An editorial approach shaped by the sources
Every Felix edition is based on a considered reading of the available historical sources. The notation is not reproduced mechanically: likely errors and inconsistencies are assessed in context, using evidence such as parallel passages, harmony, voice-leading and pianistic feasibility.
Critical editorial work is the minimum standard throughout the catalogue. The term Urtext is used where the source situation supports an edition that can meaningfully aim to establish a text close to the composer’s intended notation. Where the surviving evidence is more limited, the publication is described as a critical edition.
The guiding principles are transparency and restraint. Editorial intervention should clarify the score where necessary without imposing a new interpretation or claiming more certainty than the sources allow.
Made for playing
A score can be editorially thoughtful and still be unpleasant to use. Piano music is read under the hands, often at speed, during practice, lessons and performance. Its visual form therefore matters.
Felix Editions pays particular attention to legible spacing, clear musical relationships, consistent placement of markings and practical page layout. Dense textures and technically difficult passages need room to remain readable. Page turns are considered wherever the music allows.
The aim is not to make difficult music look easy, but to make its difficulty legible. Good engraving should remove avoidable obstacles and allow the player to concentrate on the music.
A personal editorial project
Felix Editions is a small independent publisher led by Martijn Vromans. Most editions are prepared in-house, from the initial study of the sources through engraving, checking and commentary.
The project brings together repertoire research, musical judgement, editorial restraint, practical experience at the piano and close attention to the visual form of notation. Every stage affects the final result: a score must respect its sources, communicate its editorial decisions and remain comfortable to use.
Where appropriate, editions may also be prepared by specialist musicians or developed in collaboration with researchers, foundations and organisations with particular knowledge of a composer or repertoire.
The scale of Felix Editions allows each publication to receive sustained individual attention. The catalogue grows deliberately, one work at a time.
Explore the editions
Discover piano music beyond the familiar canon and explore the editions currently available from Felix Editions.
Explore the editions
