Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Public Domain translation of C.P.E. Bach's Keyboard Essay?

As far as I can tell, the "standard" edition of C.P.E. Bach's "Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments" (the Mitchell translation) is still under copyright, but I'm curious if there's some other public domain translation in existence somewhere online.

Is anyone familiar with such a thing, or able to point me to a link?

(deleted -- see below)

That just links to the Mitchell translation, which the OP said was under copyright. Don't worry, Mark: You're not really missing an important plugin. Everything about that page, from "Download the Password" to "Just Complete a Survey, Win Free Books," screams SCAM.


kcostell, I looked for a while, and I couldn't find one. Is it possible that Mitchell's is the first English translation? imslp has the original German and a French translation.


-J

My goodness gracious.

Sorry to have linked to anything like that! Let's see if I can delete it.... (and maybe then take it out of the above post too!)

I have the Norton edition of this book in paperback, but I don't remember paying $53.00 for it, as I see it listed on Barnes and Amazon. Maybe I have just mercifully forgotten.

There is the public library; there are inter-library loans. All, free of charge, except that you have to give the books back. They could make the obstacles in your path melt away, like snow in July.

Let's face it, building a music library costs some bucks--- but who can deny that the wisdom of C.P.E Bach is worth that much sticker shock, and maybe more.

Secondhand bookstores could relieve your purse of some of its distress. They can also surprise the browser with some excellent works which are now out of print. Quite a few appear never to have been opened. (Not mine--- I get my money's worth out of them, even if it comes to the point of scotch tape).

Some of these days, I would like to find a bookstore which specializes in music: books, scores, and CDs. A pipedream, I suppose.

It just so happens that many such bookstores exist, one of the most famous being the Juilliard Bookstore, towards which a larger percentage of my income goes than I'd probably care to find out. I'm sure that you can find one in your area, or if not, you can always order things online from Juilliard.

Did someone say $53?! When Border's was still around I saw it on their shelves for much less. That can't be right. Surely, it can be found on amazon more cheaply?

How do you know that translation is still under a valid copyright?

The publisher's website lists it at $49.25 retail and $39.40 wholesale to bookstores. Barnes and Noble has it for sale online at $30.41.

So there's no public domain English translation? I find that remarkable for a well-known 18th century text.

-J

Hi J,

That's my point. Nobody seems to have checked out whether or not this or any translation is under a valid copyright.

No, we have different points.

Mitchell's translation is from 1948, which is modern for a work written in the mid-18th century. I'm perfectly willing to believe that this translation is still under copyright. My question is: where are the previous English translations?

-J

You're right, there must be other earlier translations available. Even still, copyright endures for the life of the author + 50 years. When did the translator die? If he passed before the mid-60s, you're in luck.

Th paperback Eulenberg Mitchell edition came out in 1974. Cost me £1.50, probably not long after it was published. Still have it of course.

Why must there be other translations? It has not been a standard treatise on the subject for 200 years, so the main interest would have been to scholars who would have understood German already.

In any case, if you cannot find another translation easily, if one did exist, it would likely cost a lot more than the readily available one.

Hi BDB,

" It has not been a standard treatise on the subject for 200 years.."

You lost me. The essay has been around that long in print.

I think the OP is just asking if anybody knows of previous translations to the one made in the 1940s, which is quite late for a published work of that age.

When did you read it? I tried reading it, but most of it is outdated, and has been for 200 years. It is hardly standard reading these days.

I think the OP is saying that he or she wants to read the book, but does not want to learn German or pay for the English translation.

Hi B,

I read it for the first about 35 years ago.

Please let me gently correct you. Everybody refers to this book, even singers. My first piano teacher had me read the chapters on ornaments when I did my first Bach suite. It was discussed at length during a class I took on harpsichord literature and performance in college.

I thought the OP might actually try to get sections of it to use somehow.

I think that you and I have different understanding of "everybody". I doubt that singers like Lady Gaga or Beyonce have ever referred to it.

In any case, it is available online in German. Anyone who cares much about it should learn German, anyway.

BDB:The Bach Versuch is quite useful for people who want to play music that was written 200 or so years ago. Reading treatises written last year on music from the classical period to the present day will not help anyone play any music of the Baroque and Galant period.

As for your comment about learning German, presumably you yourself read everything of interest in the original language?