JG> Having seen many 18th century editions I think one can make the JG> case that in the majority of cases there simply is no JG> distinction between dot and wedge, most of the time the two are JG> used pretty randomly.
Yes. The issue is whether to use the now-universal dot throughout, or to use the wedge throughout in a quest for some peculiar sort of authenticity. If there was clear historical evidence of a different musical meaning to the wedge, I'd follow the composer's markings. But using _all_ wedges doesn't make sense to me in a performing edition.
The early-19th-c. American composer A. P. Heinrich, whose complete works I'm publishing, used the wedge as his default staccato in all the numerous publications of his work that were overseen by him. He uses the dot only for spiccato or in places where a particularly delicate effect is desired. In his MSS the two forms are very difficult to distinguish (indeed, they intergrade), but I have felt obligated in my own edition to follow the practice he clearly preferred.
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Andrew Stiller
Kallisti Music Press
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