2007

BH – Music

Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart: allgemeine Enzyklopädie der Musik [Music in Past and Present: General Music Encyclopedia]. Founded by Friedrich Blume. 2d rev. ed., Ludwig Finscher. Kassel: Bärenreiter; Stuttgart: Metzler. 28 cm. ISBN 3-7618-1100-4 (Bärenreiter); ISBN 3-476-41022-6 (Metzler) [07-2-478]

Personenteil: Register [Personal Names Section: Index]. Ed. Ilke Sührig. 2007. 689, 6 p. ISBN 978-3-7618-1138-2 (Bärenreiter); ISBN 978-3-476-41024-5 (Metzler): EUR 177.90

While the subject section of the new edition of Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart (MGG2), published from 1994 to 1999 (see RREA 1:413, 2:207, and 6:187), expanded to nine hefty tomes plus an index volume, the personal names section finally appeared in 2007 in 17 volumes, instead of 12 as originally planned. The additional index volume appeared in the same year. Information given opposite its title page indicates that a supplement to the entire MGG2 is still to follow.

The index covers persons mentioned in the texts of the Personenteil, as well as in captions to pictures and music, in documents, and in lists of works. Included are composers; arrangers of both music and texts; instrumentalists; singers; founders, leaders, and members of ensembles in all areas of music; instrument makers; choreographers; directors and set designers; “mythological and biblical figures, political persons such as rulers and patrons, dedicatees, correspondents, and family members;” and “writers and librettists, including contemporary authors of introductions to important editions.”

As in the subject section index, Slavic names are transliterated only into modern German orthography, which may make them difficult for English-speakers to find. Index entries still refer only to volume and column, so that the user must search an entire column for the desired entry. Unlike the subject section index, the index to the personal names section is not available on CD-ROM. [mr/nb]

Chronik der Musik im 20. Jahrhundert: mit Anhang: Gesamtregister [Chronicle of Music in the 20th Century, With Supplement: Cumulative Index]. Ed. Frieder Reininghaus, Florian Lutz, and Janka Voigt. Laaber: Laaber-Verlag, 2007. 342 p. 29cm. (Handbuch der Musik im 20. Jahrhundert, 13). ISBN 978-3-89007-433-7: EUR 76 [07-1-155]

The first 12 volumes of the Handbuch der Musik im 20. Jahrhundert cover individual periods, themes and types of music. The 13th and final volume contains a Chronicle (1900-2006), an index to persons, and a subject index to the first 12 volumes of the Handbuch.

Each year of the Chronicle is shown on two facing pages. The left page is divided into columns containing facts and events in the realms of politics and business, culture and science, music and musical life (i.e., history of musical compositions and the music business), and musical theatre and dance theatre. The right-hand pages are called “calendar pages” and introduce “central events of musical-cultural life” of that year, written by different authors. Most of these events are important compositions, but the contributions also include topics such as Benny Goodman’s concert at Carnegie Hall (1938), the opening of the Wiener Phonogrammarchiv (1900), and a “Short History of the DJ” (1985). While it makes no claims to completeness, the Chronicle does include references to some 2,500 persons. This section is not covered by either cumulative index; the reader must rely on the table of contents. Specific indexes present in earlier volumes, such as the lists of studios for electronic music and of music labels (Vol. 5), are not reproduced here. Places are indexed only if there is information about them in the text; to look up a concert hall listed only as a venue, one must still use the individual volume indexes.

The intended audience for this volume is music lovers, but libraries with music collections will still want a copy for their reference stacks or reading room. [mr/rb]

Anton Diabelli (1781-1858): thematisch-systematisches Werkverzeichnis (WAD) [... Work Index (WAD)]. Ed. Leopold M. Kantner and Irene Holzer. München: Strube, 2006. 91 p. music. 30 cm. (Veröffentlichungen zur Salzburger Musikgeschichte, 7; VS-Edition, 9060). ISBN 978-3-89912-101-8: EUR 18 [07-2-479]

Anton Diabelli’s Guitar Works: A Thematic Catalogue. Jukka Savijoki. Columbus, Ohio: Éditions Orphée, 2004. xii, 387 p. music. 26 cm. ISBN 1-882612-45-0: $49.95 [07-2-480]

In 1986, the Diabelli-Verein [Association] in Mattsee, Austria (near Salzburg) celebrated its native son’s fame and virtuosity with a Diabelli Summer Festival (http://www.diabellisommer.at/index.php--scheduled again for 2010) and a special exhibition in the Mattsee Parish Cloister (http://www.stiftmattsee.at/pages/archiv_diabelli.htm). These events significantly increased the demand for his works, as well as for secondary sources on Diabelli’s music, which eventually led to the publication of the thematic index. Leopold M. Kantner laid the groundwork for the index in his 1957 dissertation and began the index in 2002. He died in 2004, and his work was revised and completed by Irene Holzer.

Most of Diabelli’s signed manuscripts are housed in the Austrian National Library. Many first editions have gone missing, and it is hoped that this published WAD catalog will lead to the identification of many of them in private collections.

The catalog systematically includes sacred choral works, secular choral works, and instrumental works. No arrangements are included (together with his original the compositions total some 30,000 pieces). There are indexes by opus number, first lines, and names, and a concordance of the index numbers in Kanter’s dissertation. Diabelli’s guitar compositions carry an additional reference to their place in Finnish guitarist Jukka Savijoki’s 2004 catalog, a revised edition of his 1997 dissertation completed at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. (Savijoki debuted in London’s Wigmore Hall in 1977 and has been featured on several recordings. From 2002 to 2007, he was the Director of Sibelius Academy’s Seria Classica concert series.) The sources for this catalog were culled mainly from the holdings of the Austrian National Library, the Vienna State Library, the Seitenstetten Cloister, and the British Library, London.

In contrast to Kantner’s exclusions, Savijoki’s catalog includes Diabelli’s guitar arrangements. His index is divided into works by opus number, works without opus number, arrangements (by far the largest portion of the index), and works not found. There are also five appendices: biographical works, including standard historical works that cover Diabelli; instrumentation indexes; indexes of composers whose works Diabelli arranged; an index of literature and of abbreviations; and a unified index.

These two catalogs complement each other, and music libraries should have both in their reference collections. [mr/ga]

Leopold-Mozart-Bibliographie [Leopold Mozart Bibliography]. Christian Broy and Johannes Fenner; p. 261-298 in: Mozart-Jahrbuch. 2005. Kassel [et al.]: Bärenreiter, 2006. ISBN 978-3-7618-1896-1: EUR 57 [07-1-157]

This bibliography was developed in the course of a research project on Leopold Mozart at the University of Augsburg. In the future, it will be continued only online, on the homepage of the Leopold Mozart Society (http://www.leopold-mozart.de), which already contains a more comprehensive listing including his compositions. While taking into account all things published about Leopold Mozart and his music, it omits writings on his role as the father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The latter are covered in the Mozart-Bibliographie (see RREA 4:134) and since 1993 at the homepage of the International Mozarteum Foundation (http://www.mozarteum.at). This bibliography contains chiefly German-language publications. The structure is alphabetical by author’s (or editor’s) name, numbered 1-613, and accompanied by a subject index. [mr/hh]

Mozart bibliographies: independent and hidden bibliographies and reference works on the life and work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his family = Mozart-Bibliographien. Karl F. Stock, Rudolf Heilinger, and Marylène Stock. 2d, enlarged ed. München: Saur, 2006. vii, 143 p. 25 cm. ISBN 978-3-598-11755-8: EUR 78 [07-1-158]

This is not the first in the series of bibliographies of bibliographies on important Austrians from this trio of researchers (see RREA 2:131/132/133 for Grillparzer, Hofmannsthal, Kafka, and RREA 9:33, Personalbibliographien österreichischer Persönlichkeiten, vol. 15, 2003), but it is the first of its type not to be self-published. It made sense, in this Mozart jubilee year, to update the one published in 1991 and indeed, the cumulated number of listed titles rose from 1,083 to 1,612 (of which 1,486 are about W.A. Mozart and 126 about his family, who each have their own section). Each section is divided chronologically and, within each year, alphabetically by author. It seems that publications of 2004 and 2005 were not ready to include for the 2006 publication date. Most entries are annotated.

The arrangement of the entries necessitates using the index, which is a combined name, title and keyword index. A typographical differentiation between names and keywords would have been helpful, as would a controlled vocabulary for the keywords. The user often has to look in several places, such as Mozart: Opern, Mozart-Opern, and Opernbearbeitungen: Mozart, to find articles or books on Mozart’s operas. It is also a little silly that the compilers chose an English title for their work (to appeal to an international market?), especially since a high percentage of the titles and of course all of the annotations require German reading ability. [sh/hh]

Chronik-Bildbiografie Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart [Chronological Biography in Pictures of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]. Max Becker and Stefan Schickhaus. Gütersloh: Chronik-Verlag im Wissen-Media-Verlag, 2005. 160 p. ill. 30 cm. ISBN 3-577-14369-X: EUR 19.40 [07-1-159]

This is a popular treatment of Mozart’s life and times, intended for amateurs and enthusiasts, rather than for a scholarly audience. The biography is not strictly speaking chronological, since the material is arranged according to Mozart’s main homes and haunts: Salzburg, Munich, Paris, London, Italy, Mannheim, Prague, and Vienna. Each chapter begins with a short (maximum two-page) introduction summarizing its content. Short passages (of up to one page in length) on the background context to Mozart’s life and works are integrated throughout the volume. A final chapter explores Mozart’s influence today, notably in literature and the arts. The work closes with a calendar of important Mozart jubilee-year (2006) festivals, opera performances, and concerts, a glossary of musical terminology, and an index. [mr/cjm]

Mozart: 1485-86 bis 2003; Daten zu Leben, Werk und Rezeptionsgeschichte der Mozarts [Mozart: 1485-86 to 2003; A Chronology of the Lives, Works and Reception History of the Mozarts]. Rudolph Angermüller. 2 vols. Tutzing: Schneider, 2004. 990 p. 25 cm. ISBN 3-7952-1159-X: EUR 150 [07-1-160]

From 1982 through 2004, Rudolph Angermüller was the director of the research division (and from 1998-2004 general secretary) of the International Mozarteum Foundation, Salzburg. He is the author of more than 200 works on the composer. The final two sections of his Mozart-Bibliographie were reviewed in Reference Reviews Europe (see RREO 94-3/4-516 and RREA 4:198), and a complete listing of the bibliography’s sections can be found at http://www.mozarteum.at/03_Wissenschaft/03_Wissenschaft_Bibliothek. asp?page=5.

Broadly speaking, this chronological work is divided into four main parts: Mozart’s ancestors (p. 23-26); Mozart’s life and works (p. 26-342); the Mozart family until 1858 (p. 342-731); and reception history of the Mozarts up to 2003 (p. 731-896). Much more than just a list of dates, the work contains many quotations and longer extracts from diverse primary sources shedding light on the lives, works, times, and reception history of the Mozarts. A bibliography (p. 897-919) and extensive index (p. 921-90) are included. This is an important reference source, which has a place in every library with significant music holdings. [mr/cjm]

Das Mozart-Handbuch [The Mozart Handbook]. Ed. Gernot Gruber and Dieter Borchmeyer. Laaber: Laaber-Verlag. 26 cm.

Vol. 6. Das Mozart-Lexikon [The Mozart Lexicon]. Eds. Gernot Gruber and Joachim Brügge. 2005. 933 p. ill. music. ISBN 3-89007-466-9: EUR 118 [07-1-161]

This Mozart lexicon appeared on the occasion of the Mozart Jubilee in 2006 and contains more than 500 articles of varying, although in general appropriate, length. The article on the composer encompasses no less than 40 pages and the one on “Sources for Mozart’s life and works” is 13 pages. Lengthy articles are devoted to “Chamber music,” “Mass,” and the major operas. “Compositional method” and “Performance practice” along with other topics are treated in medium-length articles. However, the majority of the articles are of shorter length. The volume lacks articles on interpreters of Mozart (conductors, instrumentalists, etc.), prominent in other Mozart lexicons (e.g., the Dictionnaire Mozart, see RREA 13:174). The articles were written by 49 contributors primarily from Great Britain and the USA and conclude with brief bibliographies.

Appendices provide lists of (1) Mozart’s works, (2) Mozart movies (theatrical releases), (3) Mozart operas on DVD and video, (4) Mozart organizations, and (5) Mozart Web sites. There are also indexes for Mozart’s works by Köchel number, Mozart’s works by genre, and a general index. The latter includes primarily names of persons and places; subjects and subject cross-references appear much less frequently. A list of articles organized by subject, such as the one in the Dictionnaire Mozart, would have been more useful. [sh/rc]

Dictionnaire Mozart [Mozart Dictionary]. Ed. Bertrand Dermoncourt. Paris: Laffont, 2005. xlix, 1,093 p. 20 cm. (Bouquins). ISBN 2-221-10437-4: EUR 29.50 [07-1-165]

Wolfgang Amadé Mozart: Leben, Musik, Werkbestand [Wolfgang Amadé Mozart: Life, Music, List of Works]. Ulrich Konrad. Kassel [et al.]: Bärenreiter, 2005. 486 p. ill. ISBN 3-7618-1821-1: EUR 34.95 [07-1-166]

Neither hagiographic nor iconoclastic, the biographical section of this work (pages 21-141)–an expanded version of the long article “Mozart” in the newest edition of Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart–is largely factual in its approach and consists of seven chronological chapters, as well as a historiographic introduction and a concluding section on Mozart’s personality and physical appearance. A second section (pages 143205) covers Mozart’s music in two chapters, one on “essential features” (including “studying,” “adapting” and “imitating,” and “Mozart’s work methods”) and the other on “Periodization, Style and Impact.” An extensive appendix includes a selective bibliography of letters, documents, and secondary literature, an index of names and places, and a listing of compositions by Köchel number in the Mozart-Werkverzeichnis (see RREA 13:179). [sh/sl]

Catalogue des éditions françaises de Mozart: 1764-1825 [Catalog of French Mozart Editions: 1764-1825]. Jean Gribenski. Hildesheim: Olms, 2006. xli, 419 p. 24 cm. (Musica antiquo-moderna, 1). ISBN 978-3-487-13201-3; 3-487-13201-X: EUR 78 [07-1-168]

The catalog includes around 670 works by Mozart published by 60 French publishers between 1764, the date of the first French Mozart edition, and 1825, the year in which both Frey and Schlesinger completed their multi-volume editions. It also includes apocryphal works, as well as lost editions, but does not include works published by foreign publishers registered in France, that is, the three German publishing houses Simrok (Bonn), Schlesinger (Berlin), and André (Offenbach). The Catalogue draws on several earlier sources, including the online RISM: Répertoire International des Sources Musicales [International Inventory of Musical Sources], and includes both stand-alone publications (530) and publications appearing in collections (140). The order follows, with only slight variations, that of the Neue Mozart Ausgabe [New Mozart Edition] (Kassel, 1955- ): piano works; chamber music; orchestral works; operas; secular choral music; and sacred works. Full bibliographic information is provided. The catalog has a place in all academic libraries with holdings in music. [mr/cjm]

Mozarts Opern: alles von Apollo und Hyacinth bis zur Zauberflöte [Mozart’s Operas: Everything from Apollo and Hyacinth to Zauberflöte]. Ed. Daniel Brandenburg for the Forschungsinstitut für Musiktheater der Universität Bayreuth. München: Piper, 2005. 317, [16] p. ill. 21 cm. ISBN 978-3-492-04789-0: EUR 22.90. [07-1-169]

Libraries that already hold Pipers Enzyklopädie des Musiktheaters will probably not wish to acquire this volume just for the sake of the updated material. Friends of Mozart may wish to purchase it, although Silke Leopold’s Mozart-Handbuch (RREA 13:170) offers just as much or more information at a more economical price. [sh/crc]

Reclams Mozart-Opernführer [Reclam’s Guide to the Operas of Mozart]. Rolf Fath. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2005. 237 p. ill. 15 cm. (Reclams Universal-Bibliothek, 18370). ISBN 3-15-018370-7: EUR 5 [07-1-170]

Rolf Fath is the in-house opera specialist for the Reclam publishing house, and this volume consists primarily of material extracted from his earlier publications, issued to honor the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth. The guide contains descriptions of 22 operas, presented in the order of their composition; its coverage thus surpasses numerically the 18 operas found in the 2005 Mozarts Opern (see RREA 13:177), as well as in Mr. Fath’s own 1994 Reclams Opernführer (see RREO 95-2-229 through 333 for reviews of Reclam guides to operas and musicals). The material found in earlier descriptions has been updated by the addition of CD and DVD recommendations. The volume includes brief biographies of 22 authors, either the authors of librettos or of the works on which Mozart’s collaborators based their librettos. There are indexes of original titles and German titles, titles of arias and ensembles, and of characters, with indication of voice type. [sh/crc]

Mozart-Werkverzeichnis: Kompositionen, Fragmente, Skizzen, Bearbeitungen, Abschriften, Texte [Index to Mozart’s Works: Compositions, Fragments, Sketches, Arrangements, Copies, Texts]. Ulrich Konrad. Kassel [et al.]: Bärenreiter, 2005. 251 p. 23 cm. ISBN 3-7618-1847-5: EUR 19.95 [07-1-172]

This list of Mozart’s compositions was also included as a part of Wolfgang Amadé Mozart: Leben, Musik, Werkbestand (see RREA 13:175). It is organized by musical genre (vocal music, works for the stage, instrumental music, etc.) or texual form (e.g., occasional poems) into eight sections and takes the listing in the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe as its model and source. For each work there are seven categories of data, including the Köchel numbers given in its various editions, information pertaining to their inclusion in the major Mozart editions (extending also to reprints), scores for performance and piano scores and the like, and contextual background (first performance, dedicatees, transcriptions by Mozart himself, etc.). There are additional sections on lost, dubious, and attributed works, and a variety of indexes–names, places, and numbers (in Köchel number order). This work is not intended to replace Köchel. It aims, instead, to provide greater access to Mozart’s work and its bibliographic and historical sources. In this it succeeds, thus earning its place next to Köchel in the reference apparatus of music libraries. [mr/sl]

Jean-Philippe Rameau: catalogue thématique des oeuvres musicales [...: Thematic Catalog of Musical Works]. Sylvie Bouissou and Denis Herlin. Paris: CNRS Éditions; Bibliothèque Nationale de France. 30 cm. (Opera omnia de Rameau, 6,1, ...; Sciences de la musique: série références). [07-2-482]

Vol. 1. Musique instrumentale, musique vocale religieuse et profane [Instrumental Music, Religious and Secular Vocal Music]. 2007. 370 p. ill. music. (..., 1). ISBN 978-2-271-06432-5 (CNRS); ISBN 978-2-7177-2354-0 (BNF): EUR 45

Four years after volume 2 of the RCT (Rameau Catalogue Thématique) appeared, volume 1 is now available. It comprises a chronological list of Rameau’s instrumental works, compiled by Denis Herlin, and an alphabetical list of the vocal works in two sections, religious and secular. Some attributions (possibly dubious) are included, but others are not, nor are three lost works (a motet and three cantatas), arrangements, or parodies.

In addition to the usual bibliographic information, descriptions of the works offer exact and detailed enumerations of all manuscript and printed sources, as well as–in an “analytic section”–all incipits. Appendices cover collections and anthologies that include works by Rameau; title pages and facsimile pages from the manuscript and printed sources; and indexes of titles, genres, copyists and engravers, and owners of the named sources.

Volumes 3 and 4, covering works for the stage, are still to come, as is volume 5, for which a bibliography, indexes, and possibly a supplement are planned. [mr/nb]

Antonio Vivaldi: thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke [...: Thematic-Systematic Index of His Works]. Peter Ryom. Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel, 2007. xxx, 633 p. music. 28 cm. Order no. BV 372. ISBN 978-3-7651-0372-8: EUR 98 [07-2-483]

Preceded by two editions of Peter Ryom’s “concise” index to Vivaldi’s works, the Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis, published almost 30 years later, is much more thorough. It is organized into two main sections, the first listing instrumental works, and the second vocal works. These sections are followed by miscellaneous pieces and an appendix, which includes works incorrectly ascribed to Vivaldi; anonymous works attributed to him by Vivaldi scholars; works in non-manuscript sources under the names of various authors; and “opera pastiches by other composers with additions of pieces by Vivaldi.”

Supplementary materials offer lists of (1) collections of the composer’s works, including manuscript collections assembled by Vivaldi; printed sources; inventories and catalogs; and (2) concordances to earlier Vivaldi indexes by Marc Pincherle and Antonio Fanna.

The volume’s indexes cover the titles of operas and longer vocal works and the beginning texts of religious and secular vocal works; the beginning texts of works for the stage; singers who performed in operas and longer vocal works; and persons from the 18th century.

Finally, a comprehensive index of the works of this significant and extremely prolific composer has become available. It is of relevance for all libraries with music holdings. [mr/nb]

Tematiko-bibliograficheskiĭ ukazatel’ sochineniĭ P. I. Chaĭkovskogo = Thematic and Bibliographical Catalogue of P. I. Tchaikovsky’s Works. Ed. Polina Vaidman, Liudmila Korabel’nikova, and Valentina Rubtsova for the P. I. Tchaikovsky Research and Publishing Musical Collegium. 2d, rev. and enlarged ed. Moskva: Jurgenson, 2006. lxxx, 1,107 p. music. 29 cm. (Novoe polnoe sobranie sochineniĭ/ P. I. Chaĭkovskiĭ; Ser. 12). ISBN 5-9720-0001-6 (Jurgenson); ISBN 978-3-7957-0004-1 (Mainz: Schott): EUR 245 [07-1-156]

This 2d edition of the Catalogue contains parallel text in Russian and English. It claims to be the first reference publication to list both Tchaikovsky’s musical and his literary works. In doing so, the book fails to mention Alexander Poznansky and Brett Langston’s The Tchaikovsky Handbook (Bloomington, IN, 2002), which does contain bibliographic information on both music and literature authored by the composer.

A comparison of the two reference works should prove fruitful. Although somewhat different in structure, they both enumerate student exercises, revisions, and unfinished and lost works, as well as projects that were never realized. The section devoted to musical works mostly corresponds to that of the Handbook. A typical article provides the reader with plentiful useful information about a particular piece: opus number, title, author of literary text (if any), any dedications, location of the work in the 2003 Collected Works edition, cast, incipits, date of creation, musical citations, date and location of the premiere, and many other data. To this the Handbook adds detailed contents of the libretti, the sources of program music, and the dates of post-premiere performances in major cities in Russia and abroad, as well as those conducted by the composer himself. The Catalogue concludes with supplements that draw from most recently discovered sources.

Both publications contain alphabetical, numerical, and chronological indexes of musical pieces. The Catalogue adds to this an index of names, an alphabetical index of literary works, a listing of people receiving dedications as well as the poets and translators, and an index of Collected Works numbers. The Handbook, on the other hand, provides a general index.

Both reference works deserve to be included in music library collections. Since the information they provide is complementary, they are most useful when consulted in tandem. [mr/as]

Chronik der Wiener Staatsoper 1945 bis 2005: Aufführungen, Besetzungen, Künstlerverzeichnis [Chronicle of the Vienna State Opera, 1945-2005: Performances, Casts, List of Performers]. Ed. Andreas Láng for the Wiener Staatsoper. Wien: Löcker, 2006. 860 p. 22 cm. ISBN 3-85409-449-3: EUR 34.80 [07-1-173]

As a rule, reference works on famous opera houses chronicle performances in either of two ways, alphabetically by opera title or chronologically. The Chronik der Wiener Staatsoper 1945 bis 2005 is of the first type. The volume updates and supersedes earlier volumes by Harald Hoyer (Chronik der Wiener Staatsoper: 1945 bis 1995; Wien, 1995) and Láng (Chronik der Wiener Staatsoper: 1995 bis 2000; Wien, 2000). It also overlaps by ten years (1945-1955) the volume Opern und Operetten in Wien: Verzeichnis ihrer Erstaufführungen in der Zeit von 1629 bis zur Gegenwart [Operas and Operettas in Vienna: a List of their First Performances in the Period from 1629 to the Present] published by Anton Bauer in 1955 albeit with less detailed information than the Bauer volume. Combining and updating these earlier volumes provides a user-friendly single-volume information source.

The volume has two main sections. The first is a list of musical performances, presented alphabetically by title of the work with individual productions listed under each title. The list, excluding ballets and performances by touring companies, encompasses a total of 233 operas produced between May 1, 1945 and June 30, 2005. The number of performances for each production and information on individual productions are presented following the name of the opera and the composer. The second main section is an alphabetical list of performers, including information on roles, number of performances, and dates of first and last performances. Listings for debut performances and first solo performances by chorus members are printed in bold type. An appendix provides an alphabetical list of all composers, including dates of birth and death, with a list for each composer of the works referred to in the volume. [mr/rc]

Das Streichquartett: eine internationale Dokumentation zur Geschichte der Streichquartett-Ensembles und Streichquartett-Kompositionen von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart [The String Quartet: An International Documentation of the History of String Quartet Ensembles and String Quartet Compositions from the Beginnings to the Present]. Jürgen Stegmüller. Wilhelmshaven: Noetzel, 2006. 420 p. 30 cm. (Quellenkataloge zur Musikgeschichte, 40). ISBN 3-7959-0780-2: EUR 148 [07-1-174]

Streichquartett-Lexikon: Komponisten, Werke, Interpreten [String Quartet Lexicon: Composers, Works, and Artists]. Wolfgang Gruhle. 3d rev. and updated ed. Gelnhausen: Triga, 2005. 348 p. maps. 22 cm. ISBN 3-89774-406-6: EUR 24.80 [07-1-175]

Das Streichquartett consists of a listing of string quartet ensembles and a bibliography of works and arrangements for string quartets (including arrangements for string quartets and orchestras) from 1750 to 2006. Neither is comprehensive. The listing of string quartets consists of two parts. The first registers approximately 2,120 ensembles alphabetically by name; the second lists them chronologically by the year they were founded. The bibliography includes approximately 4,425 composers and about 15,000 works, both published and unpublished. The appendices include additional information such as common seating arrangements for ensembles, German concert promoters, 608 music publishers, sources on ensembles and composers, nationality of composers, abbreviations and symbols, and a bibliography. Stegmüller’s book does not include a chronology of works, a discography, or a list of individual musicians participating in quartets.

The Streichquartett-Lexikon, now in its 3d edition, also examines string quartet compositions and ensembles. Unlike Das Streichquartett, the list of compositions in the first section is limited to pure string quartets, traditionally defined as two violins, a viola, and a violoncello. The second section is an alphabetical list of over 2,200 composers, largely from the 18th century to the present. This is followed by an alphabetical overview of string quartet ensembles. The following short sections include information on the nationality of composers, tempo and movement designations, a history of the development of string quartet ensembles, and a bibliography. This publication does not include a chronological list of string quartet ensembles, a chronology of works, a discography, or a list of individual musicians participating in quartets.

Both works are of interest to professional and amateur string quartet ensembles who want to broaden their repertoire, as well as to amateurs with an interest in professional string quartet ensembles. Despite large overlaps, they would both be useful to libraries with music collections, although smaller libraries may only want to purchase the significantly cheaper Streichquartett-Lexikon. [mr/rg]

Lexikon der Orgel: Orgelbau, Orgelspiel, Komponisten und ihre Werke, Interpreten [Dictionary of the Organ: Organ Building, Organ Performance, Composers and Their Works, Performers]. Ed. Hermann J. Busch and Matthias Geuting. Laaber: Laaber-Verlag, 2007. 906 p. ill. music. 26 cm. (Instrumenten-Lexika, 4). ISBN 978-3-89007-508-2: EUR 148 [07-1-176]

Fifty years ago, the major handbooks on organ building were Hans Klotz’s Das Buch von der Orgel (Kassel: Bährenreiter, 1938) and Gotthold Frotscher’s Geschichte des Orgelspiels und der Orgelkomposition (Berlin, 1934-1935, and several succeeding unrevised editions). Since then many new works have appeared, including Viktor Lukas’ Orgelmusikführer (see RREA 10:178), Rudolf Faber and Philip Hartmann’s Handbuch Orgelmusik (see RREA 8:193); Alfred Reichling’s section Orgel in Musik der Geschichte und Gegenwart (MGG), Willi Apel’s Geschichte der Orgel- und Klaviermusik bis 1700 (see RREA 10:183); Arnfried Edler’s Gattungen der Musik für Tasteninstrumente [Genres of Music for Keyboard Instruments] (Laaber-Verlag, 1997-2004) and Michael Bosch’s Lexikon Orgelbau (see RREA 13:187). The reader is also referred to the Laaber-Verlag’s 2006 Lexkion des Klaviers (see RREA 12:151).

As the subtitle indicates, this work’s special quality is its comprehensiveness. It presents detailed information on composers, including experimentalists such as William Albright, Juan Allende-Blin, Petr Eben, György Ligeti, Arvo Pärt, Dieter Schnebel, Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, Isang Yun, and Gerd Zacher (who wrote the very instructive article “New Performance Techniques” in this volume). One does not get such good information on these composers in other reference works. However, other modern composers who wrote for organ, such as Ned Rorem, Jacques Charpentier, and Peter Maxwell Davies (only briefly mentioned in the section on England), do not receive any special consideration here, nor do some composers influenced by the organ, for example Camillo Schumann. There are excellent articles on eminent composers such as César Franck, Johann Jacob Froberger, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Olivier Messaen, Johann Pachelbel, Josef Rheinberger, and Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow. Peter Williams wrote the key article on the Bach Family, although it is limited chiefly to Johann Sebastian, Carl Philipp Emanuel, and Johann Christian. Surely, other Bach progeny deserve mention.

The section on performers also contains gaps. While it is important to include established masters such as Marie-Claire Alain, the cutoff date of approximately 1955 for younger performers leaves out many important persons. The sections on genres and on performance are thorough, but the article on improvisation erroneously implies that since Bruckner this art form has almost died out in Germany (not true), although it flourishes in France. In both the Catholic and the Protestant Church are a number of masters, for example, Joseph Ahrens, Günter Berger, Franz Lehrndorfer, Ludwig Dörr, and Robert Köbler. The author of the section on choral arrangements curiously places Georg Friedrich Kaufmann (b. 1679) and Johann Gottfried Walther (b. 1684) in the generation of sons and students of Bach (b. 1685)!

There are a number of black-and-white illustrations, as well as schematic diagrams and a separate section of color illustrations. A brief bibliography, glossary, an index of names, and a collection of URLs under the rubric Die Orgel im Internet conclude the volume. This work would reach a broader clientele if a paperback edition were published. These and other minor critiques concerning the remaining sections do not overshadow the fact that this 900-page publication is an excellent achievement by outstanding contributors, many of whom are foremost specialists in their fields. This work is indispensible for every music library. [ar/ga]

Lexikon Orgelbau: mit einer Audio-CD [Dictionary of Organ Building, with an Audio CD]. Michael Bosch, Klaus Döhring and Wolf Kalipp. Kassel: Bärenreiter, 2007. 194 p. ill. 25 cm. + 1 audio CD. ISBN 978-3-7618-1391-1: EUR 34.95 [07-1-177]

Reference works on organ music have appeared in ample numbers in recent years. In addition to those listed in RREA 13:186-188 are Klaus Beckmann’s Repertorium Orgelmusik…1150-2000 = Bio-Bibliographical Index of Organ Music. (see RREA 8:191) and Reclams Orgelmusikführer (see RREAS 10:178). On the other hand, reference works about organ building have been scarce, even considering the posthumous 12th edition of Hans Klotz’s Buch von der Orgel (Kassel, 2000). Surely, there is room for new treatments.

This dictionary offers brief entries, with few articles longer than one column. The relatively small number of headwords for terms specifically related to organ building (e.g., pipe construction, registers, intonation, and housings) indicates that the dictionary goes beyond this rather narrow topic to include matters such as issuing contracts, inspection, commissioning, and administration, as well as electronic aspects of the organ.

This small dictionary contains no bibliographical references in the definitions. The illustrations are excellent, whether photographs, brochures, consoles, handcraft techniques, or technical drawings, including cutaway illustrations. An index of addresses of associations, museums, and professional journals associated with organ building (many with URLs) and a brief bibliography close the work. The inclusion of an audio CD with examples of register sounds is a significant advantage vis-à-vis other publications. For example, one can better illustrate the sound and the features of the Cornopean stop by means of recorded sound than by means of a written description. [“Cornopean. An English reed stop (Hill, Willis) imitating the cornet à pistons, of rather thin tone and 8’ pitch, found in Swell divisions after the middle of the 19th century.”–http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com, visited 2010-05-04].

The cross-reference structure could have used more extensive formulating. For example, the long article Prospekt (the organ’s public façade) has references only to specific methods of construction and completely omits references to particular styles of design (Baroque, Art Nouveau, neo-Romanesque, Gothic, etc.), although there are articles for these and many more terms related to Prospekt. Most of the articles are illustrated, and the illustrations are indexed. Overall, this dictionary belongs in the reference section of every library that collects literature about the organ, even in smaller collections. [ar/ga]

Die Orgeln Johann Sebastian Bachs: ein Handbuch [Johann Sebastian Bach’s Organs: A Handbook]. Christoph Wolff and Markus Zepf. Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt; Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag, 2006. 187 p. ill. 25 cm. (Veröffentlichung der Gesellschaft der Orgelfreunde, 216; Edition Bach-Archiv Leipzig). ISBN 978-3-374-02407-0 (Ev. Verl.-Anst); ISBN 978-3-89948-999-6 (Carus): EUR 16.80 [07-1-178]

This handbook complements three other standard sources on J. S. Bach’s organs and his organ music: Werner David’s Johann Sebastian Bach’s Orgeln: aus Anlass der Wiedereröffnung d. Berliner Musikinstrumenten-Sammlung [:… on the Occasion of the Reopening of the Music Instrument Collection in Berlin] (Kassel, 1951), Peter F. Williams’ The Organ Music of J.S. Bach (Cambridge, 1980-1984), and the new publication Lexikon der Orgel (see RREA 13:186). However, in its documentary quality, Christoph Wolff and Markus Zepf ’s book is far superior to all the others.

Compared to David’s work, Wolff and Zepf ’s contains over one-third more organs, 61 mainly color illustrations (David’s has five total), and map sketches that show the geographical relationships among all these instruments. The work opens with a rich description of Bach as organist, organ composer, and organ expert. It lists and documents many recently restored organs, those organs that Bach inspected and commissioned, and the organ builders with whom Bach worked. This is a true reference work, encompassing the current state of knowledge about the subject. It is an indispensible Bach reference work for libraries. [ar/ga]

Bachs Klavier- und Orgelwerke: das Handbuch; mit einem Werkverzeichnis [Bach’s Piano and Organ Works: The Handbook, with a Works Index]. Ed. Siegbert Rampe. Introduction by Gustav Leonhardt und Ton Koopman. 2 vols. Laaber: Laaber-Verlag. 1,127 p. ill. music. 26 cm. (Das Bach-Handbuch, 4). ISBN 978-3-89007-454-2: EUR 168 [07-2-488]

This is the first German publication in more than 50 years to deal with the body of Bach’s piano and organ works, although two surveys in English covered these subjects separately in recent years (Peter Williams, The Organ Music of J.S. Bach, 3 vols. New York, 1980-1984, 2d ed. of vols. 1-2 New York, 2003; and David Schulenberg, The Keyboard Music of J.S. Bach, London, 1993, 2d ed. New York, 2006).

Over the past 50 years research on Bach has become highly complex. Using various methods it is able to depict the development of Bach’s keyboard oeuvre in a manner that far outstrips that of earlier scholarship. To place them into their historical context, the Handbuch delineates the socio-historical framework for the keyboard works, covering such issues as the social position of musicians, economic aspects of the production of pianos and organs, the significance of amateur musicians for the musical life of the time, and musical education practices. In addition, the text-critical background has been assessed in an amazingly sophisticated manner.

Following the socio-historical introduction, a number of chapters cover the development and purposes of the organ works, including preludes, toccatas, fantasies, and fugues. Also discussed are Italian, French, and regional German influences on Bach’s style.

A very instructive chapter deals with “Characteristics of the Manuscript Tradition” up to publication of the first complete edition of Bach’s works. Similarly instructive are chapters on the choral preludes, both in collections and individual manuscripts, although speculation about their philological and stylistic aspects frequently leads to impasses concerning issues such as authorship and chronology.

This is not a work for the public, even though the publisher specifically notes that it is directed to “music lovers.” Readers who really want to understand the analyses must have access to the BWV (Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke von Johann Sebastian Bach: Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, 2d ed. Wiesbaden, 1990) and the NBA (Neue Bach-Ausgabe sämtlicher Werke, Kassel, 1954-2007). Although the Handbuch demonstrates the high music-philological and analytical level of current Bach scholarship, it also attests to the increasingly scientific nature of the field, and to how music scholarship in general struggles to find a language that can explain the quality of a work.

The typographical design of the two volumes is aesthetically pleasing but wastes a good deal of space that better used for musical examples, more of which would have been desirable. As well, more attention could have been paid to the interpretation history of the works. Nonetheless, the Handbuch is unusually stimulating and informative, as well as being provocative. It is not the handbook, as the publisher claims, but it certainly has singular qualities.

The structure of the compendium makes it more than a reference work. It can be read as a whole and rewards the reader with an enlightening overview of the genesis, development, and current status of Bach’s keyboard music.

Every library that owns the BWV and the NBA should also include this work in its collection–and any institution that purchases this work and does not possess the other two, should acquire them. [ar/nb]

Orgelführer Deutschland [Guide to Organs in Germany]. Karl-Heinz Göttert and Eckhard Isenberg. Kassel [et al.]: Bärenreiter. 25 cm. [07-2-489]

Vol. 2. 2008. 223 p. ill. ISBN 978-3-7618-1710-0: EUR 28.95.

The two editors, one a German specialist and the other a church musician, published volume 1 of this guide in 1999 (see RREA 5:177), followed by Orgelführer Europa (see RREA 6:209) in 2000.

In the 1970s and 1980s a number of guides to regional organs were published, primarily for the specialist, performer, and scholar. In contrast, Göttert and Eckhard’s works are aimed at a broader public. Thus, these guides give only brief quantitative data regarding about manuals and reference materials or about historical sources on organ construction. Instead, these guides present a literary, anecdotal approach to the subject, for example, on the issues of reconstruction vs. new construction for the organ of the Dresden Frauenkirche [Church of Our Lady].

Volume 2 is arranged in the same way as volume 1: an introduction, followed by chapters on each federal German state, and concluding with a general discussion. Some 70 organs are discussed, chosen to illustrate the many different approaches to present-day organ restoration and construction. Examples range from the Late Gothic “oldest still-playable organ” in Ostönnen to examples from this decade such as that in the Dresden Frauenkirche (2005) and the Pope-Benedict-Organ in Regensburg (2006).

One shortcoming is that the reader cannot experience the musical, tonal side of this story. In this era of MP3 players, one would need only a few CDs to illustrate the nuances and timbres of organ stops and pipes. The Orgelführer Deutschland is definitely not a book for the library’s reference or reading room; neither is it suitable as a travel guide. But the very high quality of the writing and information makes it a worthy addition to libraries with strong music collections, particularly regarding organs. This now two-volume work, and its European-wide relative, should be available in these collections. [ar/ga]

Orgeln in Deutschland: göttliche Musik [Organs in Germany: Divine Music]. Martin Balz. Stuttgart: Theiss, 2008. 208 p. ill. 31 cm. (Veröffentlichung der Gesellschaft der Orgelfreunde, 230). ISBN 978-3-8062-2062-9: EUR 49.90 [07-2-490]

Advertised as a picture album and gift book, this work is opulently furbished with outstanding color photographs. The author a highly knowledgeable specialist and writer on the subject of the organ in Germany.

The book includes articles on more than 70 organs (with additional organs being mentioned in passing). The articles describe the location, history, and special qualities of each organ, along with its character. Illustrations of its features, plus photographs of the organ and its position in the auditorium or church are included. The work covers the 17th through the 20th centuries with 11, 33, 18, and 14 organs, respectively; more specifically, the author includes four one-, 31 two-, 30 three- and eight four-manual organs. It is regrettable, however, that the 16th century is not covered, thereby leaving out an entire genre of organ building.

Balz’s Orgeln in Deutschland includes just under half the organs studied in Göttert and Isenberg’s two volumes of the Orgelführer Deutschland (see RREA 13:190). Balz also gives relatively brief coverage of the 20th century, to say nothing of the incipient 21st century, which has already seen some spectacular projects and intense conceptual discussions, such as that surrounding the 2000 restoration of the Woelschen Organ of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. Balz does not discuss organ renovation and reconstruction at all; and organs in Protestant churches in north and central Germany predominate. The Catholic south–Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg–gets short shrift.

The introduction begins with expert discussion of the early history of the organ, turning next to a characterization of organ building in Germany. The author then very briefly discusses the church organ of today and the outlook for organ building. The emphasis is on religious music, which leaves out secular composers, especially of the 20th century. However, it is not clear why this is so, since the topic is organs and not music.

The appendix includes a bibliography of literature about the organ, a glossary of specialist terminology, and an index of organ builders, but not a place-name index. There is also no documentation on organ sounds, easily supplied by including some kind of sound recording.

Despite these minor criticisms (and the obvious fact that it is not strong in documentation), this extremely high-quality book is definitely appealing to bibliophiles and other educated lay readers. And it does cover some 30 organs not well researched in the rest of the literature–including the two volumes of Orgelführer Deutschland. This feature alone makes it an important addition to libraries with collections of resources on the organ. [ar/ga]

Vinyl-Lexikon: Fachbegriffe, Sammlerlatein, Praxistipps [Vinyl Lexicon: Technical Terms, Collectors’ Latin, Practical Tips]. Frank Wonneberg and Rainer Bratfisch. 2d, expanded ed. Berlin: Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, 2007. 253 p. ill. 21 cm. ISBN 978-3-89602-546-3: EUR 22.90 [07-1-179]

This Lexicon, along with the bi-monthly magazine LP: Magazin für analoges HiFi & Vinyl-Kultur published since 2005 (see http://www.lp-magazin.de), bears witness to the ongoing argument that the medium of the CD is suspect, indeed that its days are numbered, and moreover, that its acoustic reproduction is simply inferior to that of vinyl. In the Vinyl-Lexikon we have an apology for the medium of vinyl, as the slogans “Vinyl ist Kult” [vinyl is cult] in the book’s introduction and “Vinyl lebt” [vinyl lives] on its cover attest. Originally published in 2000 (see RREA 6:211), this 2d edition gives neither a mention of a 1st edition nor evidence of how it might differ from the first. A comparison shows that virtually nothing in the articles has changed. The only noticeable change is that the 66 pages of record labels, appearing originally in hard-to-read black-and-white reproductions, are now in color. Omissions noted in the 1st edition, such as a lack of articles on the Deutsches Musikarchiv [German Music Archives] or the Bremer Pop-Archiv [Bremen Pop Archives], have not been remedied. And with the exception of an entry for LP Magazin, the bibliography is unchanged. Certainly, the lexicon is a well-founded reference work on the vinyl record in the broadest sense. Many technical terms are elucidated and numerous labels discussed. It’s too bad that this 2d edition was carelessly produced as a de facto reprint of the first. At least the record labels are now in color. [beh/rlk]

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