Universal Edition

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Alfred Kalmus
Director 1909-1938

typical early cover ca. 1910

1 History
2 Plate Numbers
3 Catalogs
4 Typical typefaces employed (1901-ca.1950)
5 Sources
6 Authority control

History

The company was founded on June 1, 1901 in Vienna by a group of Austrian music retailers who sought independence of domination from the large German firms in Leipzig. The initial offerings were geared towards the Austrian domestic market for standard classical repertoire and educational music. By the end of its first year, the U.E. catalog contained some 400 titles, dominated by works of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, and Schumann. In 1903, the Vienna publisher Ludwig Doblinger assigned its publication rights for Bruckner's works to U.E. in exchange for shares in the new company. The next year saw the addition of titles by Max Reger, Richard Strauss, and Franz von Suppe with the acquistion of the publisher Aibl. Rapid growth continued with the purchase of publishers August Cranz (1909), Otto Maass' Söhne (1918), A.J. Gutmann(1920), Hofmeister (1921), Wiener Philharmonischer Verlag and Josef Blaha (both 1924).

Commencing with the directorship of Emil Hertzka (1869-1932) and general editorship of Josef von Wöss in 1907, the firm entered the field of publishing new works. Some of the first contemporary composers of the period who joined the U.E. catalog were Delius and Bartok (1908), Mahler, Schoenberg and Schreker (1909), Casella, Webern and Zemlinsky (1910), Szymanowski (1912), Wellesz (1915), Janacek (1917), Kodaly (1920), Kaminsky and Krenek (1921), Milhaud (1922), Berg (1923), Weill (1924), Hauer (1925), Martin and Martinu (1926). While the initial issues of new works consisted of joint publications with other publishers like Roszavolgyi (Bartok), Harmonie Verlag (Delius) and Ricordi (Casella), the very first work issued solely by U.E. was Josef von Wöss' vocal score for Mahler's Symphony No. 8 - published just in time for the work's premiere in September 1910. Universal's distribution in other countries was expanded greatly when Alfred A. Kalmus (elder brother of Edwin F. Kalmus, joined the company in 1909. Distribution and joint-publication contracts were negotiated with Fürstner, Bote & Bock, Breitkopf & Härtel, F.E.C. Leuckart, Ricordi, and other important publishers.

After a long disruption initiated by the Nazi takeover of Austria (1938), which saw the dismissal of director Hugo Winter (who became director after Hertzka's death in 1932) and Alfred Kalmus, the firm gradually regained its prominence in the promotion of contemporary music with the restoration of the original shareholders (1952), which continues to the present day. Composers with works added to the U.E. catalog in the post-war period include Bennett, Berio, Birtwistle, Boulez, Dallapiccola, Einem, Feldman, Halffter, Ligeti, Pärt, Stockhausen, and Takemitsu, among others. Since 1914, the company headquarters has been in the Musikvereinsgebäude (also home of the Gessellschaft für Musikfreunde and the Vienna Philharmonic); with branch offices in London, New York, Mainz, Melbourne, Milan, Tokyo, and Zurich.

In October 2007, Universal's attorney sent a Cease and Desist letter to IMSLP, in an attempt to force IMSLP to apply Austrian copyright laws to users worldwide. IMSLP subsequently shut down (from Oct. 2007 through June 2008) undergoing a reorganization in the process. On July 1, 2008, IMSLP-Petrucci Music Library re-opened to the general public.

Plate Numbers

UE's plate numbers coincide with the Edition number as a general rule. Estimated dates appear in italics

Plate	Composer	Work	Year
	Beethoven	Piano Sonata No.32, Op.111	1916
M.R. 27	Reger	3 Sechsstimmige Chöre, Op.39
U.E. 00228	Boieldieu	La Dame Blanche	1901
U.E. 00627	Schumann	Allegro, Op.8	1901
U.E. 00682	Erb	Violin Sonata No.1, Op.21	1901
U.E. 00760	Hummel	Etudes, Op.125 (Trneček ed.)	1901
U.E. 00814	Ascher	La Moscovite - Dance nationale	1901
U.E. 00815	Mayer	Valse-Etude, Op.83	1901
U.E. 00940	Grädener	String Quartet No.2, Op.39	1905
U.E. 00970	Beethoven	Symphony No.2 – piano 4h arr	1901
U.E. 01007	Strauss	Cello Sonata, Op.6	1901
U.E. 01081	Strauss	Tod und Verklärung, Op.24
U.E. 01268	Reger	Symphonische Phantasie und Fuge für Orgel
U.E. 01287	Reger	Ausgewählte orgel choralvorspiele	1901
U.E. 01368	Strauss	Nocturno, Op.7	1904
U.E. 01369	Strauss	Horn Concerto, Op.8 (horn,pf arr)	1904
U.E. 01592	Strauss	Horn Concerto No.1, Op.11	1904
U.E. 01699	Sibelius	Dance Intermezzo, Op.45 No.2 (piano arr.)	1904
U.E. 01996	Schütt	Concert Paraphrases on J. Strauss's Waltz Motifs (nos. 1, 3, 10)	1910
U.E. 01997	Schütt	Concert Paraphrases on J. Strauss's Waltz Motifs (nos. 4, 5, 12)	1910
U.E. 02590-91	Foerster	Jessika, Op.60 (v.s.)	1909
U.E. 02598	Walter	Violin Sonata in A major (score & part)	1910
U.E. 02759	Korngold	Der Schneemann	1910
U.E. 02772	Mahler	Symphony No.8 (plate 1)	1911
U.E. 02804	Mraczek	Piano Quintet in E-flat major (score & parts)	1910
U.E. 02806	Graener	Quartett über ein Schwedisches Volkslied, Op.33 (score)	1910
U.E. 02992	Schoenberg	3 Pieces, Op.11 (no.2 elaborated by Busoni)	1911
U.E. 03000	Mahler	Symphony No.8 (plate 2)	1911
U.E. 03075	Beethoven	Piano Sonata No.30, Op.109 (Schenker edition)	1913
U.E. 03283	Stöhr	String Quartet No.1 in D minor, Op.22 (parts)	1913
U.E. 03601	Bruckner	Mass 3 in F minor (Benedictus, arr. for piano by Woss)	1911
U.E. 03852	Szymanowski	9 Preludes, Op.1	1906
U.E. 03855	Szymanowski	4 Etudes, Op.4	1906
U.E. 03864	Szymanowski	Piano Sonata No.2, Op.21‎	1912
U.E. 03974	Beethoven	Piano Sonata No.28, Op.101 (Schenker edition)	1921
U.E. 03977	Beethoven	Piano Sonata No.31, Op.110 (Schenker edition)	1914
U.E. 03999	Novák	Serenade in D major, Op.36 (score)	1913
U.E. 04038	Beethoven	Piano Sonata No.29, Op.106
U.E. 05391	Schmidt	Symphony No.2 in E-flat (f.s.)	1914
U.E. 05540	Zemlinsky	6 Songs after Poems by Maeterlinck, Op.13	1914
U.E. 05662	Zemlinsky	Eine florentinische Tragödie, Op.16 (vocal score)	1916
U.E. 05858	Szymanowski	3 Masques, Op.34	1919
U.E. 05894	Peters	String Quartet in A major (score)	1918
U.E. 05967	Webern	5 Pieces for Orchestra, Op.10	1923
U.E. 06017	Marx	Romantisches Klavierkonzert (2pf. arr.)	1920
U.E. 06018	Marx	Romantisches Klavierkonzert (score)	1921?
U.E. 06082–83	Weingartner	String Quartet No.4, Op.62 (score, pts)	1918
U.E. 06209	Schoenberg	Herzgewächse, Op.20	1920
U.E. 06231	Heller	Ballade, Op.34	1915
U.E. 06234	Heller	Ballade, Op.34	1915
U.E. 06236	Heller	La Chasse, Op.29	1915
U.E. 06371	Bartók	String Quartet No. 2, Op.17, Sz.67	1920
U.E. 06626	Szymanowski	Nocturne and Tarantella, Op.28	1921
U.E. 06878	Casella	Undici Pezzi Infantili	1921
U.E. 06964	Wellesz	Eklogen, Op.11	1921
U.E. 06997	Szymanowski	Metopes, Op.29	1922
U.E. 07000	Beethoven	Piano Sonata No.14, Op.27 No.2 (Schenker ed.)	1921
U.E. 07103	Janáček	Káťa Kabanová (v.sc., arr. Bakala, trans. Brod)	1922
U.E. 07328	Korganov	Album Lyrique, Op.20 (book 1)	1924
U.E. 07575	Webern	6 Bagatellen, Op.9	1924
U.E. 07723	Sauer	Concert Polka	1924
U.E. 07776-7	Gruenberg	4 Indiscretions for String Quartet, Op.20 (fs, pts)	1925
U.E. 07779	White	Thereby Hangs a Tale	1925
U.E. 07780	White	Cajolery	1925
U.E. 07781	White	The Blossoming Idyll	1925
U.E. 07782	White	Time's Bitter Flood	1925
U.E. 07783	White	The Tangles of Neaera's Hair	1925
U.E. 07932	Schulhoff	Partita für Klavier	1925
U.E. 07932	Schulhoff	Partita für Klavier	1925
U.E. 08393	Berg	Kammerkonzert	1925
U.E. 08455	Tiessen, H.	String Quintet, Op.32 (sc.)	1926
U.E. 08685	Schoenberg	Suite, Op.29 (f.s.)	1927
U.E. 08747	Protopopov	Piano Sonata No.2, Op.5	1927
U.E. 08772	Bartók	Piano Sonata, Sz.80	1927
U.E. 08780	Berg	Lyrische Suite	1927
U.E. 08834	Myaskovsky	Symphony No.9, Op.28 (f.s.)	1929
U.E. 08854	Huberman	Transcriptions for Violin and Piano	1930
U.E. 08943	Kodály	Intermezzo from "Hary Janos"	1927
U.E. 08958	Schulhoff	Toccata on 'Kitten on the Keys'	1927
U.E. 09046	Blumenfeld	2 Pieces, Op.53	1926
U.E. 09522	Webern	5 Canons, Op.16	1928
U.E. 09525	Schulhoff	Sonata for Solo Violin	1928
U.E. 09697	Satie	5 grimaces pour Le songe d'une nuit d'été	1929
U.E. 09846	Radnai	Divertimento, Op.7 (score)	1930
U.E. 10228	Berg	Lulu Suite (fs)	1935
U.E. 10269	Škerjanc	Preludio für Streichorchester (score)	1935
U.E. 10541	Butting	Symphony No.3, Op.34 (score)	1933
U.E. 10543	Butting	Symphony No.2, Op.29 (score)	1933
U.E. 10794	Weigl	String Quartet No.5, Op.31 (score)	1936
U.E. 10888	Bartók	Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta	1937
U.E. 10896	Krenek	String Quartet No.6, Op.78 (score. Philh. 476)	1937
U.E. 11004	Webern	Das Augenlicht, Op.26 (vocal score, Ger./Eng.)	1956
U.E. 11247	Bortkiewicz	Lyrica Nova, Op.59	1940
U.E. 11473	Webern	Das Augenlicht, Op.26 (f.s., Ger./Eng.)	1956
U.E. 11707	Schmidt	Symphony No.3 in A (arr. Frotzler for pf solo)	1952
U.E. 11830	Webern	Concerto, Op.24 (score)	1948
U.E. 11885	Webern	Kantate II, Op.31 (vocal score, Ger./Eng.)	1951/1955?
U.E. 11902	Dallapiccola	Volo di notte/Nachtflug (Italian/German full score)	1952
U.E. 11980	Dallapiccola	Volo di notte/Nachtflug (Italian/German vocal score, red. by Ricc. Nielsen)	1952
U.E. 11990	Apostel, H.E.	Wind Quartet, Op.14 (score)	1952
U.E. 12030	Schmidt	Piano (left-hand) Concerto in E♭ major (full score; arr. both-hands by Wührer)	1952
U.E. 12195	Berg	Violin Concerto (fs)	1936
U.E. 12197	Webern	Kantate I, Op.29 (vocal score, Ger./Eng.)	1954
U.E. 12198	Webern	Symphony, Op.21 (f.s.)	1929?
U.E. 12219	Schmidt	Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln (min. f.s.)	1954
U.E. 12282	Apostel, H.E.	5 Lieder, Op.22	1954
U.E. 12359	Skalkottas	Andante sostenuto (f.s., ed. W. Goehr)	1954
U.E. 12370	Skalkottas	32 Piano Pieces, AK 70 (Passacaglia, ed. W. Goehr)	1955
U.E. 12403	Dowland	3 Songs (for voice & guitar, ed. Scheit)	1955
U.E. 12417	Webern	Variations, Op.30	1956
U.E. 12421	Webern	Kantate I, Op.29 (full score, Ger./Eng.)	1957
U.E. 12450	Boulez	Le marteau sans maître	1954
U.E. 12461	Webern	Kantate II, Op.31 (miniature score, Ger./Eng.)	1956
U.E. 12486	Webern	Kantate II, Op.31 (full score, Ger./Eng.)	1956
U.E. 12487	Webern	Concerto, Op.24	1948
U.E. 12735	Skalkottas	8 Variations on a Greek Folktune for Trio (sc&pts)	1957
U.E. 12745	Apostel, H.E.	String Quartet No.2 (sc)	1958
U.E. 12792	Skalkottas	15 Little Variations	1958
U.E. 12945 L	Wood, H.	Trio, Op.3 (sc&pts)	1963
U.E. 12958	Skalkottas	32 Piano Pieces, AK 70	1965
U.E. 13174	Apostel, H.E.	Piano Concerto, Op.30 (arr. 2pf)	1960
U.E. 13611	Skalkottas	Suite No.3 (sc)	1962
U.E. 13632	Apostel, H.E.	6 Epigrams for String Quartet, Op.33 (sc)	1963
U.E. 14231	Skalkottas	String Quartet No.4 (sc)	1968
U.E. 15495	Feldman	Cello and Orchestra (f.s.)	1976
U.E. 15518	Birtwistle	The Triumph of Time (f.s.)	1974
U.E. 16326	Feldman	Neither (opera, v.s.)	1977
U.E. 30122	Rihm	Antlitz (violin/pf, sc&pt)	1994

The 1925 date is most likely a case of copyfraud - _also (addendum, different ed.): this plate probably does not belong in this table, as it is probably the plate of the work's initial publisher (Eberle?), as noted on the page.- ES

Catalogs

Combined Catalog of Universal Edition and Jos. Aibl for 1905

Typical typefaces employed (1901-ca.1950)

Many, perhaps a majority, of Universal's output in for the first five decades or so was engraved by the firm Waldheim-Eberle in Vienna. Eberle's work has a very distinct style, easily recognized with experience, that is exemplified by scores of the "Philharmonia" series of study scores first published by the Wiener Philharmonischer Verlag.

The copyright warning was typically situated on the upper left corner under the title:

Aufführungsrecht Vorbehalten .

Droits d'exécution réservés .