The Beginnings
The Hugo Wolf Society of Vienna ('Hugo Wolf-Verein Wien') began on the collecting and systematic sorting of Hugo Wolf's unpublished works as early as 1900. Most of the works were in print by 1905, though the publishers in some instances made incisive changes in accordance with the spirit of the time. Some works, such as the Intermezzo, the 'Scherzo and Finale', and most of the youthful composer's songs – were not considered worthy of publication.

In 1933 the INTERNATIONALE BRUCKNER - GESELLSCHAFT founded the Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag for the express purpose of publishing the Bruckner Complete Edition. Under the general editorship of Robert Haas, plans were also made for a Hugo Wolf complete edition; Penthesilea was given its first critical edition, and the 'Scherzo and Finale' and numerous early songs were published for the first time. The war, however, prevented further progress towards a complete edition.

The Hugo Wolf Complete Edition, 1956 - 1998

1956 saw the foundation of the Internationale Hugo Wolf-Gesellschaft Wien (International Hugo Wolf Society, Vienna) with the principal aim of 'publishing and disseminating the critical complete edition of the works of Hugo Wolf' in the Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag, Vienna. Hans Jancik was appointed General Editor. 1960, the 100th anniversary year of the composer's birth, was marked with the publication of the chamber music works (W XV); in the years that followed, Hans Jancik published volume after volume of further works. The realization of the complete edition has been considerably facilitated by the fact of the majority of Wolf manuscripts being held in Viennese collections, with only a small – and increasingly small – percentage being in collections outside Vienna or owned privately.
In 1991, the eighty-five-year-old Hans Jancik passed on the General Editorship to Leopold Spitzer. Spitzer produced the still outstanding volumes, notably the score, vocal score, libretto and critical report of Der Corregidor, and incorporated critical reports into the earlier volumes of the Complete Edition. In 1998, with the publication of the orchestral fragments (Fragmente für Orchester W XVII/3), he was able to bring the Complete Edition to a provisional conclusion.

The qualification 'provisional' is necessary because it has – not for lack of effort – not proved possible to find the manuscripts either of Wolf's 'Fantasy on Lortzing's Czar und Zimmermann' or of the 'Walzerfinale aus Hans Heiling' (both for piano solo). Wolf sketches do furthermore occasionally turn up in antiquarian and auction catalogues, so that a supplementary volume of paralipomena maybe published a number of years hence. Given, however, that this matter only affects peripheral items, the Hugo Wolf Critical Complete Edition may rightly be claimed to have reached its completion.

Chronology of the Hugo Wolf Complete Edition

Performance material:
Scores and parts for all Wolf's choral and orchestral works are available either for purchase or for hire.
Detailed information may be obtained from the catalogue 'Hugo Wolf' and from the general catalogue of the Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag, Vienna.