What does Urtext mean?

Definition from Collins Dictionary:

1. the earliest form of a text as established by linguistic scholars as a basis for variants in later texts still in existence. 

2. an edition of a musical score showing the composer’s intentions without later editorial interpolation.

The prefix “UR” means original or authentic and comes from German

We can actually talk about four types of music editions:

1. Facsimile: a photographic reproduction of the composer’s or copyist’s manuscript or of a historical published version of a piece
2. URTEXT: when a publisher engraves from a primary source of the music such as a facsimile; no alterations and easier to read, learn and perform
3. Performance (Artist): a composition is presented in a manner that helps the performer learn, adding expressive features to a piece, simplifying notation and page turns, clarifying technical execution or making the music available at a lower cost.  Additions of dynamics, tempos, articulation and pedaling can make it difficult to see what the composer has written versus the artist.  High quality artist editions will identify what has been added to the score and what the original source material is.
4. Critical: often referred to as scholarly, these editions analyze and compare sources and make suggestions based on extensive knowledge of the composer’s habits such as articulation, pedaling etc.  There are often extensive notes at the end of critical editions identifying sources.

What’s involved in making an URTEXT Edition of a musical score:

Hopefully, the best intentions for research and rigorous scholarship…but not necessarily.  Like the word “Organic”, this can be a “self-proclaimed” label and perhaps even a copy of another URTEXT without rigorous scholarship.  Some URTEXT editions pirate other editions and copy the work adding very little scholarship and perhaps even none.  

The best bet is to find out which publishers are doing good research.  Even then, new evidence can come to light to change the URTEXT like Chopin’s Op. 63, No. 2.  This Mazurka, said to have been penned on Chopin’s deathbed was extremely hard to deciphere.  The Henle Urtext only printed and transcribed the first couple of pages of what has become a much longer version in recent scholarship. 

Henle editions for piano works also add fingering.  Fingering can relate directly to interpretation by stressing notes, making them less legato, legato (articulation), dictating speeds (especially if there are a lot of finger substitutions) and even voicing.  Adding fingering (although it is mostly for the convenience of the student) is leaning more towards an artist’s edition and contradicts URTEXT status.  

Henle also publishes a Chopin Urtext that makes attempts like the Polish Edition to compare various editions and manuscripts.  In the end, they make choices that don’t include all of the possibilities of Chopin’s versions of his works.  When teaching, Chopin often gifted different new parts, ornaments, fingerings, pedaling and dynamics to his students.  Which one is correct then?  We can’t really ask Chopin; he might just say “all”.  

Chopin’s Op. 66, the Fantasie Impromptu in the Henle Urtext also doesn’t take into consideration the manuscript that used to be in the possession of Artur Rubinstein of what is perhaps a more finished version of the work.  It is currently published by Schirmer.  I once asked Janina Fialkowka, the great Chopin interpreter who studied with Rubinstein what version she uses.  She said she learned it when very young and doesn’t do the one the Rubinstein played from as it would be too much work to re-learn it!  

So, the journey for “truth” is elusive and subjective.

By comparison, what is an artist’s edition?

Artist editions can include recommendations for details not included in the URTEXT edition such as dynamics, speeds, moods, fingering and more.  Editions by great musicians like Busoni have a wealth of ideas for composers like Bach.  The Schnabel edition of Beethoven has many additional details and performance recommendations. The problem with an artist edition: it’s hard to decipher what was written by the composer and what was written by the editor if not clearly marked.

When I was a kid studying piano, I was told that Artist Editions are bad “Burn them”.  It was the impact of the URTEXT puritanical “I have the truth” way of doing things.  

I highly encourage students to explore many editions of a composers work if they exist.  Also listen to great artists play works and compare performance practice.  This process helps you to refine what you find authentic and craft your unique interpretation.