- There are still being circulated in
the music-shops a certain number of copies of my works,
especially of the "Studies," "Hungarian Rhapsodies," and several
"Fantasiestucke" (under the collective title of "Album d'un
Voyageur"), etc., that I have not included in my Catalogue, which
I gave into Dr. Hartel's hands for printing; - and you have taken
upon yourself the troublesome task of arranging these different
and somewhat numerous works in what would be, under other
circumstances, a most judicious manner.
However gratifying to me this interest of yours in the production
of a suitable Catalogue can but be, yet I must declare myself
decidedly for the non-acceptance of the portions added by you
(with certain exceptions).
1. The Hofmeister edition of the twelve Studies (with a
lithograph of a cradle, and the publisher's addition "travail de
jeunesse"!) is simply a piracy of the book of Studies which was
published at Frankfort when I was thirteen years old. I have long
disowned this edition and replaced it by the second, under the
title "Etudes d'execution transcendante," published by Haslinger
in Vienna, Schlesinger in Paris, and Mori and Lavener in London.
But this second edition has now been annulled several years ago,
and Haslinger has, by my desire, put aside my copyright and
plates, and bound himself by contract not to publish any more
copies of this work henceforth. After a complete agreement with
him I set to work and produced a third edition of my twelve
Studies (very materially improved and transformed), and begged
Messrs. Hartel to publish it with the note "seule edition
authentique, revue par l'auteur, etc.," which they did.
Consequently I recognize only the Hartel edition of the twelve
Studies as the SOLE LEGITIMATE ONE, which I also clearly express
by a note in the Catalogue, and I therefore wish that the
Catalogue should make no mention of the earlier ones. I think I
have found the simplest means of making my views and intentions
clear by the addition of the sign (+).
2. It is the same case with the Paganini "Etudes" and the
"Rhapsodies Hongroises;" and after settling matters with
Haslinger I completely gained the legal right to disavow the
earlier editions of these works, and to protest against eventual
piracy of them, as I am once more in possession both of the
copyright and the entire engraving plates.
These circumstances will explain to you the reappearance (in a
very much altered conception and form) of many of my
compositions, on which I, as piano player and piano composer, am
obliged to lay some stress, as they form, to a certain extent,
the expression of a closed period of my artist-individuality.
In literature the production of very much altered, increased, and
improved editions is no uncommon thing. In works both important
and trivial, alterations, additions, varying divisions of
periods, etc., are a common experience of an author.
