The 25 Etudes Mélodiques Progressives, op. 60, were probably composed in about 1836 and published in about 1853.  A note in Carcassi's Méthode (page 99) refers to the "études Op. 60 faisant suite à cet ouvrage", so we must assume that the Etudes op. 60 had either been completed or were in an advanced state of composition at the date of publication of the method which was in April 1836 or shortly before. Yet no edition of the Etudes earlier than 1851 has been found. The Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris has no edition of them earlier than the Brandus edition, which because of the publisher's address must date from 1851 or later. One might suppose that perhaps the Brandus edition was merely a later issue of an earlier edition most probably published by Troupenas or by Carcassi and Troupenas together, since Brandus bought Troupenas' stock in 1850 (see Devriès & Lesure, Dictionnaire des Editeurs de Musique Français, II (de 1820 à 1914), Geneva, 1988). Yet if that had been so, one would have expected to find a copy of that earlier edition in the Bibliothèque Nationale where it would almost certainly have been deposited, and no such copy is to be found. Because of that absence, it seems likely that the Brandus edition is in fact the earliest edition, and if so we are left with the unexplained mystery of why, the Etudes having been announced in 1836 (or shortly before), they were not published until 1851 (or later).   If one day a copy of an earlier edition is found, then the mystery will have been solved; but until then, no such earlier edition is known.  - I am very grateful to Mary Criswick, who kindly visited the Bibliothèque Nationale for me, looked up the early editions there, and sent me the details.

A Schott edition exists as well as the Brandus, and this Schott edition can be dated by its plate number at about 1852-53. Indeed, the title-page of the Brandus edition gives as publishers not only Paris, Brandus, but also "Mayence, les Fils de B. Schott". This shows that whatever the publishing arrangement was, Schott was a part of it, as they already often had been with Carcassi's music in the past which was often published more or less simultaneously by one or other Paris publisher and also by Schott (my Carcassi bibliography in progress contains many such examples). So it is that in the case of the Etudes op. 60, very shortly after Brandus or at the same time, Schott brought out their own edition, newly engraved. It has every appearance of having been copied from the Brandus edition, but with some care because some accidentals missing in the Brandus have here been added, and some (not all) of the errors in the fingering have been corrected. It is also possible, though I think less likely, that both editions were separately newly engraved but from the same manuscript. For this present edition, both the Brandus and the Schott editions have been consulted in detail. If you would like to see the Schott edition for yourself, it can be seen online on Hebe (www.hebeonline.com), the online sister company of Tecla.

So, if the Etudes op. 60 existed already in 1836, why were they not published until about 1853? One hypothesis is that Carcassi may have kept them unpublished during his lifetime for reasons unknown (perhaps something to do with teaching), and that when he died suddenly in January 1853, somebody, perhaps his heir or heirs, rushed to publish the work. The chosen publishers were Brandus and Schott. Until more is known, this is only a theory. If it is true, it might explain why the fingering was so bad. Perhaps the manuscript had no fingering and the publishers commissioned someone, perhaps a pupil of Carcassi, to finger the work. But again, this is only guesswork.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brandus edition: 25 études mélodiques progressives composées pour la guitare ... Op: 60. Pr: 10f. Paris. Brandus et Cie., 103 Rue Richelieu, et 40 Rue Vivienne. Mayence, les Fils de B. Schott. No plate number. 25 pages. Brandus moved to 103 rue Richelieu on 15 January 1851 (Devriès & Lesure, Dictionnaire des Editeurs de Musique Français, II (de 1820 à 1914), Geneva, 1988), so this edition (or this issue of this edition) must date from after that. It may date from 1853 (see above). [British Library, h.257.b.(5.).] [Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale. Two copies: L.11.977 and Cu 111.] [London, collection of the late Robert Spencer. Probably now in the Royal Academy of Music, London] [A copy was in the Tiscornia collection. (A modern reprint of the catalogue of the Tiscornia collection is available from Fine Fretted String Instruments in California). Possibly the British Library copy listed above is in fact the Tiscornia copy.]

A new re-engraved edition of the Brandus edition was published by Chanterelle in 1985. However, it has a problem in that it says that "the original fingering and notation are all retained and nothing has been added (save for a few precautionary accidentals) or removed", but in fact when you examine the Chanterelle edition you can see that that is not the case, and that in reality fingering has been added, for example at no. 2 bars 3 and 4 the Chanterelle edition has fingering but there is no trace of any fingering at that place in the Brandus edition (at least, not in the British Library copy of the Brandus edition which I have examined).

Schott edition: Op. 60 25 études mélodiques et progressives. Ire suite de la méthode. Mayence : B. Schott's Söhne. Pl. no. 11423. 25 pages. Dated by plate number by O.E. Deutsch, Musikverlagsnummern, Berlin, 1961, at c. 1852-53. In fact its date may be 1853 (see above). [London, collection of Brian Jeffery] [Copenhagen, Royal Library, Rischel 899 and 980 (two copies).] This Schott edition can be seen online here in its entirety.

LATER EDITIONS

In about 1890 an edition appeared in the USA entitled 25 melodious studies for guitar, then in about 1908 Vahdah Olcott Bickford's edition appeared entitled 25 melodious and progressive studies for guitar. (I met Vahdah Bickford when she kindly came to a talk which I gave to the American Guitar Society, in Northridge, California. She was then very old but full of charm and vivacity, and wore a rose in her hair.) In 1914 Miguel Llobet published an edition with new fingering, very carefully done but using modern technique, for example using the a finger a great deal. Since then there have been other editions of the 25 Etudes. All of these probably took their text from either the Brandus or the Schott editions, usually probably from the Schott.