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Choral Music News
Complete Choral Works of Bartók and Kodály in New Edition
The complete choral works of two important Hungarian composers of the twentieth century, Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, are now available in an expanded and carefully corrected edition. The new edition includes several works or versions of works that have not appeared in print before. The publications have been edited based on standardized editorial principles, with clearly legible musical graphics, and informative prefaces and afterwords.
The new edition of Bartók’s works was prepared on the basis of the Béla Bartók Complete Critical Edition , edited in the Bartók Archives in Budapest. It includes Hungarian and English translations of the texts, and provides detailed information on issues relating to the performance of the works and the sources.
Kodály's choral works were edited by Péter Erdei, one of the most knowledgeable and expert interpreters of the composer's choruses, with reference to all the sources in the Kodály Archive in Budapest.
The choral oeuvre of both composers is published in three volumes: choral works for mixed voices, for children’s and female voices, and for male voices. The volumes are available in a soft-cover edition, and also in an exclusive clothbound version with gold lettering. The three clothbound volumes can be purchased together in a presentation box at a discount.
The works in the volumes can also be ordered individually as sheet music.
All of Bartók's choral works are, naturally, also available in the volume Bartók Béla: Choral Works as part of the Béla Bartók Complete Critical Edition , in one single, large volume, accompanied by detailed essays and critical notes.
Even owners of the older editions of the works will find it profitable to buy the new editions, because in addition to the more reliable musical text, the new editions provide much more content for conductors, singers in choirs, and music lovers in general.
New Bárdos choral work publications in English
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.
New Urtext edition of Bartók’s complete choral works
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.
Offprints from the new Kodály Collection
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.
Europa Cantat festival
The great choral festival EUROPA CANTAT was held this year in Pécs, Hungary, on 24 July to 2 August. The event is justifiably well known worldwide for its standard and its inspiring atmosphere. The festival, held every three years in a different country, presents a colorful cavalcade of programs for those attending it to choose from. The choral festival offered almost 50 workshops for singers, as well as special events for conductors, composers, and the youngest age group of little children.
Editio Musica Budapest, as a partner in EUROPA CANTAT, has published the festival song book, and the scores required by the chorus members for workshops can also be ordered through us. We contributed to the musical expo an exhibition featuring our own catalog and representing several publishers from all over the world.
