The Edition Esser-Skala publishes Open Content editions of (mainly) 18th century sacral music. All scores may be freely downloaded in PDF format. Moreover, selected titles are available in print from Kindle Direct Publishing (at cost price).

Scores by the Edition Esser-Skala will always remain free and open. Nevertheless, to be able to continue our publishing efforts, we appreciate your support, e.g. via PayPal.

Currently, our focus lies on the following composers:

Johann Michael Haydn
Our editions include litanies, vespers, and cantatas. Moreover, the Proprium Missæ project represents a comprehensive collection of short liturgical works (graduals, offertories, hymns, …).
Joseph Leopold Eybler
We are working on a complete edition of Eybler’s sacral music, including his masses and short liturgical works.
František Ignác Antonín Tůma
We are working on a collected edition of Tůma’s compositions, as well as on a catalogue of his works.
Gregor Joseph Werner
We offer editions of Werner’s sacred music. Concurrently, we are working on a catalogue of his works.

Focus

But don’t miss out our other editions, which include several highlights, such as

  • the Missa Providentiæ by Antonio Caldara, which includes a Credo by Jan Dismas Zelenka (ZWV 31)
  • a reissue of the Wohlgeübter Organist by Johann Anton Kobrich, a collection of preludes, fugues, and toccatas that was first printed in the 1760s
  • a bilingual (Danish/German) edition of Friedrich Ludwig Æmilius Kunzen’s Skabningens Halleluja (Das Halleluja der Schöpfung)
  • two passions (Der gute Hirte and Jesu, deine Passion) by Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel

Many of our editions base upon freely available manuscripts and prints, which are provided by an increasing number of archives and libraries.

To ensure high and consistent quality, we follow a set of editorial guidelines when preparing our editions. Moreover, we have implemented a largely automated engraving and publishing process. Briefly, this workflow encompasses

  • beautiful scores engraved by LilyPond,
  • prefatory material typeset with LaTeX, and
  • compilation of editions via GitHub Actions and a Docker container to ensure reproducibility.

Details on the workflow are available in the comprehensive technical documentation.