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I'm wondering if anyone out there has used Richard Dowling's critical editions of Maurice Ravel's piano music (published by Masters Music), especially the Sonatine. All the editions of I've found of that have no fingering whatsoever, and I thought maybe his work on it might be useful. Yes? No? Maybe? Thanks.

Please answer before midnight 12/10. I want to get in on the free shipping from Sheetmusicplus.

I've used the Alfred Masterwork editions of Ravel, with fingering by Maurice Hinson. (This includes the Sonatine.) I found the fingerings to be quite good, as good as I ever find fingerings: roughly 20% great ideas, 40% ridiculous for me, and the other 40% either the same, or no better than, what I did on my own.

-J

Thanks. I appreciate the mathematical statistics. You're probably right about that. But that's usually the case isn't it?

I've just discovered an edition from Schirmer edited by Gaby Casadesus. He knew Ravel, so that might be interesting. Seen that one anyone?

toyboy, you probably already know this, but with Ravel the best editions have no fingering. Look for suggestions, but keep a VERY open mind, IMO. We all know each hand is unique, but with Ravel this becomes quite an issue when fingering because of all the overlapping of hands and weird figurations. Experiment, experiment, and experiment. You'll never find a magic formula in other editions, at least I never did...

For the first few bars of the first movement I redistributed A LOT. The way I play it the hands don't overlap at all. If you're having trouble with these passages I can show you what I use.

Also, on that third movement those weird ostinato for the left hand can pose quite a problem. I've seen people do all kinds of crazy sh*t with that, going so far as switching hands completely for some of them. What happened to me was that I practiced them a lot and am weirdly proud of playing as written. So if I can do it it really isn't that hard lol

But yeah, my advise would be to have no boundaries with fingering in Ravel. Don't be shy to experiment in every possible way.

Francisco! My man! You may just save me $10!
I happened to find an original Durand publication of this piece, which i had previously heard very very few times. I bought it ($3!) and did something rare for me, I learned it without going to any recording. I'm even managing part three. But yeah, I've taken liberties with those tightly fingered first measures, and from your description I have a feeling well I'm doing it much like you.
I understand your advice to experiment. Maybe that is the best way after all. But just the same, I'm slowly destroying this 90 year old sheet music. It wouldn't hurt to play from something fresh ( and other than xerox).

Thank you!

I think over edited music gets to be a problem. The Beethoven Sonatas edited by Schnabel comes to mind. Unless you had Schnabel's hands, the fingering listed gets in your way. I always have a terrible time figuring out Ravel, so starting with a clean unadorned manuscript seems to work best. Xerox copies can be worked to death until you get fingering you can really live with. I also find I change the fingering as I get the piece up to speed and understand the phrasing better.

Thanks for thus gynnis. I think this has become as much a question of self-confidence for me, rather than which edition to get. But still, it doesn't hurt to look at a master's markings and assimilate. I know that I've learned a lot from the Cortot edition of Chopin Nocturnes. But as you suggest, it is ridiculous to play from it.

Maybe we should follow Bach's method, rewrite the manuscript in our own hand. I really learn a lot about a piece when I take the time to do it.

One of my early teachers would make me write out my own copy of the relatively simple piano part when I was an accompanist for a group he directed. A nerve racking and exhausting exercise for an 8 year old.

Manuscript mistakes start to show up too when your nose is on every note, especially if I use multiple sources to make a copy. Even my transcription errors are telling, since they say I expect one thing, but the composer gives me something else.

If you look at Reger's piano manuscripts, he does them in multiple colors which guide you through the piece. Of course, this never shows up in the printed manuscript.