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» zum Gästebuch von Günter Henle

“... je suis heureuse de les (les oeuvres) posséder dans leur forme originale, magnifiquement éditées et présentées …”

“...It is extremely meritorious and necessary to finally publish the text in a reliable manner, as intended and desired by its creator, and I hope that the largest possible collection of beautiful literature for the piano were published in this manner …”

“… With these publications you are accomplishing a pressing task in an exemplary manner. It is not often that idealism, practical requirements and a sense of business are combined with musicality and extensive elaborations up to and including fingerings as you do so. The result is a text that is true, free of additions of a personal nature, clear print and also at an affordable price for the simple music lover …”

“… The editions are excellent, the print exemplary …”

“… The edition represents itself very nicely … the music printing is a joy and relaxing on the eyes.”

“… Your superb editions of our classics ... You can be proud of and we artists should be thankful for these editions of the classics that are exemplary in every possible way.”

“… What a joy it is to work with your editions. They are the most logical, musically speaking, and the planning and printing are of the utmost clarity and thus, a great help ... what an aid it is to be able to have complete confidence in the printed score in front of you ...”

“It is not only out of a sense of need but also with great pleasure, that I write these lines to you to tell you how very grateful I am, and I believe I may speak for all artists who are looking for the true text, for the loving and responsible work of your Urtext editions that have been no end of help to me. Your editions are the basis for my work, they have become indispensable for me and I greatly appreciate them; they offer the same help to my students …”

“... May I take this opportunity to thank you and congratulate you for your important contribution to music through your music publications, done with such devotion and competence ...”

“The flawless Henle Urtext editions have, since time immemorial, shown the greatest respect for a composer’s hand and time and again have brought me a step nearer to the true intentions of their creators. At the same time, thanks to the never tiring efforts of the editors at the publishing house, for half a century they have remained faithful to the personal idea of their founder, the publisher Dr. Günter Henle.”

“… The editions are really quite excellent both as far as content and also appearance are concerned. The rendition of the musical text that is indebted to the original and has been purified of all of the additions by later hands is much to your credit, and the clear and distinct engraving makes it a joy to use this music. I am convinced that the musical world will enthusiastically take to these editions, and hopefully more will soon follow …”

“No doubt, that greatest achievement in the recreations of Urtexts by great composers belongs to Dr. Günter Henle and his wonderful Edition. I was happy to know well Dr. Henle and even make music together at his home. He often visited my recitals in Duisburg and Essen, which I have played with my wife and partner - pianist Natalia Zertsalova and always presented to us scores of classical chamber music repertoire in Henle Edition, which we use up to now. Beside of importance of unique scientific precisenes of Henle Edition scores have one unique practical advantage: distribution of music on pages made so careful that it allows pianist to perform at the concerts without page-turner. I send my warmest congratulations to the 50th anniversary of G. Henle Verlag and wishes to continue wonderful traditions.”

“… cannot be grateful enough for the artistic deed of making the works of the great composers available again in a pure form … What Henle Publishers has achieved with these editions is quite excellent and exemplary …”

» zum Gästebuch von Günter Henle

“Today the distinguished Urtext editions by Henle Publishers are world famous. No musician worth their salt, can do without them. We stand in your debt for enriching us through your editions, for the scholarly work, the dedicated research, the love and the personal dedication with which you have undertaken this task.”

“… it is a great contribution to music to have an authentic “urtext” and not the individualistic approaches to the master’s work by so many pianists … your beautiful edition of the great composers. They are really a joy to work with, so beautifully printed, and so true to the text …”

“It was a great pleasure to see this excellent edition [Mozart Piano Sonatas] - to my mind the best to have yet appeared. I am delighted to have a copy in my possession …”

“As a matter of fact, I am a big admirer of the remarkable Henle Urtext Editions. I can't imagine that there would be one single musician, on this planet, who would be able to work without the Urtext of G. Henle Verlag: It is simply a "MUST".”

„Der G. Henle Verlag ist das Berliner Philharmonische Orchester unter den Musikverlagen.“

“It has been my pleasure to work closely with Henle on the complete Beethoven Sonatas for a few years now. I appreciate their attention to detail, their thorough professionalism and their scrupulousness in regard to the composer's intentions. We go back and forth so many times with the text to get it close to what we think is right. In the end, I think Henle in general, will be seen as upholding the highest musical standards.”

“… We, like many of our colleagues, have had the enjoyment of working with your fine urtext editions. We have always trusted the sincere dedication and thorough scholarship put into these works.
We want to extend to you continued success and best wishes in the years to come.”

“Life would be unimaginable for the performer without Henle's editions. The publishers deserves our thanks for bringing us so much closer to the authentic text and for not shying from continually improving what it has done to reflect the latest scholarly findings.”

“Henle’s first class editions add to the pleasure of studying. I always feel secure in the knowledge that the scores are accurate and precise.”

“How wonderful it is that we musicians have the Urtext editions by G. Henle Publishers at our disposal. These editions, prepared with much passion for detail, have accompanied me ever since my childhood and to date are my trustworthy points of reference, not least thanks to the truly exemplary scholarly research that lies at their heart.”

“Those instantly recognisable blue volumes which grace my shelves are good and reliable companions. More and more please to enter the new millenium in the spirit of Dr. Henle.”

“I have to tell you how much I enjoy your excellent editions.”

“... I have to tell you that no other edition can compare as far as print quality and the ease of reading for the artist is concerned. Each time I begin work on a new composition, I enquire as to whether it is available from G. Henle Publishers. I have learnt over 60% of my repertoire using editions by G. Henle Publishers. My whole life I have never found a single scribal error, sadly so often present in other editions. On the occasion of its birthday, I wish G. Henle Publishers to keep all of its qualities.”

“When dealing with great music, it is crucial to be able to trust the musical score. Can I be sure that the musical text reproduces what the composer wanted as closely and accurately as possible? Henle Publishers has earned this deep trust from demanding musicians over many decades. I always greatly enjoy using Henle editions and feel particularly close to the composers’ intention when using them.”

“Even if - strictly speaking - only a facsimile of the autograph can be considered to be "Urtext", HENLE has given us the best possible, very responsibly undertaken approximation of the original. HENLE editions are not only a feast for the eyes, but are also trustworthy.”

“It’s not just on account of their wonderful blue cover that Henle editions have been a MUST for me for a long time! As knowledge of the Urtext is the key to a fitting interpretation, these always perfectly researched and easy-to-read Henle Urtext editions have become indispensable for my work. I can warmly recommend them to all musicians and music lovers!”

© Katsumi Ohmura

“Almost 50 years ago in a music shop I came across an unfamiliar new Urtext edition of Mozart’s piano sonatas in a modest grey colour. I bought it and was soon so delighted with it that I wrote a letter to the founder of the publishing house, Dr. Dr. Günter Henle. A friendship developed from this first contact, based on our shared love of music and the pursuit of the musical text intended by the composer. Hundreds of letters, some of which were humorous, were exchanged and we had friendly meetings face-to-face. The most important Urtext publishing house, not just as far as we pianists are concerned, grew from modest beginnings. We no longer want or are able to do without these editions. The grey, meanwhile matt shiny cover has become a signature feature. Concerning its appearance, not only does the (still hand-engraved) musical text with its clear, attractive layout captivate one but also the binding, which always makes page turning an easy matter. (How often have I been annoyed with certain other editions where the pages of music turn back on their own – awful for sightreaders!) The publishing house deserves particular praise for being interested in improvements and for correcting the few mistakes that can even occur in a good Urtext edition when reprinting. Whenever a rare autograph finally reappears on the scene, such as the Mozart Fantasy and Sonata in c minor, it is even re-engraved.
Wishes? To begin with I hope that the publishing house can spread further and grow even more. Hopefully it will also include Mozart’s piano concertos in its publishing programme. My particular wishes are as follows:

1. More explanations. Only a few users of the Mozart editions know, for example, that the dynamic signs and notes in small print are from the first editions that Mozart himself supervised and are almost certainly compulsory. The brackets in Haydn’s Variations in f minor also need explaining.

2. Larger fingerings, larger measure numbers so that the scaled-down practical editions are also easy to read.

3. That in Beethoven’s Sonata op. 110 in measure 110 of the first movement the thirds C³-E flat³ are moved from the footnote to the main text; the same applies to the first movement of the Hammerklavier Sonata op. 106, so that the A that is generally acknowledged today (instead of A sharp) is also moved to the main text. (My work on this laying out the line of argument appeared in the commemorative volume for Dr. Henle).

4. That Chopin’s meticulous entries in the copies for his pupils O'Meara/Dubois and Jane Stirling are finally taken into account in the Nocturnes and the Sonata in B minor. As astonishing as this may sound: these definitive versions have never been reproduced in their entirety and are only known to those pianists who visit the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. These wishes are certainly not easily fulfilled. Only Henle Publishers - who are bold enough to get to the bottom of problems - is in a position to accomplish this as a sign of their love of the music.
With this in mind, I remain

Paul Badura-Skoda”

“I would like to congratulate G. Henle Publishers and at the same time thank you for the wonderful Urtext editions. It is a pleasure to be able to approach the great composers of the past with such great attention to the small details. Thank you for your varied support and the extraordinarily competent care. I think G. Henle Publishers is simply fantastic!”

“I always appreciate very much playing from Henle Urtext – the ‘famous blue’.”

“Henle Verlag provides me with the best, most accurate editions of the music I play and love. I trust that their editions are as close as it is possible to get to the composer's original work and they are expertly and pristinely produced to the highest possible standard, making them a joy to read and play from.”

“The G. Henle edition is one of my very favourites and I am very happy to congratulate you on your exceptional achievements in bringing to us, musicians, the true, unadulterated text of the great music of the world. This is what we all need and appreciate, and I think that your publishing house has no rival!”

“I’ve always been a great ‘Henle fan’. I cannot begin to describe how helpful these wonderful editions have been to me and to others. Henle’s philosophy of being true to the original is exemplary and has set a standard.”

“For me, G. Henle Publishers is a lighthouse in the ocean of music through the ages. In the firmament of the world’s musical editions G. Henle Publishers is truly one of the brightest stars. Not only performing musicians but also music teachers and scholars find most valuable and necessary information at G. Henle Publishers. May the famous tradition of G. Henle Publishers be preserved in the future and remain so indispensable to us musicians as it is today. BRAVO, G. HENLE PUBLISHERS!”

“I am proud to be identified with the Henle Verlag!”

“Henle Publishers is a musical bridge spanning from the past into the future.”

“In this year when the G. Henle Verlag celebrates its 50th anniversary, I would like to congratulate from the bottom of my heart everybody who works or has worked for this wonderful publishing company and to express my gratitude for everything they have done and continue to do. I'm convinced that many musicians will join me in saying how useful and valuable your work is. May the G. Henle Verlag prosper continuously – for the benefit and joy of so many musicians and music lovers!”

“Henle Verlag provides me with the best, most accurate editions of the music I play and love. I trust that their editions are as close as it is possible to get to the composer's original work and they are expertly and pristinely produced to the highest possible standard, making them a joy to read and play from.”

  » zum Gästebuch von Günter Henle

“When one’s eyes scan over the large, clear, friendly staves in a Henle edition, the music immediately jumps into one’s ears …! And Henle Publishers has devoted itself to the service of this immediacy also above all through its wonderful Urtext editions. How astoundingly effective, simple, new and true the Urtext version of a work often appears which one only originally encountered as a child in a contaminated version.

Thank you, Henle!”

“The idea of binding musical scores in blue card seems at first to be a minor point; it is the printed music that ultimately matters - and G. Henle Edition is renowned for its highest quality and care (a fact which my colleagues have already honoured and praised). And yet: this clear blue that envelops the whole cover, is at once modern due to its simplicity and elegance and at the same time reminiscent of spring water, a mountain stream, origin – so, Urtext ... Even from afar the promising cover is easy to spot and one can look forward to its exquisite contents!”

Yaara Tal

“Few editions of music are likely to have been able to set similar standards for their times over the course of the history of printed music as the Urtext editions by G. Henle Publishers have done from the outset. No modern interpretation can be imagined without this development. This also goes to show how deeply an editorial principle can influence musical understanding of its time. We cannot imagine working on the great classics from Bach to Debussy without the accuracy and clarity of the music from Henle Publishers! If you have grown up with these editions, as we have, then you are very spoiled and many other editions will no longer be able to win you over.”

Andreas Groethuysen