2

I am looking to buy a copy of the English Suites, and need an urtext edition. Normally I'd just go to the music store and buy the book; however, they only have the Henle edition, and being a student, I don't really have to spend $45 on a book. Can you recommend any other good urtext edition?

4 Answers 4

5

Good quality Urtexts tend to be expensive... A quick check suggests that Henle, Vienna and Bärenreiter are all similarly priced while Peters is a little cheaper.

The Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe is an old Urtext whose quality, they say, varies a lot. According to Wikipedia the parts edited by W. Rust should be of good quality and it just happens that the suites are edited by him (althought there seems to be a corrected version available, too). You can get this (and the corrected version) for free on IMSLP. There is also a Dover book available which is quite cheap and contains a lot more (but at least my copy is impossible to keep open).

3
  • 1
    Yes I have a similar problem with Dover books... When laying them flat they work great, but as soon as you put them at an angle they refuse to stay open until they have a good crease. I'll take a look at the Ausgabe, as long as I can get a preview of how the inside looks. Aug 17, 2014 at 22:23
  • 1
    Truth. Those Dover books are a great deal, and usually great quality scores, but they're practically worthless without something to hold them open. Aug 17, 2014 at 22:24
  • I had the spines shorn from mine and got them spiral-bound, at an office supply store that also does printing. A 2 mm plastic spiral through holes spaced about 5 mm apart. Works great, but does occasionally dribble chaff. Dec 21, 2020 at 16:16
1

I've found new and used books at Amazon US (if that's your location) for ~$10 (Peters, Henle) if you go with half the suites (no. 1-3 or 4-6).

Searching for "Englische Suiten" appears to result in more hits...

0

I found an Urtext edition by an Italian publisher, also available at Amazon: here. I can't comment on the publisher, since I never heard or seen something from it before.

1
  • 1
    Not much of a recommendation then, eh? Aug 20, 2014 at 19:27
0

ABRSM (Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music) editions are generally reliable to work from, and somewhat less costly.

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.