20% Off All G. Henle Urtext Editions at Sheet Music Plus Until March 5

Walk through any music school on the planet and you'll spot them. These blue-grey Urtext editions lend a certain authority to anyone that uses them for practicing, studying, teaching, or performing. Their hefty, acid-free pages, clean layout, and authoritative sources make these editions some of the most sought-after in the music world and are put together with a level of quality that can remain in good shape for the duration of your career.

Yes, I'm talking about G. Henle Urtext editions. Go to most music retailers and they're almost always sold at full price. Until now...

Until March 5, Sheet Music Plus is offering 20% off all G. Henle Urtext editions. In case you've never used an Urtext edition, here is a quick rundown on what it is:

The word Urtext means original text. An Urtext then is closest to what the composer originally intended. Over the years, various editors have often made additions to compositions which have obscured the original purity of the composition. In creating an Urtext edition, musicologists strive to re-create the purest version of the composition.

Extensive research goes into creating an Urtext edition - scholars examine all available manuscripts, variances, copies and early editions of compositions available. Different Urtext editions are often available for a single composition because different musicologists reach different conclusions regarding a composer's intent. Almost all Urtext editions include editorial additions that aid in playing including fingerings and bowings that are clearly marked as such.

Sheet Music Plus is one of the most respected online retailers of music scores and offers fast and inexpensive international shipping, as well as a massive selection of music from dozens of publishers. In case you're interested in grabbing some Henle scores, here are links to several of them for piano, many of which grace the walls of my studio bookshelf:

Johann Sebastian Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier BWV 846-869, part I Without fingering - with Comments in English. By Johann Sebastian Bach. Edited by E.-G. Heinemann. For piano solo. This edition: HN256. Piano (Harpsichord), 2-hands. Henle Music Folios. Pages: VII and 128. Urtext edition without fingering-paper bound. 138 pages. Published by G. Henle. (51480256) See more info...

Klaviersonaten - Band II (Piano Sonatas - Volume II) (K. 330 (300h) - K. 576) Fingerings by Hans-Martin Theopold, composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), edited by Ernst Herttrich. Collection (paper bound) for solo piano. Urtext edition. 157 pages. Published by G. Henle. (HL.51480002) See more info...

Klaviersonaten - Band I (Piano Sonatas - Volume I) Fingered by Conrad Hansen, composed by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), edited by Bertha Antonia Wallner. Collection for solo piano. Series: Urtext Editions. Text language English, German and French. 286 pages. Published by G. Henle. (HL.51480032) See more info...

Sonatas for Piano and Violin - Volume I By Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), edited by Sieghard Brandenburg. Collection and set of performance parts for Violin and piano. Urtext edition-paper bound. 159 pages. Published by G. Henle. (HL.51480007) See more info...

Etuden (Etudes) Fingered by Hermann Keller, composed by Frederic Chopin (1810-1849), edited by Ewald Zimmermann. Collection for solo piano. Series: Urtext Editions. Text language English, German and French. 127 pages. Published by G. Henle. (HL.51480124) See more info...

Piano pieces By Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), edited by Monica Steegmann. Urtext edition-paper bound for solo piano. 120 pages. Published by G. Henle. (HL.51480036) See more info...

Preludes, Premier Livre By Claude Debussy (1862-1918), edited by Ernst-Gunter Heinemann. Collection for solo piano. Urtext edition-paper bound. 61 pages. Published by G. Henle. (HL.51480383) See more info...

Koenemann Urtexts Are Back in Toronto Area Costco Stores

At Costco this afternoon, I once again beheld stacks upon stacks of grey and blue Koenemann Urtext editions. Among the volumes the Laird Road location had in stock were the Beethoven Piano Sonatas, the Bach WTC and French/English Suites, Chopin Etudes, Nocturnes, and Valses, as well as Mendelssohn, Grieg, and Debussy compilations. The price per book: only $3.89. Get them before they're gone!

Any other cheap Koenemann Urtext sightings elsewhere in Canada or in the US?

Cheap Urtexts Are Back in Toronto Area Costco Stores

The Konemann Urtext series is back at Costco locations in the Toronto area, this time for a whopping $3.83 per book. Here are some of the scores I found yesterday in one of the Mississauga stores:

• Beethoven Sonatas in four volumes
• Mozart Sonatas in two volumes
• Bach Well-Tempered Clavier I and II
• Bach English Suites
• Johann Strauss Waltzes
• Scott Joplin Ragtime pieces
• Grieg Lyric Pieces in two volumes

The Konemann urtexts are clearly laid out and definitely useable, although without the fingerings and editorial notes of higher-priced urtext editions such as Henle and Baerenreiter. And that price...