Last week, I talked a bit about what Urtext editions actually are. So when should you pick Urtext?

I find that Urtext editions are most valuable when performing music from the Baroque and Classical eras. In these time periods, composers did not generally include extensive indications as to dynamics, tempos, or articulation.Student or interpretive editions (Alfred, Schirmer, and International for example) often provide editorial suggestions about these nuances that can be confusing to beginners and downright distracting to more advanced players. As a general rule, composers in the Romantic and Modern eras were more explicit about performance directions, so most editions will reflect the composer’s directions relatively free from too much editorial “creativity.”

Customer: “Hi, I’m looking for Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.”

Me: “Ok, do you want the Henle Edition, Peters, Wiener Urtext, Schenker, ABRSM, Alfred, Schirmer…or something else entirely?”

Customer, somewhat befuddled: “The normal one?”

I go through this exchange at least once a week with this specific piece, and it underlines one of the most confusing aspects of classical music. Which edition should I buy? Often parents coming in to buy music for their kids or people just getting started playing “serious” repertoire aren’t even aware that there are different editions, or that which edition you use matters.

Over the next few days, I’ll be using this space to explain some of the issues you should consider when choosing what edition of a piece to purchase. To start us off, here’s some information on Urtext editions.