Franz Schubert

Moment Musicaux op.94 D 780

Playing score with fingerings

Schubert's well-known collection of 'Moments Musicaux' was published in 1828, the last year of the composer's life, but the composition of individual pieces dates back to the early 1820s. In 1823, Schubert published his extremely popular 'Air russe', which later became the third of the 'Moments Musicaux', and the following year the chordal sixth under the title 'Plaintes d'un Troubadour'. The multi-faceted lyrical moods are very suitable for piano lessons due to their delightful variety and at the same time moderate technical demands and are an indispensable part of the concert repertoire.

In the fall of 1827, Schubert composed eight 'Impromptus' for publication as a complete collection by Haslinger in Vienna. When the plan fell through, Schubert offered his 'Impromptus' to Schott as pieces that 'can be published individually or all four together'. The designation of the works possibly goes back to the publisher Haslinger, but Schubert also adopted it for his collection later published as op. posth. 142. The lyrical-romantic works, which are suitable for advanced piano students, have the character of sonata movements. Robert Schumann, who saw them as parts of a four-movement sonata, already pointed this out in his review of the second collection published by Diabelli in 1839.

The two critical-practical Urtext editions (BA9647, BA9648) present the musical text of the 'New Schubert Edition' for the first time in a generous new engraving, which is provided with slight turning points, and make Schubert's popular cycle of 'Moments Musicaux' available as a single edition from Bärenreiter. The fingerings take into account essential aspects of performance practice at Schubert's time as well as playing on the modern concert grand piano. The edition is rounded off by an in-depth preface as well as performance practice notes and source-critical annotations.

> Edited on the basis of the New Schubert Edition
> Including all known sources
> Critical-practical Urtext editions in a generous new engraving with light turning points
> With fingerings and notes on performance practice (German/English) by Mario A./With detailed preface (German/English) and critical commentary (English)

Mario Aschauer
studied piano, historical keyboard instruments, conducting and musicology in Linz, Salzburg and Vienna. He performs as a soloist and chamber musician, including with the Austrian Calamus Consort, and has developed a wide-ranging repertoire on fortepiano, harpsichord and organ. Since 2008, Mario Aschauer has worked on the 'New Schubert Edition' and teaches at the University of Vienna. His research activities focus in particular on questions of performance practice of European art music of the 17th-19th centuries. In 2011, Bärenreiter-Verlag published his dissertation 'Handbuch Clavier-Schulen. An overview of 32 German teaching works of the 18th century'.