A while back, a lovely reader asked for a post regarding editions of scores. More specifically, she wanted a list of the “best” editions for standard operas and composers (such as Mozart, Puccini, etc.). That way, you know the score you’re purchasing will be a love that lasts a lifetime.
First of all, thank you, dear reader, for your wonderful question. Please, please always request posts! I write these for you, so it only makes sense that they serve as responses to what you want to read.
Now, the main event. Naturally, when I received this question, I headed straight over to the expert – Glendower Jones of Classical Vocal Reprints.
He’s a busy guy, understandably, so our conversation on the topic was brief. However, I quickly learned that a post on the subject of editions would not be as simple as, “Buy X edition for Y composer”. Instead, this post has to be on why it’s not that simple, and tips on finding the “best” edition of a vocal score.
It takes a while for word to get out
The most surprising thing I learned about finding the best edition is that new editions come out all the time, and some of them are honestly better than the old ones. The problem with this is that it takes quite some time for word to get out about the new editions. People are familiar with the standard scores that have been used for generations. So it seems that for a new edition to become the standard, it has to be around for a while and has to be really good.
One word: Reprints
The next thing I was really surprised to learn is that some editions are simply reprints of other editions. This means that some editions carry over editorial changes or even mistakes from a previous edition. Then they have the potential to add their own. Furthermore, it can then be difficult to know which is closer to the original score, or which is the reprint.
Better doesn’t mean bigger bucks
As a result of the two earlier points, it seems that some editions are able to drive up their prices. In reality, they’re just a copy of a more affordable version.
I don’t know about you, but I was both dismayed and relieved to hear all of this. On one hand, it was disappointing to know that I wasn’t going to be able to write the ultimate list of editions that ever existed. However, I felt relieved because it meant that my inability to find the best edition of a score at any given time was reasonable (not excusable, mind you, but reasonable).
So what can we do? Before we all go running to CVR to ask about the best edition of every score that ever existed, let’s brainstorm a couple of ways we can narrow down our edition search.
Find the generally accepted edition
So we now know that the most popular edition might not be the best edition. However, if the edition is widely accepted as one of the best, or at least the most favorable, maybe it can serve as the best edition for our ultimate purposes. Furthermore, find out why it’s considered the best. What does it have (or not have) that makes it the edition of choice amongst singers, conductors, or pianists?
Ask a musicologist
While a musicologist may not be able to tell you how good a recently published edition is, they might be able to tell you about the historical background of early editions. Then, you might be able to create some sort of lineage in editions that will lead you back to the most historically accurate one (also known as a critical edition).
Use the editions that professional companies are using
In my opinion, this is really cutting to the chase when it comes to edition selection. Ultimately, we want the edition that’s going to serve our needs as both students and professionals in the long run. Where better to find that then through the companies you want to work for? Granted, they may change their minds about an edition later on. However, if you can find out from an opera company or their score seller (we hope it’s CVR!), then you probably have a score that will serve you well in the long run.
So now I want to know: where do you find your editions? What makes an edition really good, or even the “best”, to you? What do you avoid in an edition of a vocal score? Perhaps collectively we can begin to form a master list!