscripts.

The introductory essays are presented in German and English, and precede transcriptions of the tablature into modern keyboard notation. The original manuscripts are excellently reproduced as four separate fascicles, and the whole is contained in a box. In an age when viol players and lutenists commonly play from tablature, it would be an interesting challenge for some modern-day organists to explore the art of playing from keyboard tablature. It now looks a formidably difficult task, but was obviously an everyday accomplishment for organists around 1700. Many libraries will probably have standing orders for the Documenta musicologica series, and thus will already have this volume on their shelves; but for others and for any individual with an interest in Bach studies, this will be an important and noteworthy acquisition.

By way of contrast, Deutsche Orgel- und Claviermusik der Bach-Zeit is a puzzling compilation, and it is not clear for whom it is intended. Anyone who acquires it expecting a useful practical anthology of organ and harpsichord pieces from Bach's time is likely to be disappointed. The problems stem in part from the subtitle, Werke in Erstausgaben. In truth, almost all the worthwhile German keyboard music of the period has long since already appeared in modern editions. What we have here is very much a scraping of the barrel. With one exception, the composers represented range from minor figures like Heinrich Nikolaus Gerber, Christoph Graupner, and Johann Melchior Molter, to the totally obscure like Domenico Alberizi and Johann Theodor Roemhildt. The musical interest is almost uniformly minimal. Molter, for example--known as a respectable composer of symphonies and concertos, but with no particular keyboard skills--is represented by humdrum pieces apparently written for teaching purposes at the Karlsruhe court. The most interesting work is probably a harpsichord sonata by Johann Adolph Scheibe (best known for his criticism of J. S. Bach's music as old fashioned), which was originally published in 1760 (and so here a first modern edition rather than a first edition proper) and, with its abrupt changes of mood and dynamics, stylistically not unlike C. P. E. Bach. The one exception in terms of names is that of J. S. Bach himself, who has two works in this volume. Two first editions of Bach? Well, not exactly. The first is the organ Toccata in F Major (BWV 540), but printed apparently for the first time from an early source with notable variants from the familiar version. In contrast to the latter, whose pedal part extends up to f, this version was evidently designed for an organ whose pedal extended only to c. Siegbert Rampe, in contrast to most scholars, argues that this was the original form of the work, but though it may be the earliest source, it is difficult to accept that it corresponds wholly to Bach's original conception. The octave span of the imitative arpeggio figure, which forms the principal motif of the main section of the toccata and is always introduced by the pedals, is so integral to the piece that its frequent alteration in this early source to avoid pedal notes above c surely reflects an adaptation made out of necessity, and not Bach's original intention. The piece is here presented in two-stave format, which, though it may reflect the original source, makes it distinctly impractical for a modern performer. The other Bach work has even less justification for inclusion, for it is the Fantasia in G Major (usually known these days as the Piece d'orgue), BWV 572a, again printed in an earlier version than the usual one, and in which the central section is marked Gayement rather than Gravement, and is largely for manuals only. Yet, as the editor admits, its appearance here is not a first edition, for Kenneth Gilbert published it in 1993, and Rampe merely justifies its republication in order "to spare the player the annoyance of having to consult different editions." It would seem that the two Bach works have been included mainly because of Rampe's clear personal interest in the variants, as expressed in his prefatory notes, and perhaps to give some firmer musical substance to the volume.

The edition as a whole seems to fall into what I would deem the "under-edited" category, a situation too often encountered these days, in that the editor considers his task done if he has presented a clean text with appropriate critical and historical notes. Assuming that it is intended for practical use, players really do need a bit more guidance than is offered here. What, for example, does the curious [??] time signature of the Alberizi Fuga inversa mean, when it appears to be in [??] time? It is also sometimes far from clear where the pedals are meant to be employed, and appropriate tempos are not at all obvious in, for example, some of the Gerber pieces. It surely ought to be the duty of an editor, given presumed expertise in the style of the period, to offer help to the less initiated, however hedged about with qualifications it might be. Few purchasers of a volume such as this will have ready access to a teacher able to enlighten them on many of these matters. In the case of the present volume, the preface (in German and English) does include a section "Editorial Method and Performance Practice," but it is devoted purely to editorial matters. While by no means wishing to extol the heavily-edited versions found in early-twentieth-century anthologies such as Karl Straube's Alte Meister des Orgelspiels (3 vols. [Leipzig: Peters, 1904-29]), it does seem to me that the average organist performing from such a volume probably produced a more musical result than many present-day organists faced with just the bare notes. In short, this is a book of historical curiosities, rather than nourishment for the musical soul.

A good proportion of Louis Vierne's music has remained firmly in the repertoire of organists ever since its first appearance in the earlier part of the twentieth century. In common with much French music of the period, the initial printed editions were far from perfect, and despite some correction of errors in later reprints, they have long been recognized as in need of revision. In fact, a number of articles providing lists of corrections for the six organ symphonies have appeared in recent decades. Now, two new complete editions of the organ works have been announced at the same time, one from Carus-Verlag, edited by David Sanger and Jan Laukvik, and published 2007-8 in thirteen volumes (not sent for review), and the other from Barenreiter, being issued between 2008 and 2011, whose first volume, devoted to the Third Symphony, is under consideration here. Vierne's life was a troubled one; not only was he nearly blind from birth, but he suffered with both marital problems and career setbacks. Indeed, the Third Symphony was born out of his frustration at his failure to gain an expected appointment as professor of the organ class at the Paris Conservatoire in 1911, despite having been titulaire of Notre-Dame Cathedral since 1900. Nevertheless, Vierne showed great personal resilience, and despite further deterioration of his sight, forcing him to compose with braille, he survived until 1937, when he collapsed at the console of Notre-Dame in the middle of a recital.

Given his eyesight, it is not surprising that Vierne's manuscripts (such as exist) contain considerable ambiguities, and that the first editions were likewise problematic. Vierne's own highly chromatic harmonic language itself creates moments of uncertainty as to whether a particular accidental might not be erroneous or missing. Helga Schauerte-Maubouet, the principal editor of this project, has done a thorough job with the five-movement Third Symphony, one of the finest. The extensive preface and the critical notes are all presented in English, French and German. A comparison with the current Durand edition, it is true, reveals only a few minor differences; in this work at least, using the new edition will not produce any discernible difference for the listener, but organists will appreciate the superior layout of Barenreiter's edition (even if it loses something of that French aura), as well as the wealth of information about the work. As is inevitable, a couple of misprints have evaded detection, and there are a few places where additional cautionary accidentals might have been useful; but it bodes well for the rest of the enterprise and can be warmly recommended.

Hugo Distler, the centenary of whose birth fell in 2008, had, like Vierne, a troubled life, but during the 1930s produced a small but distinguished body of mainly choral and organ music, which has continued to maintain a modest place in the repertoire, at least in Germany. Born illegitimate, and brought up by grandparents, he trained at the Leipzig Conservatorium under Gunther Ramin and Hermann Grabner. Greatly influenced by the neobaroque Orgelbewegung of the time, Distler went on in 1931 to become organist of St. Jakobi in Lubeck, with its two venerable baroque instruments. His own organ works are, unsurprisingly, conceived with this sonority in mind. All originally published by Barenreiter, they are now presented in a three-volume centenary edition, edited by Armin Schoof. A single volume of Distler's few piano works is also forthcoming. Schoof's excellent preface provides a fine overview of Distler's life, though it neglects to mention his joining the Nazi party in 1933. Disillusion with the party seems to have soon set in, and by 1938 his own music was in danger of being labelled "entartete" (degenerate). In the end the pressures became too much, and Distler committed suicide in Berlin in 1942. The first volume, sent for review, contains the composer's two major organ works: the chorale partitas on "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" and "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme." The term partita is used here more in the meaning of a suite than of a regular set of variations like the Bach chorale partitas, although the first work does include variations as one of its movements. Distler's concern for detail and clarity of instructions regarding articulation and registration means that in many respects there is comparatively little for an editor to do, and a manuscript source exists only for the first work. Nevertheless, this is an immaculately presented edition, with both the prefatory material and the critical notes given in German and English. The composer's numerous German tempo and other markings are all translated into English in a glossary at the end of the volume. Compared with his contemporaries, Distler's own contrapuntal tonal style is more inventive than that of Ernst Pepping, and less astringent than that of Johann Nepomuk David. It is music that deserves a place in organists' repertoires alongside the well-known Hindemith sonatas, and this edition should serve Distler's cause well.

PETER WARD JONES

Bodleian Library, University of Oxford