Neue Mozart-Ausgabe
Encyclopedia
The Neue Mozart-Ausgabe (abbreviated as "NMA"; in English, New Mozart Edition) is the second complete works edition of the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
. A longer and more formal title for the edition is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Neue Ausgabe sämtlicher Werke.
, consisting of the actual authentic music of Mozart along with a "Supplement"; the latter includes arrangements by Mozart of others' music and works whose authenticity has not been fully established. Still being published are the Critical Reports – technical commentaries in German. By 2006 these were nearly complete.
from 1877 to 1883 (with supplements until 1910), which is sometimes referred to today as the Alte Mozart-Ausgabe
(or "Old Mozart Edition"). One of the editorial directors, Wolfgang Rehm, writes that "The NMA aims to be a historical-critical edition and to offer as such the latest state of philological-musicological procedure as well as practical knowledge (particularly with regard to performance) of Mozart's creative production."
Highly regarded and frequently used by performers of Mozart's music and musical scholars, the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe is an indispensable reference for anyone seriously interested in the output of this composer. H. C. Robbins Landon
has called it "an absolute necessity if we are to perform Mozart correctly," and on one occasion had to insist that the Vienna Philharmonic use the NMA for a series of recordings of Mozart's symphonies
rather than the less accurate Breitkopf & Härtel edition mentioned above.
remarks that the work of the NMA was "hampered by the removal in World War II
and the unavailability until 1980 of most of the largest single collection of Mozart autographs, that of the Berlin State Library
, Berlin." Consequently, the editors of the NMA had to manage with this state of affairs as well as possible. In editing The Marriage of Figaro
for the NMA, which appeared in 1973, Ludwig Finscher was only able to access the first two acts of the autograph
score. In editing the Piano Concerto No. 27, K. 595
, Wolfgang Rehm actually had to make use of a photographic reproduction of the autograph made before the war, which was provided by the pianist Rudolf Serkin
, since the autograph itself was not accessible in 1960 when the NMA volume containing the concerto was published.
Along similar lines, Landon comments that "recently discovered ms. sources have rendered even the NMA's edition of the Linz symphony
obsolete." It is perhaps inevitable that new finds will in time render some aspects of the NMA open to reconsideration, since research and discovery regarding Mozart's work remain an ongoing process.
s, helpful, while some of it is in his view misjudged. However, Neumann's strictures do not seem particularly severe, and in his "Preface" he writes that, although he attempted where possible to view primary sources of Mozart's music, where this was not possible, the NMA "offered an indispensable supplement," an assessment that testifies to his general high regard for the edition.
Starting December 12, 2006, scans of most of the Neue Mozart Ausgabe are also available online as the DME (Digital Mozart Edition) in JPEG
and PDF
format, a service provided by the Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum (International Mozarteum Foundation) in cooperation with the Packard Humanities Institute.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
. A longer and more formal title for the edition is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Neue Ausgabe sämtlicher Werke.
Publication
The main corpus of the edition was published between 1955 and 1991 by Bärenreiter-VerlagBärenreiter
Bärenreiter is a German classical music publishing house based in Kassel. The firm was founded by Karl Vötterle in Augsburg in 1923, and moved to Kassel in 1927, where it still maintains headquarters; it also has offices in Basel, London, New York and Prague...
, consisting of the actual authentic music of Mozart along with a "Supplement"; the latter includes arrangements by Mozart of others' music and works whose authenticity has not been fully established. Still being published are the Critical Reports – technical commentaries in German. By 2006 these were nearly complete.
Strengths
The Neue Mozart-Ausgabe is an advance over the previous complete works edition of Mozart published by Breitkopf & HärtelBreitkopf & Härtel
Breitkopf & Härtel is the world's oldest music publishing house. The firm was founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf . The catalogue currently contains over 1000 composers, 8000 works and 15,000 music editions or books on music. The name "Härtel" was added when Gottfried...
from 1877 to 1883 (with supplements until 1910), which is sometimes referred to today as the Alte Mozart-Ausgabe
Alte Mozart-Ausgabe
The Alte Mozart-Ausgabe is the name by which the first complete edition of the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, is known nowadays, published by Breitkopf & Härtel from January 1877 to December 1883, with supplements published until 1910...
(or "Old Mozart Edition"). One of the editorial directors, Wolfgang Rehm, writes that "The NMA aims to be a historical-critical edition and to offer as such the latest state of philological-musicological procedure as well as practical knowledge (particularly with regard to performance) of Mozart's creative production."
Highly regarded and frequently used by performers of Mozart's music and musical scholars, the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe is an indispensable reference for anyone seriously interested in the output of this composer. H. C. Robbins Landon
H. C. Robbins Landon
Howard Chandler Robbins Landon was an American musicologist.He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and studied music at Swarthmore College and Boston University. He subsequently moved to Europe where he worked as a music critic. From 1947 he undertook research in Vienna on Joseph Haydn, a composer...
has called it "an absolute necessity if we are to perform Mozart correctly," and on one occasion had to insist that the Vienna Philharmonic use the NMA for a series of recordings of Mozart's symphonies
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
rather than the less accurate Breitkopf & Härtel edition mentioned above.
Issues
At the same time, the NMA is not entirely free of problems, although to most observers these do not detract from the scholarly achievement that this edition clearly represents.Unavailable source materials
Stanley SadieStanley Sadie
Stanley Sadie CBE was a leading British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , which was published as the first edition of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.Sadie was educated at St Paul's School,...
remarks that the work of the NMA was "hampered by the removal in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the unavailability until 1980 of most of the largest single collection of Mozart autographs, that of the Berlin State Library
Berlin State Library
The Berlin State Library is a library in Berlin, Germany and a property of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.-Buildings:The State Library runs several premises, three of which are open for users, namely House 1 in Unter den Linden 8, House 2 in Potsdamer Straße 33 and the newspaper archive...
, Berlin." Consequently, the editors of the NMA had to manage with this state of affairs as well as possible. In editing The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
for the NMA, which appeared in 1973, Ludwig Finscher was only able to access the first two acts of the autograph
Autograph
An autograph is a document transcribed entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typeset document or one written by an amanuensis or a copyist; the meaning overlaps with that of the word holograph.Autograph also refers to a person's artistic signature...
score. In editing the Piano Concerto No. 27, K. 595
Piano Concerto No. 27 (Mozart)
The Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat major, K. 595, is a concertante work by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, for piano or fortepiano and orchestra, the last piano concerto he wrote.-Time of composition:The manuscript is dated 5 January 1791...
, Wolfgang Rehm actually had to make use of a photographic reproduction of the autograph made before the war, which was provided by the pianist Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin
Rudolf Serkin , was a Bohemian-born pianist.-Life and early career:Serkin was born in Eger, Bohemia, Austro-Hungarian Empire to a Russian-Jewish family....
, since the autograph itself was not accessible in 1960 when the NMA volume containing the concerto was published.
Along similar lines, Landon comments that "recently discovered ms. sources have rendered even the NMA's edition of the Linz symphony
Symphony No. 36 (Mozart)
The Symphony No. 36 in C major, KV 425, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart during a stopover in the Austrian town of Linz on his and his wife's way back home to Vienna from Salzburg in late 1783. The entire symphony was written in four days to accommodate the local count's announcement, upon...
obsolete." It is perhaps inevitable that new finds will in time render some aspects of the NMA open to reconsideration, since research and discovery regarding Mozart's work remain an ongoing process.
Criticisms of ornamentation
Some detailed criticism of the ornamentation suggested by the NMA can be found in Frederick Neumann's book Ornamentation and Improvisation in Mozart. Neumann finds some of the ornamentation, particularly regarding vocal cadenzaCadenza
In music, a cadenza is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display....
s, helpful, while some of it is in his view misjudged. However, Neumann's strictures do not seem particularly severe, and in his "Preface" he writes that, although he attempted where possible to view primary sources of Mozart's music, where this was not possible, the NMA "offered an indispensable supplement," an assessment that testifies to his general high regard for the edition.
Availability
The Neue Mozart Ausgabe has been most accessible in large hardbound volumes found in music libraries, though its publisher, Bärenreiter, has more recently been publishing portions of the NMA in a more convenient study score format.Starting December 12, 2006, scans of most of the Neue Mozart Ausgabe are also available online as the DME (Digital Mozart Edition) in JPEG
JPEG
In computing, JPEG . The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality....
and PDF
Portable Document Format
Portable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
format, a service provided by the Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum (International Mozarteum Foundation) in cooperation with the Packard Humanities Institute.