On 11 February, the eminent Hungarian musicologist László Somfai passed away at the age of 91. His research focused on the works of Béla Bartók and Joseph Haydn – two composers with whom the internationally renowned researcher had been closely associated, both professionally and personally, with Henle Publishers for decades.

As a member of the Joseph Haydn Institute, he oversaw the publication of the complete works Joseph Haydn Werke, published by Henle Publishers, organised important conferences and, in 1995, presented one of the most authoritative works on Haydn's piano works, The Keyboard Sonatas of Joseph Haydn.

As the long-standing director of the Bartók Archives in Budapest, he pursued his vision of a scholarly complete edition of the Hungarian national composer's works with tireless enthusiasm for decades before it was finally realised in 2016 through the cooperation of Henle Publishers and Editio Musica Budapest. We consider ourselves very fortunate that he was able to supervise and witness the publication of the first nine volumes of the critical complete edition of Béla Bartók.

We also owe him numerous practical Urtext editions of Bartók's piano works and all of his string quartets. His wide-ranging circle of students has shaped Bartók research worldwide. His profound knowledge of Bartók's oeuvre found its way not only into the compendium Béla Bartók. Composition, Concepts, and Autograph Sources (1996), but also in a fundamental catalogue of works, the largely completed manuscript of which he was able to promise us.

It will be an honour for us to complete this project together with our Hungarian colleagues – and thus pay our last respects to an outstanding scholar and close friend of our publishing house.