Project Description

The task of the project is to publish the first scholarly-critical complete edition of the works of Joseph Haydn. The edition, which is planned to consist of 108 volumes, comprises 32 series (supplements and indexes are planned as two further series). Within each series, the works will be arranged chronologically wherever possible. The Haydn-Studien will also be published, including a Haydn bibliography.

 

For probably no other important composer of the 18th century is the tradition as problematic as for Joseph Haydn. Only about a third of his works have been preserved in autograph; for the majority, copyist's copies form the main part of the tradition. (Contemporary prints are available in large numbers, but rarely play a role in the edition). Many works have survived exclusively in non-authentic copies, i.e. copies that were not made in Haydn's immediate circle. For this reason, the edition is usually preceded by extensive research into the dependence of the sources. It is also important to check the authenticity of works, because numerous compositions have been falsely attributed to Haydn - famous examples are the »Children's Symphony« and the Divertimento from which Johannes Brahms took the theme of his »Haydn Variations«.