Music - Score Editions Guide

A Performing Edition is an edition intended for use in performance. It is created by an individual editor (often a performer rather than a scholar) to meet performers’ needs. The editor adds markings--fingerings, articulations, stylistic suggestions, etc.--which represent the editor’s interpretation and may differ from another’s interpretation, since they are not necessarily based on up-to-date scholarly evidence.

Editors sometimes include commentary relating to their thoughts about performance practice, but they do not usually include scholarly commentary that explains the reasoning behind their edits.

The Problem of Selection

When you search Baylor Libraries' Catalog for sheet music, performing editions will make up the majority of the results. For a single piece, there are often many performing editions available and they can vary widely. You’ll need to evaluate all options before choosing the edition you want to use.

This is a difficult task for anyone -- don’t hesitate to ask for guidance from your professor! They may direct you to a specific editor or publisher -- you can search by that name in OneSearch. They may also tell you to find the “Urtext Edition”...

What is an Urtext Edition?

• Urtext (Ger.) = original text
• A performing edition intended to be as close to the composer’s intentions as possible without editorial changes or additions.
• This is also a scholarly edition, as Urtext editions are created by scholars in the field, and contain references to sources used and editing rationale.
• However, it is important to note that the label “Urtext” can be misleading. It has been overused by publishers to increase sales; but even when legitimate, a particular Urtext edition may have been superseded by newly-researched sources.