Welcome to vonMenchhofen Urtext!

By Zack von Menchhofen (January 27th, 2024)

Welcome to vonMenchhofen Urtext Editions! If you've read through vonMenchhofen Urtext Editions then you probably have already read most of this. I wanted write something more personal - not so business-esque - more directed to you. I have always been a musician. My grandmother was an exceptional classical musician. She would perform with orchestras and ensembles, but because she was retired by this point, these ensembles were just in the Philadelphia region. So even as a young boy, I would sing with choirs and sometimes solo with these ensembles. But I always wanted to be a composer.

I became a church organist and choirmaster. I have always composed pieces for my various choirs and congregations. Many people have said "I should get my works published". That is easy said then done.

Most publishers want two things (beyond just a nice composition to publish). First, the piece has to be 'marketable'. That's a hard term to define but most of the time it means the piece has to sell to the largest audience possible. Most traditional/classical musician don't fit that category. Or the second, composers to have followings already. To be an organist in a large cathedral or institution with a well-known name. This makes a more marketable composer. How does a composer get a following without publishing? That's the catch-22.

As most musicians, I had to get a 'real' job. I became a data scientist - a glorified computer programmer. I love computers almost as much as I love music.

Subscribe To The Blog