Bärenreiter celebrates its 100th anniversary

Let's celebrate music!

From simple song sheets to complex Urtext editions: The one-hundred-year history of Bärenreiter has many facets. Today, the name Bärenreiter stands for an exquisite quality of music editions. Musicians who sing and play from “Bärenreiter Urtext” editions can be assured that the music comes as close as possible to the composer’s intentions. The Complete Editions of works by Bach, Handel, Mozart, Schubert and many others, as well as the ensuing Urtext editions are the fundament of the publishing programme. In addition, Urtext editions not affiliated to Bärenreiter Complete Editions, books on music, music pedagogical publications as well as important contemporary compositions are included. One hundred years are a reason to celebrate and a motivation to set out on new challenges.

The Jubilee Magazine

One hundred years of publishing history. There’s a lot to discover. From the beginnings in a living room in Augsburg to today’s world-renowned “Bärenreiter Urtext” publisher. The magazine traces the ups and downs of Bärenreiter’s history, recalls outstanding publications, explains the processes involved in the production of music editions and books and introduces the many Bärenreiter departments based in Kassel, London and Prague. A magazine well-worth browsing.

“With great music, no stone is left unturned”

Bärenreiter Urtext: on the trail of the composer

“Urtext” is a term which is frequently misunderstood. So, what does it actually mean? It entails far more than simply taking a copy of the autograph – the composer’s handwritten score – and transferring it into modern notation. The devil is truly in the detail and meticulous research into all available sources directly connected with the composer (for example, sketches, manuscript copies, proofs, first editions, letters,) is necessary to create a musical text that comes as close as possible to the composer’s intentions.

The Bärenreiter bear

A brief history of the company logo

The bear and the star were always part of Bärenreiter. In the early years, a little boy stood on the back of a shaggy bear reaching for the star. Today’s more stylised and timeless logo has been in use for almost forty years. The article describes its development into one of the most distinctive publishing house logos that needs no updating.

Behind the scenes at Bärenreiter

For outsiders, a publishing house comes across like a microcosm that can be difficult to see through. For example, what do the editors do and how do the advertising and the sales and marketing departments interact? All the Bärenreiter departments introduce themselves so that a colourful mosaic of the different areas of work and their interrelationships is created.

Reviewing the past, taking stock, looking to the future

An interview with Bärenreiter managing directors Barbara Scheuch-Vötterle, Leonhard Scheuch and Clemens Scheuch

It is rare to find a family business, that after one hundred years is still in the hands of the second and third generations. The current managing directors look back on the crisis-ridden circumstances around their own beginnings at the publisher and on crucial decisions taken at Bärenreiter. They assess the present and envisage the future of Bärenreiter.

Kassel · Basel · London · New York · Prague

Bärenreiter – a publisher of global standing

“Global”: Easily said but is it true? It certainly is. Bärenreiter cultivates contacts in all continents, in all countries where classical European music is played. Most of this is managed from our headquarters in Kassel, but in the past and still today, our subsidiaries play an important role. These offices are located in Basel, London, New York and Prague, previously also in Paris and Tours.