Litolff

Free public domain sheet music from IMSLP / Petrucci Music Library

History

Founded on June 1, 1828 in Braunschweig (Brunswick), Germany by Gottfried Martin Meyer and his wife. After Meyer's death in 1849, his widow continued running the business, which was to expand greatly after she married the composer and pianist Henry Charles Litolff (1818-1891) in 1851. Litolff brought important contacts with composers like Berlioz, Bülow, Fetis, Heller, Joachim, Liszt, Moscheles, and the Wieniawski brothers. Meyer's son Theodor Litolff (1839-1912), who was adopted by Litolff, took over the business when Litolff divorced his mother in 1858. Theodor was an igenious inventor, improving high-speed presses and using zinc plates for music engraving. The famous Litolff editions of Beethoven's works was initiated in 1862, and the series Litolffs Bibliothek Classischer Compositionen, a carefully edited series of classic works, was launched two years later. The firm passed to Theodor's son Richard (1876-1937) in 1912, and was ultimately sold to C. F. Peters in 1940 by Richard's widow. Peters continues to use the Litolff imprint to the present day.

Important Editions

• Beethoven: Piano Sonatas. plates 1649-1680 / ed.number 2731. editor unknown, 1869
• Beethoven: Piano Sonatas. Ed. by L. Winkler, 1872.
• Beethoven: Piano Sonatas. Ed. by Germer, 1891. Ed no. 1980a-c
• Beethoven: Piano Sonatas. Ed. by Clemens Schultze-Biesantz, 1907. Plate nos. 248, 301.

Plate Numbers

Plate	Edition	Composer	Work	Year
1535		Beethoven	String Trio No. 2 in G, Op.9 No.1	1862
1649-80	2731	Beethoven	Piano Sonatas	1869
		Beethoven	Piano Sonatas (ed. L. Winkler)	1872
	1301	Ferling	3 Duo Concertantes for 2 Oboes, Op. 13	1881
1582		Franck	Variations Symphoniques (arr. piano)	1885
	1980a-c	Beethoven	Piano Sonatas (ed. Germer)	1891
	2335	Litolff	Concerto Symphonique No.3, Op.45	1900
248, 301		Beethoven	Piano Sonatas (ed. C. Schultze-Biesantz)	1907