Joseph Haydn
Twelve Ballads
arranged by William Shield
Voice and keyboard
edited by Christopher Hogwood
These English arrangements of the XII Lieder do not appear in the complete edition of Haydn’s works (the German songs are to be found in Series 29, vol.1, ed. Paul Mies), nor are they explicitly referenced in Mies and Marianne Helms’s revisions (Munich: G Henle Verlag, 1982). In fact, Hogwood’s work is the first modern edition of the English versions. The attractive typesetting, the informative and detailed introduction and critical apparatus, and the sympathetic approach to amending the first edition from the original German, all combine to make this a valuable addition to the catalogue.
Not only will it be useful to historically-informed performers interested in domestic music-making in the late 18th century, but it may encourage English-speaking students and amateurs to explore a new corner of the repertoire, incidentally helping to restore this music to the informal performance context for which it was originally published.The Consort Click here to read the review
Haydn’s first set of Lieder, adapted for the English market by William Shield, who was to become his close friend, were an instant commercial success, with the most popular of them re-issued separately not only in England but also in Ireland and America. The present edition reinstates a large number of Haydn’s musical details — dynamics, articulation, accidentals, and even accompanying figures in the keyboard part — present in his German originals but missing from Shield’s English edition. Generously illustrated with facsimiles from the original publications, which were notated on two staves, the new edition, the first in 200 years, uses three staves to clarify the voice and keyboard parts, and includes an Introduction and full Critical Commentary.
Descriptive leaflet (pdf)