Vienna Percussion Editions is an independent music publisher dedicated to contemporary percussion repertoire shaped directly by performance practice.
Editions are conceived by an active performer and editor, with a clear focus on musical clarity, practical usability, and precision of notation.
The emphasis lies on scores that communicate musical intention clearly and support performers in making informed artistic decisions. Each edition is prepared as a practical working tool — readable, reliable, and suited to real rehearsal and performance situations.
The catalogue includes original works, transcriptions, and arrangements, with particular attention to playability, sound control, and idiomatic writing for mallet instruments and percussion ensembles.
Vienna Percussion Editions emerged from a performance-based perspective: the need for percussion scores that function convincingly in practice — not only on paper.
The starting point was detailed transcription work, particularly of performances by Gary Burton and Makoto Ozone. Close examination of timing, articulation, resonance, and phrasing revealed how much essential musical information is often left implicit or ambiguously conveyed in notation.
This experience shaped a broader editorial conviction: notation should communicate musical intention clearly, while still leaving room for interpretation. Several editions therefore include improvisational sections, reflecting musical practices in which structure and freedom naturally coexist.
The aim is not to define a single “correct” interpretation, but to provide performers with a clear, trustworthy framework that supports musical decision-making.
The editorial approach of Vienna Percussion Editions is based on clarity, consistency, and performer-oriented notation.
Musical parameters such as articulation, resonance, phrasing, pedaling, and transitions between playing techniques are notated clearly where they are structurally relevant; where musical flexibility is essential, notation remains intentionally open.
Particular attention is given to idiomatic writing for mallet instruments and percussion. Instrument ranges, sticking logic, damping techniques, and pedaling are considered from the player’s perspective and integrated consistently into the score.
Each edition is designed as a reliable working score: visually clear, musically precise, and suited to real-world rehearsal and performance conditions.
The catalogue of Vienna Percussion Editions comprises original compositions, transcriptions, and arrangements for solo, duo, and ensemble settings.
Original works often combine composed material with clearly structured improvisational sections. Transcriptions are based on specific performances and aim to capture timing, articulation, and sound character with particular precision. Arrangements focus on musical clarity and practical instrumentation.
Ensemble works are conceived with logistical realities in mind: shared instruments, limited rehearsal time, and flexible ensemble sizes. Instrumentation is kept efficient, while allowing combinations suitable for professional ensembles as well as educational contexts.
Leonhard Waltersdorfer is an Austrian percussionist, composer, and editor based in Vienna. He is a member of the stage orchestra of the Vienna State Opera and regularly works with orchestras and ensembles in Austria and abroad.
Alongside his performance career, he is active as a lecturer at universities and international percussion programs. His editorial work is informed by extensive experience as a performer, transcriber, and composer, with a particular focus on vibraphone repertoire and contemporary percussion ensemble music.
Vienna Percussion Editions reflects this close connection between performance practice, notation, and editorial responsibility.
