Books on Music

Books on music form an important part of the Bärenreiter publishing programme, an area of publishing which has been steadily built up over the last few years and considerably expanded. The aim of the programme is to communicate knowledge about music through a wide variety of literature: Bärenreiter publishes  many different themes and types of books ranging  from entertaining music literature to scholarly publications for a wide readership in cooperation with leading music writers and scholars. The books on music by Bärenreiter are predominantly in German.

Important series of publications include the „Bärenreiter Studienbücher Musik”, which contain essential material for study at secondary schools, music conservatoires and universities, and the Bärenreiter Werkeinführungen, composer handbooks and biographies. A new range of encyclopaedias on major themes and a new series of books on instruments, all of which reflect the latest in research, are being published in response to public demand. The „Complete Edition of Mendelssohn’s Letters” in 12 volumes makes important sources of music literature available to the reader.

Numerous publications on major areas of music such as opera have already become classics, for example, the five-volume „Opernführer für Fortgeschrittene” by Ulrich Schreiber, described by the journal Opernwelt as “world literature” and shortly to be made available to an even wider public in a paperback edition. Further classics include Silke Leopold’s pioneering book „Händel. Die Opern” and titles by outstanding authors such as Peter Gülke, the multiple award-winning writer on music. Another highlight is the extensive programme of publications on church music. This encompasses entertaining and attractively-presented books, encyclopaedias and handbooks on organ music including several guides to organs by Karl-Heinz Göttert and Eckhard Isenberg.

In 2012 Bärenreiter-Verlag and Henschel-Verlag (Leipzig) entered into a partnership to publish music books. The first five titles in the joint music book publishing programme are four volumes in the new „Opernführer kompakt” series and the book „“Ich singe mit Leib und Seele”. Über die Kunst, Sängerin zu sein.” Gespräche by the Bulgarian opera singer Vesselina Kasarova and Marianne Zelger-Vogt.

Some titles in the Bärenreiter book publishing programme are co-productions with Metzler-Verlag and dtv.