Abstract
Musicology has increasingly recognised the relevance of dedications for texts and works. Nevertheless, there seems to be no practical consensus on how to edit the dedications of historical musical sources. Using the example of 19th-century music prints, this essay highlights the role of dedications for a musical work and points out nuances of the phenomenon that are of relevance for editorial decision-making. An overview of functions of dedications in 19th-century music is outlined. This is followed by a theoretically-guided discussion of more ambivalent case examples in which rivaling dedication variants to a single work must be considered from the editor’s perspective. While a complete guideline for the editing of dedications cannot be given in this study, the conclusions drawn may help to establish a common awareness and a best practice.