Why study music manuscripts? Historical musicologists are often interested in ascertaining accurate details within a musical score and in investigating the composer’s creative process. Collectors, on the other hand, may view manuscripts in wide-eyed wonder of the genius behind their creation and as beautiful works of art in themselves. Yet another reason to examine composers’ autographs – because they offer a potent wellspring for informed musical performance – prompts the present study.

Accordingly, we scrutinise some of the thorniest passages in Debussy’s Recueil Vasnier manuscript and illustrate various ways in which the insights gleaned from such an inquiry can illuminate musical performance. The editorial process – involving the establishment of an authentic musical text, with pitches whose clefs and accidentals reflect Debussy’s compositional intent, an understanding of rhythmic nuances and deciphering of idiosyncratic rhythmic notation and tempo indications, and the parsing of poetic text – raises questions and suggests solutions that directly impact interpretive choices.