Richard Johnson Editions on IMSLP

[ehj2003]

I've uploaded 6 scores from my music catalog to IMSLP, all standard piano repetoire. I am a new publisher but I have been working on these scores for many years. A large portion of my catalog will be available for free both here and at my future site richardjohnsoneditions.com, which will be online in about a month. I believe my editions will interest those pianists who prefer to study from urtext editions. Each edition was engraved (by myself) from reliable sources and thoroughly proofed with one or more urtext editions and sometimes first editions. Some editions will include explanations of how ornaments should be executed and all will have extensive and complete fingerings. I have employed the highest standards of music engraving practices to produce volumes that will be comparable to Henle and Vienna Urtext, except for the critical apparatus and, of course, the price. In the coming weeks I will upload other standard piano works to IMSLP. If you would like to be notified when I upload more works, send a message to ejones@richardjohnsoneditions.com.

The works I have uploaded are listed below. There is a little more information about these editions on the title page of each piece.

Chopin Fantasy-Impromptu
Chopin Valse Brillante in E flat op.18
Chopin Waltz in A flat op.34 no.1
Chopin Nocturne in F sharp major op. 15 no.2
Chopin Nocturne in D flat major op. 27 no.2
Chopin Nocturne in E flat op.9 no.2

I welcome any comments or questions anyone may have.

[worov]

Thank you for these. I'm waiting for them. It's always interesting to see a new edition of piece you already know.

What do you intend to publish in the future ? Do you have any favourite composers besides Chopin ?

[ehj2003]

I will be releasing all the Mozart piano sonatas, with commentaries for performing the trills and apoggiaturas for each sonata, all of the Waltzes, Ballades, Scherzos, and Nocturnes of Chopin, about 12 Beethoven sonatas, including the Pathetique, Moonlight, Waldstein, Les Adieux,Tempest and La Chase sonatas, about 12 of the most popular Schumann piano works, some Bach, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Schubert and Debussy. I hope to have them all available within the next year. All of them are nearly completed, a few need to be fingered. I just have to do the final proofing and touching up, which takes some time. I have tried to include pieces at all levels of learning. The most advanced pieces, like the Schumann Fantasy and Kreisleriana, will probably not have fingerings since only the most advanced players perform them, and would probably prefer to write in their own fingerings.

Many of the works will be free, some will be available for download for a small donation on my website, and the more advanced works will be sold as printed editions at low prices. I am very interested to know how people like the fingerings. I have gorilla-sized hands and I had to ask help from some friends who teach piano, as well as consult other editions to make sure the fingerings were suitable for medium-sized hands.

The reason I'm taking my time to release each edition is I'm trying to be certain there are no errors in the musical text as well as no engraving errors. I would like people to have as much confidence in these editions as they would any modern urtext edition from Henle, Vienna Urtext, Barenreiter, etc..

Thank you for your interest, I will post an announcement each time I release a new batch of free works on IMSLP.

[ehj2003]

I have posted 6 new piano pieces on IMSLP from the Richard Johnson Editions. Please see the older topic on Richard Johnson Editions in the Music Related forum.

The new pieces are:

Schubert Impromptu in Ab Op. 142 no. 2
Schubert Impromptu in Bb Op. 142 no. 3
Chopin Nocturne in B Op. 32 no.2
Chopin Waltz in a minor Op. 34 no 2
Mozart Fantasie in d minor K. 397
Schumann Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) Op. 15

The works I've already posted are:

Chopin Fantasy-Impromptu
Chopin Valse Brillante in E flat op.18
Chopin Waltz in A flat op.34 no.1
Chopin Nocturne in F sharp major op. 15 no.2
Chopin Nocturne in D flat major op. 27 no.2
Chopin Nocturne in E flat op.9 no.2

I hope you like these new urtext engraving, they are a lot of work! There is an email link on each piece if you would like to ask questions or comment.

[Sadza]

I must say that your work is VERY appreciated. When I get around to playing these pieces, I'll be sure to use your editions. Many thanks!

[coulonnus]

I am very interested to know how people like the fingerings. I have gorilla-sized hands and I had to ask help from some friends who teach piano, as well as consult other editions to make sure the fingerings were suitable for medium-sized hands.

I believe that a "perfect" edition should have no fingerings at all. AFAIK M. de Saint Lambert,
in his Principes de clavecin recommends the fingering 124 for a large hand and 135 for a small hand to play the C-E-G chord. I think it is up to the pianist to decide his fingering.

[Zippy_Fingas89]

Hi!

I found out about your editions the other day. I find them very clean and beautiful to play from! Im very interested in your future editions, but your website richardjohnsoneditions.com seems not to exist! Any clarification for this?