With his over 130 works for unaccompanied choir Zoltán Kodály laid the foundation of modern Hungarian choral literature.

This volume of works for children's and female voices is an extended and revised edition. Containing a total of 59 compositions, three of which were not included in earlier editions, it is the most complete and most authentic edition of Kodály's choral works for children's and female voices to be published thus far. It has been edited based on uniform principles, contains easy-to-read, first-rate musical scores, and includes an informative Epilogue.

The volume is available both in paperback and clothbound.

Lajos Bárdos (1899-1986), composer, musicologist, teacher, and choral conductor, laid down, together with Kodály, the foundations of 20th-century Hungarian choral music.

Through his work as a conductor, he raised the standards of Hungarian choral singing to an international level in a few decades.

His compositions were directed towards cultivating Hungarian choral life: they draw on Renaissance polyphony and Hungarian folk music, following Kodály and Bartók. His works, which are models of choral writing, deal sensitively with Hungarian prosody and radiate an inner harmony and vigor.

A selection of his most popular choral works has been published with English texts by Gail Needleman in five volumes.

Several new contemporary instrumental and choral works was published by Universal Music Publishing Editio Musica Budapest in the past months.

Discover the novelties by Zoltán Gárdonyi, Gyula Csapó, Zsolt Serei, Máté Balogh and other excellent composers.

Hungarian leading sheet music publisher and distributor Editio Musica Budapest Zeneműkiadó (EMBZ) has announced a new distribution deal with German music distributor Schott Music Group, with immediate effect.

For many years EMBZ has been wholesaling the Schott Music Group catalogues (Schott, Boosey and Hawkes, Wiener Urtext, Zimmermann, etc.) in Hungary.

In this new agreement, EMBZ will exclusively distribute them in HungarySlovakia and Romania.

Music dealers can add Schott Music Group titles to their orders from EMBZ, with hundreds of titles in stock.

Buzzing Polka

June 23, 2023

Buzzing Polka, composed in 1993, is one of the earliest compositions by László Dubrovay (*1943) for concert band, which has become a huge success due to use of special timbres and effects which had been unexploited in the genre earlier.

Already the title tells that classical musical values and surprising moments of special brass instrument techniques can be both found in the work. Every second in the striking character piece is made interesting by the excellent balance between the pillar-like harmonies enriched by distant overtones and horizontal melody formation.

Performing Buzzing Polka is a great opportunity for conveying the message and values of the music of the 20th and 21st centuries through the contrast between classical melodies and new ways of instrumentation.

Hungarian leading sheet music publisher and distributor Editio Musica Budapest Zeneműkiadó (EMBZ) has announced a renewed and expanded distribution deal with UK music publisher and distributor, Faber Music (FM), with immediate effect.

Since 2004, EMBZ has been exclusively distributing the Faber Music catalogue of sheet music and scores in Hungary. In this renewed agreement, EMBZ will continue to exclusively distribute in Hungary whilst expanding into Slovakia and Romania.

EMBZ continue to grow their prestigious catalogue of classical and educational repertoire, maintaining a leading position in the Central-European market. FM has established itself as a reputable publishing partner with an impressive list of works from contemporary composers and internationally recognised pedagogical works.

Music dealers can add FM titles to their orders from EMBZ, with hundreds of titles in stock.

“We are delighted to be continuing and expanding our distribution with EMBZ. We look forward to ensuring customers in Eastern-Europe have easy access to the FM catalogue.”
Hilary Griffin, Sales Director, Faber Music

Treasury for String Ensembles provides carefully selected original compositions and arrangements from the Renaissance to the twentieth century, compiled in volumes according to level of difficulty, from beginner's level to professional.

  • Elementary (all in first position): typically for three violins and cello or children's string orchestra.
  • Intermediate: typically for three violins and cello or string quartet or youth string orchestra.
  • Advanced: typically for string quartet or string quintet (with double bass) or string orchestra.

The volumes are published in both printed and digital form. The printed edition contains the score and one copy of each part. Further copies can be ordered for the purposes of orchestral performance.

The digital edition can be viewed on screen, and the parts can also be downloaded as A4-sized PDF files. The digital edition comes free with the printed edition, using the unique code provided.

After Mozart

May 4, 2023

László Dubrovay's work, written in 2006, on the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, is a salute of a 21st-century composer to one of the greatest geniuses in the history of music.

The composer builds his original ideas on one of the best-known melodies of The Marriage of Figaro (Figaro's aria: ''Non pi? andrai, farfallone amoroso''). The series of variations on the theme of the aria is created by the involvement of special instruments, and by fully harnessing their technical abilities, while Dubrovay's hallmark of a perfect balance and peculiar compositional tone is realised on an exceptionally large orchestra.

The work is suited to illustrate the potentials of crossovers between different periods in the history of music, but it can also be played at a festive, thematic concert.

This work of festive atmosphere was written in 2000 for symphonic band, then the composer arranged it for symphony orchestra.

In this piece, László Dubrovay (*1943) parts with his special, hallmark concert band effects; rather, lively vibrations enriched with colliding seconds and distant overtones are brought to the foreground.

The special sound is coloured by ornamental trills, appearing even in batches, and vibrating collisions in the high registers. The performance is rendered even more unique by the outer trumpets on both sides of the space. The trumpets and the flugelhorns can be divided into ten parts altogether, thus, the piece can be played by one ensemble or several bands together, as it is usual at the conclusion of large-scale festivals.

This composition may be a great choice for festive concerts, since it is a solemn, innovative, and - by virtue of the free arrangement of the performing space - special work at the same time.

Bartók's six string quartets belong to the gems of the genre, all of them being regarded as classics of 20th-century music.

In 2016, Editio Musica Budapest, together with Henle Verlag of Munich, launched the Bartók Complete Critical Edition. Volume 29 of the Bartók Complete Edition presents the full scores of all six quartets in a new critical edition. The critical commentary for this edition is published in volume 30 of the Complete Edition.

Béla BARTÓK: String Quartets Nos. 1–6
Béla BARTÓK: String Quartets Nos. 1–6 – Critical Commentary

Kuruc Scenes
for tárogató or soprano saxophone and concert band

The composer uses melodies from the early 18th century, from the age of Rákóczi's war of independence. 

Rhapsody
for cimbalom or marimbaand concert band

Rhapsody follows the one-movement structure created by Franz Liszt. The Rhapsody is a passionately emotional lyric orchestral poem rich in colours and characters, which has a place on the repertoire of every concert band playing quality music. 

Publisherd by Universal Music Publishing Editio Musica Budapest

Two new titles by Árpád BALÁZS have been published in the Concert Band series. 

Árpád BALÁZS: Kuruc Scenes
for tárogató or soprano saxophone
and concert band
The composer uses melodies from the early 18th century, from the age of Rákóczi's war of independence. 

Árpád BALÁZS: Rhapsody
for cimbalom or marimba
and concert band
Rhapsody follows the one-movement structure created by Franz Liszt. The Rhapsody is a passionately emotional lyric orchestral poem rich in colours and characters, which has a place on the repertoire of every concert band playing quality music. 

Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Editio Musica Budapest 

One full score as well as individual parts are provided for each work.

The book titled A Practical Approach to Viennese Classical Music supports conservatory students (aged 14–22) and their teachers with a collection of carefully selected material from which to learn the necessary musical concepts and practical knowledge of music theory, form, and harmony.

The target era is the Viennese Classical period. The focus is on the greatest representatives of their time: Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.

The book concentrates on the practical aspects of studying music theory, form, and harmony. This means that all musical concepts become practical knowledge and are integrated into skills that a cultured musician needs (score reading, writing, singing or playing, composing, memorizing, transposing, arranging, analyzing, and so on).

The first volume of the publication, A Practical Approach to Harmony: From the Birth of Polyphony to the Baroque Era, was published in 2015.

Works and arrangements for piano duet and two pianos are published in the III. series of the New Liszt Edition.

A draft and the two-piano version of Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy transcribed by Liszt have been published in the 1. volume of the recently launched III. series.

This volume comes complete with a detailed preface, several manuscript facsimiles, and a critical report

These series were launched within the New Liszt Edition so far:
Series I: Works for piano solo (18 volumes),
Series II: Free arrangements and transcriptions for piano solo (24 volumes),
Supplementary volumes for Series I and II (16 volumes),
Series III: Works and arrangements for piano duet and two pianos (1 volume so far),
Series IX: Vocal works with orchestra or with several instruments (1 volume so far).

Separate editions and practical versions supplement the New Liszt Edition.

Each choral works by Bartók can be purchased as single sheets now. The complete series of the offprints from Béla Bartók’s Choral Works has been issued.

Béla BARTÓK:
Choral Works for Children's and Female Voices – 28 offprints
Béla BARTÓK:
Choral Works for Male Voices – 5 offprints
Béla BARTÓK:
Choral Works for Mixed Voices – 3 offprints

All offprints include rough translation of the texts in English in the appendix.

The choral works by Bartók have been published in cloth-bound edition in slipcase, too.

In 2016, Editio Musica Budapest, together with Henle Verlag of Munich, launched the Bartók Complete Edition. In May 2022 a new volume was published, the seventh in the series, containing Bartók’s string quartets – considered by most discerning audiences to be classics of the twentieth century.

This critical edition contains all six string quartets, based on a comparison of all contemporary printed and manuscript sources. The composer’s analyses of the Fourth and Fifth Quartets appear at the end of the volume.

The introductory studies, more detailed than ever, not only discuss the genesis and reception of the works, but also answer practical questions regarding notation and performance. A critical commentary for the six string quartets will be published in a separate volume in autumn 2022.

Bartók in Vatican

April 26, 2022

We are pleased that our scores are chosen as protocol gifts.

Among others a volume of the Bartók Complete Edition has been gifted to Pope Francis by the Hungarian prime minister. The volume – published jointly by our company, and Henle Verlag, Munich – contains the Concerto for orchestra, composed during the World War II in the USA. Viktor Orbán visited Vatican City on 21st April 2022. “No one understands us in our language, so music is our only option” – stated the head of government.

The launch of the Bartók Complete Edition was announced in 2015 by our publishing house. The complete works will be published in 48 volumes according to the plan. The publications are being prepared according to the highest scientific norms, however the body text can be used by musicians also for practical purpose.

Credit: www.vaticannews.va

A new Urtext edition of Béla Bartók’s complete choral works was launched in March 2021. The three-volume edition is based on volume 9 of the Béla Bartók Complete Critical Edition (Z. 15009), a joint publication of G. Henle Verlag, Munich, and Editio Musica Budapest Zeneműkiadó. The lyrics in this edition are in the original languages and in the translations authorized by the composer. Literal English translations are provided in the appendix, which also includes early and alternative versions of the works.

Our edition is distinguished by absolute authenticity regarding both the musical text and the style of notation, as well as superior engraving and print quality. The edition is complete with informative prefaces (in Hungarian, English, and German) and detailed Editorial Comments (in Hungarian and English). The Comments give an overview of the textual, folk-music, and compositional sources, and provide detailed information on the performance practice of Bartók’s choral works.

The volumes have been printed on high-quality and environmentally-friendly paper.

The three volumes are available in two formats: paperback and clothbound. The paperback editions can be bought separately, while the clothbound volumes are available only together in a slipcase.

Each work included in these volumes will also be published separately during the following months.

Zoltán Kodály’s complete choral works for mixed voices were published in a new, extended, edition in 2018 (Z. 6725 and Z. 6725A). The publication features new, easily-legible music scores edited on uniform principles. For better readability, the new edition is printed in a slightly larger format than previous editions. 


Separate edition offprints from the renewed edition of Kodály Choral Works for Mixed Voices are being published. Their format is identical to that of the complete volume, and they are printed on excellent-quality pale-yellow paper.

J.S. Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier is essential for the study and development of aspiring pianists around the world. As such, Bartók dedicated a lot of time to these pieces and gave a lot of thought to how they can be used most effectively to educate young musicians.

The four-volume The Well-Tempered Clavier was the first of Bartók's instructive editions. Bartók's editing reflects contemporary ideas about performance, and his primary goal was to create an instructive edition that was more detailed than any other which existed during his time.

This publication has been renewed as a two-volume edition (I-II and III-IV, respectively), and it includes suggestions, commentaries and fingerings by Bartók for the performer. In addition to correcting several editorial errors, this version also contains English and Japanese translations of Bartók's original Hungarian and German annotations.

Pedal use is a fundamental part of expressive piano playing, but proper pedaling skills are not easy to acquire. Thus, it is crucial for piano students to become acquainted with the use of the three pedals as early as possible.

As a result, Editio Musica Budapest has published Introduction to Pedaling in order to fill a necessary gap in the existing pedagogical piano repertoire.

Introduction to Pedaling is a collection of pieces adapted to all levels of manual dexterity, enabling learners to improve their mastery of both the musical function and technique of pedaling. The volume contains both individual and joint studies for the three pedals of modern pianos, and it was compiled and edited by prominent Hungarian music pedagogue, Ágnes Lakos.

In addition to ten selected pieces from Samuil Maykapar's Twenty Pedal Preludes (1937), Introduction to Pedaling includes keyboard music from across four centuries, ranging from Johann Sebastian Bach to contemporary Hungarian composers. Pupils can thus encounter pedal marks from different periods.