After completing Der Freischütz, Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) planned to compose as its comic counterpart Die drei Pintos, but he left the work unfinished at his death.  Other composers, including Giacomo Meyerbeer, have attempted to complete the opera, but for various reasons none succeeded.  Around the time of Weber's centennial, though, Weber's grandson showed the sketches to Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), who completed the score and conducted the premiere in 1888. 

Weber left sketches for only the first act of three acts, and Mahler at first planned a performing version with the final act spoken.  Mahler reconsidered this strategy and decided to complete the score in all three acts.  In the absence of sketches for almost two-thirds of the opera, Mahler decided to rework unfamiliar and unpublished music of Weber by incorporating it into the completed score.  As a work, then, the score contains music almost entirely by Weber, but as an opera, it is Mahler's conception.  Moreover, Die drei Pintos is an important accomplishment of Mahler's early career, and he completed the opera several months before he finished his own First Symphony.

This critical edition contains the full score of the opera including revisions that Mahler planned but never executed for the work.  The publication also includes the complete libretto with English translation, and introduction, and a complete critical apparatus.