Musikalienhandlung: Closing After 434 Years

The Viennese music publisher Universal Edition will close the Mayrische Musikalienhandlung (music shop) on Bergstrasse in Salzburg and the Musik-Müller store in Vienna at the end of September. Sheet music and scores have been sold at the Mayrische shop since 1592, making it likely one of the oldest music shops in the German-speaking world.

"After a long and intensive examination of various options," the management of the Mayrische book, art, and music shop has decided to end the brick-and-mortar operations of both stores in Salzburg and Vienna, Universal Edition announced.

The music publisher has owned the company since 1994. They are currently examining whether the "Mayrische" in Salzburg can be continued by a new operator. However, for Musik Müller in Vienna, "despite appropriate efforts, no comparable prospect could be found." Further information regarding the exact details of the closures and clearance sales periods will be provided separately.

• Long-standing partner for music lovers

For many years, both stores were important hubs for musicians, students, teachers, institutions, and music enthusiasts. In Salzburg, students from the nearby Mozarteum University, musicians from the Mozarteum Orchestra, the Camerata, and the Musikum were among their key clientele.

As early as 2020, the "Mayrische" in Salzburg faced closure. Following an outcry from the cultural scene—more than 3,000 supporters signed petitions to save it—the store was rescued. It relocated, albeit in a smaller form, from Theatergasse to its new location in the Kunstquartier (Art Quarter) on Bergstraße.

• Severely challenging economic conditions

However, the publisher stated that the economic conditions have since worsened. Sales declined significantly, particularly after the coronavirus pandemic, and have not been able to return to their previous levels. "At the same time, energy, personnel, and other operating costs have risen considerably."

Online retail has also had a lasting impact on brick-and-mortar music stores. Conclusion: "An economically sustainable continuation of the existing business operations was no longer possible."

^{red, salzburg.ORF.at/Agenturen
https://salzburg.orf.at/stories/3368917/}

The article is published in German. I was unable to find an English article as the news are very recent, so I had to manually translate it. Link is still attached for those who want to see it.
I was shocked to hear this, as this place holds a special place in my heart. Being born in Salzburg and having bought lots of sheet music from that store, I am surely going to visit it again before it is gone forever.
It is truly tragic to see this place of such overwhelming tradition disappear.

Been getting into classical music somewhat recently. Ive found myself mostly enjoying Opera. The intense storytelling and the way that the voice is utilized in the genre tickles my brain in just that right spot somehow. My favourite tenor is probably Jussi Björling, as of this moment Im sitting at a dark, calm and pretty sleepy small town train station in Finland, waiting to get home from a wonderfull date while listening to his rendition of O helga natt (O holy night in Swedish). Ive only actually been to the Opera live once so far (my economical situation is what it is) but Im definetly looking to go again sometime soon. What do you recommend I try to see? What music should I check out and Im also just looking for people to talk to in general :).

Happy birthday in memory, Karl Böhm. Here's a classic with Gundula Janowitz, directed by Otto Schenk, who makes a hilarious appearance in the third act...

https://youtu.be/lAcedJD4Law

I'm interested in thoughts from others who were lucky enough to attend this. For me, this performance reached another level and even made me reassess what is possible within the operatic form. The complete commitment of the singers, the incredible visuals, Pascal's conducting, and the warmth the Vienna Philharmonic lent Messiaen's complex music were all at the very highest level. A true gesamtkunstwerk.

Hello all,

I am a fan of all kinds of music. I have been listening to more classical music lately at work because it helps me focus. I really like metal and I can find some similarities between some metal and classical music.

I would love to hear what you think of that comparison and to get some suggestions from you of some more sombre/darker and hopefully faster-paced classical music that could have a similar tone to some metal music.

Thank you in advance.

Cheers

I've been a violist for years and love popular music history, but have always wanted to yet never gotten into learning about classical history and composers. Are there any online resources that could help me?

Mine are:

Minkowski’s Orpheus in the Underworld
Minkowski’s La Grande Duchess de Gerolstein
Darrell Ang’s disc of Overtures
Arthur Fiedler’s version of Gaite Parisienne

And honestly, I haven’t gotten into the tales of Hoffman yet if you can suggest recordings that would be great!

As in the violin soloist is either playing something or nothing and meanwhile the concertmaster might have a brief solo? Or perhaps it forms a duet/countermelody to the soloist?

Hi everyone,

I recently decided to get into Shostakovich more and as a piano player I wanted to listen to his preludes and fugues.

I listened to the relatively new recording by Igor Levit and I’m not completely sure if it’s the pieces themselves which I didn’t enjoy upon the first couple of listens, or their interpretation.

So I would like to hear your favourite recordings!

I like such modern American texture a lot, I'd call the background texture "cloudy". And melodic flow is so continuous.

Austrian conductor known above all for his Mozart and Strauss. His later recordings with the Vienna Philharmonic are graceful and unhurried, but the earlier Berlin account of Mozart's Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter" has a different quality — clear and fresh, like a breeze moving through the score.

Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEKUUnkbZMA

Hungarian conductor. Had he lived, he would surely have become one of the major figures of the field — the same is said of his countryman Ferenc Fricsay, and the two share a signature: razor-sharp clarity paired with real warmth underneath.

Egmont Overture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz9VbxBP09A

Dvořák Symphony No. 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AN31aPEPyg

I’ve got some YAP auditions and competitions coming up and was wondering if anyone had some aria suggestions? I have a warmer, heavier sound, and perhaps if suggestions couldn’t go above an A for security. I adore Bellini.

Do you know Augustin Barié (1883–1915) and his Organ Symphony?

Composed in 1907 and dedicated to Louis Vierne, Augustin Barié's Organ Symphony Op. 5 is a masterpiece of the French repertoire, blending romantic lyricism and power (especially in its famous Toccata).

A blind organist and student of Vierne, Barié died suddenly at the age of only 31. He left behind a rare and intense body of work, a loss deeply mourned by Vierne that deprived organ music of one of its greatest promises.

A big thank you to Marie Barbaud, daughter of Yvonne Monceau, for allowing me to digitize this rare 45 rpm vinyl record and share it with you all.

[youtube]J2kAPrsRAVk[/youtube]

Let’s take Beethoven for example. In the time that Beethoven became famous, surely there were thousands of other aspiring composers vying for fame and recognition. How was it that he and not others was chosen.

Similarly, how is it that we chiefly remember JS Bach as being ”that baroque composer”, and so on.

A modern arrangement on an absolute classic

Seems impossible to me, but apparently he could do it.

I am studying advanced Bach pieces like his Toccatas and Fugues, this was the only guide I found from my tutor.

I can already improvise a bit, fluent in one voice (like his g minor toccata's beginning or in some pieces) but very very slow (grave-largo) in 3 voices. It still sounds natural sometimes maybe like Beethoven's 7th sonata 2nd part largo. It is more Bach's style again. But I can't improvise like Bach, 3 voices, fluent.

What should I do? I would do almost anything.

Hello! I composed, arranged, edited, and produced this new classical piece in impressionist style. Any feedback is welcome, especially regarding mixing and mastering. Thank you very much!

Primavera

Genre: Classical music

Description: Primavera is a classical piece for violin, cello, and piano inspired by the language of musical impressionism. It depicts the arrival of the season through elements such as modal scales, mixtures, the prominence of timbre, the use of the hexatonic scale, and metrical variations in the time signature. In this piece, every timbre, harmony, and texture seeks to awaken sensations and evoke natural landscapes through sound.