I have often complained in print about scores that have been too heavily edited, as well as those with impossible page turns. I am happy to report that Amati Music is trying to rectify these problems—for cellists. The brainchild of cellist, editor, and arranger Andrei Pricope, Amati Music offers clear, unedited parts for much of the standard cello repertoire—in a series entitled "My Edition."

These parts have neither fingerings nor bowings. Says Pricope, "the idea of 'My Edition' is to help advanced students and performers with uncluttered parts that have convenient page turns and layout, as opposed to parts with old- fashioned, stylistically inappropriate editing." This series includes cello sonatas and concertos by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Haydn, Schumann (the Schumann is forthcoming, as is the Beethoven), and Saint-Saëns.

Amati's nonedited version of the Bach Suites offers the Prelude of the Fifth Suite in both an easy-to-read four-page version and a small-print two-page version—acknowledging the treacherousness of memorizing that fugue. There's also Boccherini's B-flat concerto in both original and Gruetzmacher versions.

Amati Music also provides an extensive étude collection of unjustly forgotten works from the 19th century, as well as challenging, tasteful transcriptions for cello of works from the violin and viola repertoire, such as the Bach violin sonatas and partitas, the viola part to the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante, and Brahms viola sonatas. Amati will soon include cello parts to standard chamber music repertoire and some larger ensemble works.

Many more titles are in the works, and Amati plans to expand in the near future to cover violin and viola repertoire as well.

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