Hi, I've double-posted this in the Diploma board as i wasn't sure where the best place was.

The thing is, my OH loves his US forum site and we 'argue' about which is better but he's got no help for his question on that site and I promised I'd post it here to show how much better 'we' were . . .

Husband's post :

Hello, I was looking for some advice for a good suitable edition for the second book of Iberia. I've used the Verlag Urtext editions before for other works but I'm not sure what the Albinez edition is like. My main criterion is to have some fingering included, like ABSRM beethoven sonatas Craxton/Tovay. I don't mind changing fingering a bit but I don't want a completely blank edition and trying to figure it all out from scratch. The fingering for the Albinez is likely to be rather non-standard as well.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help (that's me adding that bit!).

I love the inter-forum rivalry.

I'd always go for Verlag or Weiner Urtext. Just always my favourite editions of anything by far. But I don't think the fingering would be there for the Albeniz and I don't have Iberia myself so I can't say for sure....

I guess this post wasn't very useful Surely someone on this forum will be better informed and be able to help you 'win'

I haven't got the Iberia but do have the Albeniz Suite Espagnola op 47 and it's published by Union Musical Ediciones S.L, Madrid.
It's got fingering and pedalling suggestions byJuan Salvat.

Does that help? They will probably publish the Iberia as well. This was just the edition that was available in the music shop.

I have exactly the same as Mel, it's not a bad edition and they must surely do Iberia too

Your quite right fsharpminor, they do also publish Iberia. I have Vol 1 which has pedalling marked but no fingering suggestions marked.

Ah mine has fingering for SuiteEsp.

Thank you very much to eveyone - I think my advice to OH is going to be to look at the Esp. suite instead !!!

But, Ursie, I'm interested (and I know he will be) - for Vol. 1, how did you do it ? Did you finger it yourself ? Written in ? Do you find that easy ? Did you have a teacher's help ? Or, indeed, are you a teacher ?

My husband is diploma standard, as a serious amateur, and gives concerts etc., and is very self-disciplined in character, but he has not had official lessons since childhood and never 'learnt' ro finger pieces himself so, although he tried with one piece, it took him an age and he's vowed never to do it again.
How do you approach it ?

PS Ursie, I've just read your signature and seen you have both a preformace and teaching diploma so that answers my silly question above, But I'd still love to know how you approach it.

.

Pianoeater suggested the Urtext edition ? it may be worth phoning a music shop and asking them to check for you ? seems a shame to give it the body swerve before you know for sure

When you asked about the fingering in a piece, did you mean fingering in general or the Iberia in particular?

Pity about the fingering (or lack of) in the UME Iberia; I saw this for myself when browsing in a music shop in my lunch break.

Isn't the point about Urtext editions that they tell you absolutely nothing apart from the composer's marks? I might be wrong about that.
I did see the Iberia on the LTCL diploma list and the UME was the edition specified.

I actually struggled to get a decent edition of this - I've got Peters, and its ok, but it was Hobsons choice

I guess I meant fingering for the Iberia.

I don;t think my OH does fingering from scratch in other peices either, although may well make a lot of changes to suggested fingering, which you'd think would be sort of the same but obviosuly not . . .

I know that he rang up one of the publishers (can't remember which one off the top of my head) and they said that, no, there was no fingering because "the fingering is so tricky it's too difficult".

Well, I;d have thoguht that's exactly WHY there should be some !

He's quite happy to pay extra for an edition where someone's invested the time and effort in fingering it but is too daunted by the idea of doing it all himself - he also read somewhere that the fingering should be approached as though playing Spanish guitar (or words to that effect) which obviously sent him runnung for the hills !

Just curious to know how you, or anyone else, has managed it . . ..

Tried that...... It's a load of rubbish...... You try balancing a piano on your knee... It just doesn't work.



Cheers,

Matt.