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Best Classical

Ludwig Van Beethoven Complete Piano Sonatas Volume 1 (Nos. 1-15)
Combining scrupulous scholarship and profound artistic vision, Schenker achieved an edition which is universally admired by musicians and scholars. This edition will be welcomed by all pianists, both professional and amateur, for its accuracy and reliability; it is highly desirable for instruction, study, reference, and enjoyment. The triumphant genius of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) casts a long shadow over classical music — no other composer of the past two centuries has exercised an influence more profound than his.
Reviews
"Not that this book should be expected to address a longstanding problem with piano books, but even with the lay-flat binding, the front pages will keep shutting (this is just a peeve of mine, probably doesn't bother most people)."
"I could never really usee those because it was not easy to open and read, since this is a huge work (32 sonatas make a gross volume very impractical)."
"Easy to read, no mistakes that i can hear."
"Excellent urtext edition of this wonderful works."
"The famous musicologist Heinrich Schenker is known for his extreme attention to detail, including, for example, the directions of the stems (which other Urtext editions are not)."
"I love playing this and trying to sightread some of the movements."
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2103: Complete Piano Sonatas
(Piano Collection).
Reviews
"Just what I've been wanting!!"
"No more fighting pages which refuse to lay flat."
"I realize that they come from different texts and sources but put all that aside for a moment and look at how the beams of the semihemidemisemiquavers (128th notes) blur and blob together."
"(No, the issue continues to be getting the right finger on the right key at the right time, but I can't blame this book for that."
"I suggest that this collection be divided into 3 volumes; one volume is simply too thick: it falls off the piano music stand."
"My son's piano teacher was looking for a specific sonata of Beethoven's -- and it was one of the few not included."
"Big heavy book 3" thick, who knew?"
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Mozart 19 Sonatas - Complete: Piano Solo (Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics, Vol. 1304)
(Piano Collection).
Reviews
"Maybe these Schirmer editions don't meet the strict editorial criteria of professionals in the field, but they work just fine for me, and they are affordable."
"Challenging and inspiring to attack Mozart again in my retired years."
"Perfect as expected."
"My childhood piano books had water damage & I wanted to play the songs I had played for contests & recitals."
"These are remarkable sonatas."
"Great book full of great music."
"I loved it because that was what I used to study when I was very young and now I am using it with my students."
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Best Orchestra

Story of the Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music!
Eye-catching illustrations and an accompanying 70-minute CD make this an exciting and educational introduction to the world of classical music-from composers and music history to the instruments of the orchestra-for elementary age children (and parents, too! There are interesting and sometimes humorous bits of information about the men, their music, and corresponding historical events. An accompanying CD provides musical selections for readers to listen to at specific places in the text.
Reviews
"I love this book."
"What a wonderful tool for teaching a child music appreciation."
"The writing level is difficult for some of my upper elementary students, but with connected classroom teaching the terms used are useful."
"I bought this book for my elementary students (Pre-K- 6th grade), and there are not enough pictures and the words are not big enough for them to really enjoy the book."
"I bought this for my 11 year old daughter after hearing how much she enjoyed stories shared during her music class."
"There was no CD in the sealed plastic!"
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Best Mozart

Beginner Classical Piano Music: Teach Yourself How to Play Famous Piano Pieces by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven & the Great Composers (Book, Streaming Videos & MP3 Audio)
This book and streaming video course is all that you will ever need for getting started playing the most famous and cherished piano classics by the great composers, like Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven! Are you struggling to follow online piano lessons that seem to jump all over the place without any sense of direction or consistency? Would you like to expand your musical understanding and learn how to play the piano through an affordable, step-by-step book and video course? Bach's Prelude in C Major Mozart's Turkish Rondo Pachelbel's Canon Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Liszt's Hungarian Dance Brahms' Lullaby Mendelssohn's Wedding March Strauss's The Blue Danube Waltz Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King Handel's Hallelujah Dvorák's New World Symphony Chopin's Prelude Bizet's The Toreador Song Verdi's La donna è mobile Schumann's The Wild Horseman Paganini's Caprice Number 24 Beethoven's Ode to Joy Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik Mascagni's Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice Dvorák's New World Symphony Erik Satie's Gymnopedie. Greensleeves Rossini's William Tell Overture (Theme from the Lone Ranger ). and many more classics! I took piano lessons many years ago, and Iwanted tostart playing again, but it seemed like I couldn't remembereven the most basic things. by DanniPal:This has to be one of the best learning tools I have ever read forlearning the piano. 5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Valuable Piano Resource by Hannah Curtis: I play piano and have a big upright piano occupying my living room.Myfriends frequently express interest in learning to play the pianobut...
Reviews
"I played piano years and years ago and forgot so much."
"Who wouldn’t want to play pieces including Pachelbel’s Canon, Beethoven's Fur Elise, or Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Mirlitons from the Nutcracker? The videos are the biggest bonus as I am a fan of visual learning, and I feel if a student gets stuck or doesn’t fully understand how to interpret a passage at first, they can look to the video for advice and direction."
"Step by step this book and video instructions teaches you the basics of playing music. As we all know, keeping students engaged in the classroom isn't always easy and for some students, a music program is the only reason they come to school every day."
"Very happy with Ferrante's method of teaching!"
"I've always wanted to learn how to play the piano but either I never have the time or energy to do so, or the YouTube tutorials of random people are just not effective in it's attempt to teach. I got curious about the author and looked up other videos and I love seeing his passion for music."
"Ferrante is positive and encouraging without coming off fake, as some music instruction books do, which helps you have realistic expectations for your own progress."
"This book would be unsuitable for a more intermediate piano player, but as a former piano slacker who suddenly regrets not sticking with the instrument, this book was a lovely reintroduction."
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Best Baroque

The Messiah: An Oratorio for Four-Part Chorus of Mixed Voices, Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass Soli and Piano
Neither have the more recent editions of vocal scores based on the Mozart orchestra score, with its many contrapuntal charms, quite fulfilled expectations, as they materially increased the difficulty of the piano part. Listeners who truly love this work may be interested in the full orchestral score --also at a great price--from Dover, edited by Alfred Mann.
Reviews
"I had one from college, and bought this as a replacement since I lost my original score."
"Great for singing in a performance of the Messiah."
"When singing a part in this music, it is easy to get so focused on one's own part that one misses the fact that the notes themselves weave a tapestry on the page and to the ear that tell a story as rich as the verse."
"protected and delivered in very good time."
"Item exactly as described; delivery was fast and accurate."
"My first Book fell apart from using it for 30 years."
"This is a beautiful, pristine copy of the familiar Schirmer Bpiano-vocal score of The Messiah."
"Came quickly and a fair price and will use it for Christmas!"
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Best Early Romantic

Complete Preludes, Nocturnes & Waltzes: 26 Preludes, 21 Nocturnes, 19 Waltzes for Piano (Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics)
This new volume in Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics presents 26 preludes, 21 nocturnes and 19 waltzes a large amount of music at a value price.
Reviews
"Printing is not clear as I expected."
"Love this book and playing from it."
"It's Schimer -- what else can I say -- one of the best editions ever on the market."
"Came just like it stated, brand new and in a very short amount of time after I ordered it!!"
"I love Chopin music, and nocturnes and waltzes are my preferred."
"Pages Printed upside down on both shipments."
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Best Late Romantic

The Oxford Book of Carols: Music edition
A firm favourite with choirs for many years, this is a classic collection of traditional carols. His searching and visionary imagination, combined with a flexibility in writing for all levels of music-making, has meant that his music is as popular today as it ever has been.
Reviews
"Composers, these texts have inspired countless Christmas pageants and have yet to exhaust their full potential."
"The book was a smaller sized edition than I expected, but serves well."
"Delighted to find this after being told by a friend it was a bit rare."
"A classic that makes the perfect gift!"
"quick delivery, good value, book in expected or better condition."
"Better than the shorter NOBC, more old stuff, much more affordable than the comprehensive OBC."
"This book was in existence when R V W was still alive!"
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Best Modern Popular

Look, I Made a Hat: Collected Lyrics (1981-2011) with Attendant Comments, Amplifications, Dogmas, Harangues, Digressions, Anecdotes and Miscellany
After his acclaimed and best-selling Finishing the Hat (named one of the New York Times 10 Best Books of 2010), Stephen Sondheim returns with the second volume of his collected lyrics, Look, I Made a Hat , giving us another remarkable glimpse into the brilliant mind of this living legend, and his life’s work. The handsomely designed book, like the first volume, contains illuminating reproductions of pages from the author's beloved legal pads on which he works out rhyme schemes, as well as annotated scripts and pages of musical notations. A” —Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly “While the book technically covers Mr. Sondheim’s output from 1981 to the present, aficionados will delight in all the bits and bobs from early in his career that Mr. Sondheim didn’t make room for in the first volume .
Reviews
"The Maestro wrote this erudite book, making it literate, engaging and terribly informative."
"If you agree with Tom Lehrer that Stephen Sondheim is the best lyricist of the 20th Century (I do but I would remover the temporal limitation), then these two books are an absolute must."
"If you enjoy Sondheim's shows, you need this book."
"The ultimate master class in lyric-writing, from the best musical theatre writer of all time."
"A real treat for those who enjoy Sondheim's lyrics."
"Very happy with product and seller!"
"I encourage all writers of music to read these two books."
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Best Modern & 20th Century

Claude Debussy: Piano Music (1888-1905)
Beginning with Deux Arabesques (1888), it offers the Suite bergamasque (1890–1905), Réverie (1890), Danse (1890), Ballade (1890), Pour le piano (1896–1901), D'un cahier d'esquisses (1903), Extampes (1903), Mazurka (1891), Valse romantique (1890), Masques (1904), L'Isle joyeuse (1904), and the first series of Images (1905): Reflets dans l'eau, Hommage a Rameau, and Mouvement.
Reviews
"Since I don't know Debussy's works well, my student and I have found a great companion to this music book to be the following little book which gives information on each of Debussy's piano pieces and stylistic advice, written by someone who knew Debussy well: The Piano Works of Claude Debussy (Dover Books on Music)."
"Good price, good print, well bound, easy to turn pages, super selections including Clare de Lune and Arabesque in E Major, as well as a number of others of Debussy's best compositions for piano."
"Debussy is definitely one of the most genius composers ever."
"The print quality could be better but I'm still glad I bought it."
"This and the Beethoven sonatas."
"The same Dover editions we love, but easier to carry around!"
"This is a great collection of Debussy, and the productiion is top notch, and quality is great and also the print is easy to read and well spaced."
"Beautiful music now being played."
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