Koncocoo

Best Elgar

Enigma Variations and Pomp and Circumstance Marches in Full Score (Dover Music Scores)
Authoritative British editions of the 14 Variations, rich with melody and vibrant rhythms, each revealing a facet of a central theme never fully expressed and each depicting an unnamed friend of the composer.
Reviews
"...except that they don't include the 5th P&C march for some reason."
"This edition of Elgar's Enigma Variations is a very high quality print with a reasonable price."
"The only problem I have with this compilation of Elgar's works has to do with the omission of Pomp And Circumstance March No."
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Elgar: Piano Quintet, Op. 84 [Novello]
(Music Sales America).
Reviews
"Novello should redo their printing of the piano score for Elgar's Quintet, so that the notes aren't reduced in size."
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CELLO CONCERTO ARRANGED BY THE COMPOSER FOR VIOLA SOLO/PIANO OPUS 85
Elgar's last major work was the cello concerto, and it is unique in its poignancy and intensity.
Reviews
"Great seller !"
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Best Wagner

Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung: A Companion
The translation is accompanied by Stewart Spencer’s introductory essay on the libretto and a series of specially commissioned texts by Barry Millington, Roger Hollinrake, Elizabeth Magee, and Warren Darcy that discuss the cycle’s musical structure, philosophical implications, medieval sources, and Wagner’s own changing attitude to its meaning. Text: English, German (translation). Original Language: German. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Reviews
"A very good book about Wagner."
"Very informative and thorough."
"i bought this because I am a theatre director and am getting ready to direct the farce DAS BBQ which is VERY loosely based on Wagner's Ring Cycle."
"This is a very useful set of libretti and translations."
"I bought the book to have a handy libretto and was pleasantly surprised with the wonderful introductory material."
"First, the translation, which takes up three quarters of the book, is well done, with German and English directly compared on a line by line basis, complete with alternate or discarded or rejected versions of the libretto included in an appendix."
"In his introductory note on the text and his translation, Stewart Spencer writes: "Whether or not there is any truth in the anecdote that Wieland Wagner used to insist that his singers translate the text of the Ring into German before beginning work on the stage production, the story has a certain poetic truth to it.""
"The introductory materials and commentary are useful to whatever extent the reader wants those things (apparently some reviewers here don't), but I'd guess most buy this book for the excellent English translation of the librettos. I've started the slow, tedious process of going through and placing bookmarks at each chapter start and on other important pages, but this is a very cumbersome solution, as you can't even edit the bookmarks into brief descriptive titles or organize them into an outline format. But honestly, I give the Kindle edition NO stars....it's the worst Kindle book I've ever purchased and I'd strongly urge others to avoid it until the publisher releases a restructured version."
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Best Faure

Gabriel Faure: 50 Songs: High Voice (The Vocal Library)
Contents: A Clymene * Adieu * Apres un rEve * Arpege * Au bord de l'eau * Au cimetiere * Aurore * Automne * Avant que tu ne t'en ailles * C'est l'extase * Chanson * Chanson d'amour * Clair de lune * Ddans la forEt de septembre * Dans les ruines d'une abbaye * Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'ete * En priere * En sourdine * Fleur jetee * Green * Ici-bas!
Reviews
"I highly recommend this book for any level singer who shows in interest in Faure, Melodie, or building up their repertoire library."
"Great book; these is a lot of songs to choose from."
"This book is so so lovely for the soprano voice!"
"Shipping is fast and the book is in good quality."
"Nice clean edition with helpful notes."
"This collection is your typical Faure."
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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 Bloch

The Castrato: Reflections on Natures and Kinds (Ernest Bloch Lectures)
In Italy, castration for singing was understood through the lens of Catholic blood sacrifice as expressed in idioms of offering and renunciation and, paradoxically, in satire, verbal abuse, and even the symbolism of the castrato’s comic cousin Pulcinella. "Working in from the broadest anthropological reflections to the most minute points of physiology and endocrinology—by way of musical and social history, the theory and practice of singing, the insights of three centuries’ worth of philosophers and psychologists, all illustrated with the rarest pictures and recordings— The Castrato is a scholarly and literary feast."
Reviews
"An extraordinary and thoroughly engrossing study of the castrato in his heyday from the late 16th to the early 19th centuries, challenging but worth the effort for those -- not just fellow scholars -- interested in music history, theater history, gender and sexuality studies and general European social history, including religion."
"this is Professor Martha Feldman's third BIG book and the most readable for audiences who are not scholars."
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Best Gluck

Music Minus One Cello: The Cello Soloist: Classic Solos for 'Cello and Piano (Sheet Music & 2 CDs)
This long-awaited re-release of a Music Minus One classic features a completely new edition of 17 famous solo cello works, complete with helpful tips for cellists playing them for the first time. Includes an authoritative, newly engraved music score printed on high-quality ivory paper, complete with performance suggestions from Mr. Thomas, and a compact disc containing a complete version with soloist; then a second version in digital stereo of the orchestral accompaniment, minus the soloist. Helping educate musicians since 1950, Music Minus One provides performers at every skill level, an easy way to study, rehearse and perform with professional musicians in the comfort of their own homes. Offering compact discs with accompanying solo music parts from world-renowned soloists, Music Minus One albums offer a superb practice experience.
Reviews
"It's a treat to hear your playing with other instruments, not to mention an excellent way to measure and achieve intonation."
"Unfortunately, it was too advanced for me, I was feeling like a bit of a failure, or at least a disappointment, to myself and my teacher already, so I gave it to my teacher. I'm not sure what I would think of it now, but I don't want to ask for it back as my teacher had his bag with music stolen from his car and I don't want to make him feel bad if it is gone."
"This is a good selection of music, and the accompaniments are well-done."
"Love the CD."
"This is a good way to practice well-known cello solos."
"great add-on to much of my current music - love the audio cd as well!"
"It is great to have an accompaniment as well as listening to a professional cellist."
"BTW If you have this book http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007MWBWTM?redirect=true&ref_=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_81 It's the same book just different cover."
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Best Bach

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
"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 haven't had my daughter start it yet, so it's sort of an untried review, but I can see her being able to work through it on her own with occasional help from me, which is what I was looking for."
"It’s an exceptional way to start learning piano with no experience, and this book can be used by many ages. I really enjoyed the MP3 recording of all the songs in the book, because it was good to verify what I was doing on the piano."
"This book does a fantastic job at teaching the basics."
"It provides links throughout the material for a good representation of the subject matter; for this, I highly recommend the Kindle version for its quick easy links to the source material."
"I played piano years and years ago and forgot so much."
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Best Mahler

Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4 in Full Score (Dover Music Scores)
Symphony No. Symphony No. Austrian composer and conductor Gustav Mahler (1860–1911) wrote chiefly symphonies and Lieder.
Reviews
"Well, this book is useful only if you number the measures yourself with a pencil (which would take a very long time), since the book actually does NOT supply measure numbers. But each figure can be any number of measures, so when you read an article that makes reference to measure 435, you simply won't be able to find it, without actually numbering the measures yourself."
"This two in one score is terrific for the amateur music fan who likes to curl up in their favorite chair on a stormy Saturday night with their headphones and some hot chocolate and hear everything the composer wanted."
"Again, the Dover publications of scores is excellent and to have both symphonies in one volume is a real find."
"it's a symphony score!"
"The Dover reprints are not the best but for the price nothing beats it!"
"Perfect when you do not have the money to buy a better edition ;-)."
"It's the full score, just as you suspected!"
"Big clear print on quality paper."
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Best Grieg

Complete Lyric Pieces for Piano (Dover Music for Piano)
Between 1867 and 1901, Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) wrote ten sets of little mood pictures for piano that display his great musical gifts at their lyrical best.
Reviews
"As noted on the back cover, Grieg's harmonies here are interesting and late-Romantic, sometimes anticipating the music of Debussy and Ravel, et al. Note: coming back to my review, I kind of feel bad about using the term "salon music" in the original title! I feel that Grieg put a lot of genuine emotion into these utterly delightful mood pieces, and the more I play them the more I get out of them."
"Great value, and the fonts are very clear."
"LOVE this and so inexpensive!"
"I had it cut & fixed with rings to make it easier to use."
"I ordered it again because I missed playing them; the great variety of style and flavor is wonderful, as well as the variety of difficulties."
"Nice to find all the Lyric Pieces in one volumn, at a nice affordable price!"
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Best Ravel

Daphnis and Chloe in Full Score (Dover Music Scores)
Often described as Ravel's orchestral masterpiece, Daphnis and Chloe is a 20th-century classic, a rich musical setting of the Greek novel by Langus.
Reviews
"This work of Ravel's is one of the greatest gems of 20th Century music of the world."
"The pages could be a little bit whiter for a clearer reading."
"I just kinda sits there and lets you look at it."
"It serves my needs as a study score."
"Great score and easy to read."
"This is a great score of this piece, it is easy to read, and obviously is a print for the original copy."
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Best Holst

The Planets in Full Score (Dover Music Scores)
Scored for huge orchestral forces and a wordless chorus, the work is divided into seven movements, the music of each embodying the astrological and mystical qualities of a different planet.
Reviews
"Score in excellent condition, virtually new."
"Excellent score, perfect for what I wanted to use for study purposes both at home for my pleasure and at school for my students."
"I really enjoy the Planets and seeing how it's made it amazing (If not a bit terrifying)."
"Easy to read - has everything including double chorus and organ."
"Great piece, I'm going into Music Composition and found this to be a good piece to study."
"Get a pencil and analyze the hell out of this to become a better composer."
"Great way to study one of the greatest pieces of orchestral music ever written!"
"I've purchased orchestral scores before that have not been legible."
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Best Haydn

The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven (Expanded Edition)
A greatly expanded edition of the National Book Award-winning masterpiece by a world-class pianist and writer on music.
Reviews
"The classical period is principally characterized by sonata form and tonality. An understanding of the classical period is not only relatively easy to acquire, but of central importance to understanding nearly all subsequent composition."
"I read much of as an adjunct to Jonathan Biss's MOOC from the Curtis Institute on Exploring Beethoven's Sonatas."
"One real plus is how the author consistently includes contrasting opinions and often recognizes that, ultimately, he has learned from their insights."
"I needed a concise book giving me information on the classical style by the top three composers at the time."
"I bought this as a gift for my husband."
"Gave it as a gift to a professional cellist."
"A bit technical at times."
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Best Verdi

La Traviata Vocal Score Cloth (Italian Edition)
(Vocal Score). Daniel S. Brink is the Artistic Advisor and Principal Coach/Accompanist for the Colorado Opera Festival, Artistic Director for the Company Singers, a development program for young operatic hopefuls and Artistic Director/Conductor of the Colorado Springs Choral Society small ensemble, MOSIAC.
Reviews
"The quality printing not is the best, if you ask me the perfect size for this score is the letter, yet with this little things is the best edition for the singers."
"No translation -- just the original Italian."
"Exactly what I expected, brand new, no markings or scratches."
"These Ricordi cloth-bound editions are the most well-bound vocal scores I own."
"And the score will not stay open on the music stand."
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Best Rodgers

The Sound of Music: Vocal Selections - Revised Edition (Rodgers and Hammerstein Vocal Selections)
(Vocal Selections).
Reviews
"Got the male lead in school play!"
"These are comprehensive vocal and piano arrangements for singers and pianists."
"Love this music from my childhood."
"Also I guess I am that guy, you know, the one buys books for musicals to make his kids sing..."
"Great piano book with good arrangements."
"This is great."
"I love the Revised version of this songbook."
"This music collection is very easy to read and easy to play."
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Best Gilbert

The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan: 20th Anniversary Edition
It also features a completely new introduction, reflecting on the state of Gilbert and Sullivan nearly 150 years after the pair began their legendary collaboration, and new annotations addressing recent performance history, newly discovered 'lost' songs and dialogue, and, for the first time, Gilbert and Sullivan references in contemporary popular culture. Born and brought up in the south of England, Ian Bradley has lived for the last 30 years in St Andrews, Scotland where he is currently Principal of St Mary's College, the Divinity School of the University.
Reviews
"The annotations on facing pages bring the librettos to life!"
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Best Dvorak

Antonin Dvorak Symphonies Nos. 8 and 9, New World, in Full Score
9, "From the New World" (composed during Dvořák's three-year stay in America), echoes the folk spirit of his native Czechoslovakia as well as American influences, and is filled with the spontaneous melodic invention, rhythmic variety, and intensity of harmony that characterize his orchestral works. The Dover edition presents both symphonic masterpieces — among the most popular works in the orchestral repertoire — reprinted from authoritative editions in one inexpensive, practical volume.
Reviews
"Good and inexpensive version of two major works by Dvorak."
"This is great score book that is strong & nice.They will last for a long time.They will not tear easy also.Also they are easy to read."
"I wish it was spiral bound so that it would lay flat, however it is otherwise and excellent purchase."
"These scores are great to conduct from and for score study."
"Not bad for the price, but be prepared to hand write the instrumentation on every single page of this score."
"This was a gift for my son."
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Best Brahms

Complete Shorter Works for Solo Piano (Dover Music for Piano)
The entire corpus of Brahms's short piano pieces is contained in this volume: the delightful and familiar Waltzes; the effective Scherzo in E-flat Minor; the satisfying Eight Pieces; the two Rhapsodies; the Fantasies — among the most perfectly finished works Brahms ever wrote — the three Intermezzi; the Intermezzi, Ballade, and Romance comprising Six Pieces; and the superlative Intermezzi and Rhapsody that make up the final Four Pieces. German composer Johannes Brahms (1833–97) was a leading musician of the Romantic period and a virtuoso pianist who premiered many of his own works.
Reviews
"This is by far my favorite edition."
"I bought this when I needed multiple editions of Brahms' Op 118 for teaching/ comparison purposes."
"This book has just the pieces in it that I wanted."
"A great collection of shorter works."
"I have quite a few Dover edition books and never encountered this problem - on a quite a few pages, the bottom of two pages were connected together so one would have to manually cut the pages apart."
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Best Franck

A Treasury of Organ Music for Manuals Only: 46 Works by Bach, Mozart, Franck, Saint-Saëns and Others (Dover Music for Organ)
"; Best's Prelude on a Chorale by Thomas Tallis; Buxtehude's Fugue in C; the charming Four Pieces for Flute Clocks, written by Haydn for his era's popular musical clocks; Mozart's "Fantasie de Salon," based on four themes from T he Magic Flute; and Pachelbel's beloved C anon in D. Other featured composers include Elgar, Dupré, Beethoven, Frescobaldi, Handel, Liszt, Couperin, and Franck.
Reviews
"Nice variety and selection of tunes, suitable for church services and perfect for someone switching from pot to org and t ready for "prime time pedals" yet!"
"This collection of organ music is a lovely addition to my church repertoire."
"After my injury I could no longer play the organ pedals and this book gave me a bunch of new preludes and postludes for manuals only."
"Looks pretty good, but a bit above my level."
"This is an excellent variety of compositions by a good variety of composers."
"I am a pianist/"fake organist" and love this book of wonderful manual only pieces."
"There is incredible variety in this inexpensive edition, and most are excellent for church use."
"I am the organist for a couple of Catholic churches and this collection of organ music provides many pieces that are perfect preludes and postludes, as well as a few pieces for special occasions."
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Best Handel

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
"Purchased for my mother."
"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."
"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."
"I'll be ready for the next sing a long."
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Best Hummel

Big Road Blues - 12 Bars On I-80
Yet somehow, our harmonica virtuoso and promoter Mark Hummel, manages to play extended tours back and forth across the USA, Canada and overseas on a full time basis. Are you ready to meet some of the worldwide network of unethical bar owners and promoters, sleazy motel managers, paranoid highway patrolmen, grumpy toll booth collectors, bored waitresses and convenience store clerks, brain-dead teenage Burger King employees who can't get an order right, vengeful customs officers, unscrupulous mechanics, novice tour directors, drunken fans that regularly insist on singing and dancing on stages (when there even is a stage) that provide no security? Mark's extensive career includes traveling the, "Big Roads" and blue highways of the United States and Europe for over thirty years as a harmonica mystro, band leader, music producer, and journal and blog writer.
Reviews
"Great book by one of the genre's true road warriors!"
"I know Mark Hummel and there's not a harder working, more dedicated Bluesman out there today."
"A pretty well written story about the adventures of a traveling musician."
"Gift for husband, Great just what he needed for his collection and I m the hero...lol amazon never lets me down."
"Well written, honest, look into life on and off the road of a working blues musician."
"I know Mark Hummel and I already heard from him some of this stories."
"Great reading.Reading the ups and downs come off with Humor,that makes you want to go on."
"Great book by a guy working his ass off."
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Best Sullivan

Raisin' Cain: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter (Book)
From toughing it out in Texas to his appearance at Woodstock, his affair with Janis Joplin, his stadium-filling tours, and washing out on drugs and the temptations of the road before finally fulfilling his dream of becoming a 100-percent pure bluesman, resurrecting the career of Muddy Waters, and winning a Grammy Award for his effort, this is a raucous roller coaster of story.
Reviews
"My only hope is that in future editions they include some sort of appendix to cover the years the book did not - from 2009 (I believe) when the book was originally finished until his death on the road in 2014 - roughly one week before I had tickets to see him."
"I'm blaming the editor more than the writer because Ms. Sullivan did a good job of putting together a relatively coherent story from a wide variety of interviews. I believe it's the job of an editor to toss the book back to the author with advice on how to tighten up the story, put it in chronological order, etc."
"Since the author and Johnny Winters collaborated on this book, it was pretty tame."
"The exciting story of this brilliant and often overlooked musician is marred by repetitive accounts of the same story."
"This was a very clear case in which the reporter got suddenly lost in the process of editing the interviews she had done, perhaps due to her own nice feelings toward the interviewee."
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Best Berlioz

Treatise on Instrumentation (Dover Books on Music)
With 150 illustrative full-score musical examples from works by Berlioz, Mozart, Beethoven, Gluck, Weber, Wagner, and others, and numerous smaller musical examples. Text: English (translation). Original Language: French.
Reviews
"The Berlioz and Rimsky-Korsakov books should both be on your bookshelf..."
"Got my book in couple days time."
"The revision by R. Strauss added a lot of technical in-depth, that today remains current."
"Not realizing how widely the invention would be disseminated, Berlioz devotes less than half a page to the subject. He offers comparable space to a couple of Adolph Sax's other inventions--the saxtrombas and the saxtubas--which most of us have never even heard of. There was also an instrument called the octobass, which was like a contrabass, but with three strings tuned to G, D, and A. Oh well, it's always nice to learn a little music history. If you ever heard the piece, you will surely agree that only a roar results, no matter how accurately the drums are tuned."
"This is perfect for someone who wants to see, know, and understand how the various instruments of an orchestra work: their ranges, characteristics, abilities...it gives many many examples from various compositions from various composers: Wagner, Berlioz, Beethoven, Gluck, Weber, Mozart... Every part of the book except for a couple pages in the beginning talk about the specific instruments...the "meat" of the book IS the book...no "fluff.""
"This is definitely NOT the book with which a contemporary beginner student of orchestration should start."
"Hector Berlioz sets out each section of the orchestra in a logical fashion, reference book style and describes each instrument in a clear, readable and enjoyable manner. This is a first class book on instrumentation/orchestration and would recommend it to composers of all levels of experience."
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Best Vivaldi

Easy Classical Violin Solos: Featuring music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi and other composers.
Includes: 1812 Overture. A Little Night Music. The Blue Danube. Bourre from Lute Suite BWV 996. Bridal Chorus. Canon in D. La Donna é Mobile. Dance of the Flowers. Für Elise. Greensleeves. In the Hall of the Mountain King. Jesu, Joy of Man Desiring. Land of Hope and Glory. Lullaby. Minuet in G. Ode to Joy. Spring - Four Seasons.
Reviews
"I like it very much, but would like it better if you could print out the pages."
"excellent for a beginner like me."
"I have only gotten to D major in my studies (essential elements violin book 1), but there are a few songs I think I can learn by Christmas."
"the book had good music."
"I love love love playing from this book."
"Have been playing for about a year and wanted some new tunes to practise with."
"Terrible print quality and shoddy versions of melodies."
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Best Billings

004: The Complete Works of William Billings: The Continental Harmony (1794)
Authoritative edition of the music of William Billings.
Reviews
""This first critical edition of the works of an American composer - - ", The product of many years' effort by The American Musicological Society in collaboration with the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, presents in four handsomely bound volumes Billings' entire psalmody, historical and biographical notes, as well as the composer's textual musicological theory and rules, with references, indices and commentary."
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Best Liszt

Reflections on Liszt
In a series of lively essays that tell us much not only about the phenomenon that was Franz Liszt but also about the musical and cultural life of nineteenth-century Europe, Alan Walker muses on aspects of Liszt's life and work that he was unable to explore in his acclaimed three-volume biography of the great composer and pianist. Alan Walker is Professor of Music at McMaster University.
Reviews
"If the three volumes on the life of Franz Liszt by Mr. Alan Walker left you begging for more, then this book is for you."
"I've read the three Liszt biographical volumes a few times each already, and yet I find things I haven't caught previously.This is another of that type of book, where one can read it many times and still find it enjoyable.Mr."
"I have read pretty much everything Alan Walker has written about Liszt, including his Von Bulow biography."
"As I expressed to Dr. Walker in writing, there are those gifted pianists who have the experience and ability to interpret the music of Franz Liszt while Dr. Walker has the equal ability [and credentials therein] to interpret Franz Liszt the man. There are many tomes and recitations, indeed even dedicated websites, about Franz Liszt but Dr. Walker's writings offer an almost You-Are-There quality of his narrative and thus you at least figuratively yet perceptively 'see' and 'hear' Liszt more so than you simply read of the man whether Liszt remarks to one of his students about certain "uninvited guests" [sic -- Liszt's buzz-word for 'wrong notes' or "clinkers"] or Liszt becoming yancy when pressured or indeed even very politely cajoled to play [which happened virtually everywhere he went] versus his own initiative and hence 'desire' to play, as Dr. Walker puts it, "because it is then within his gift to do so.""
"A NICE ADDENDUM TO WALKER'S MAGNUM OPUS ON LISZT."
"hope my nephew likes this."
"for lisztomaniacs only."
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Best Bizet

Carmen: Opera in Four Acts
(Vocal Score).
Reviews
"This was probably necessary to keep the volume from being even thicker, and the problem can be solved by tacking a copy of the crucial line onto the edge of the preceding page."
"Cons: I mention the timeliness of delivery above because I buy a lot of products via Amazon and, just this past 14months or so; I have been receiving approximately one or two items out of five later than the two days specified in my Prime membership."
"Great score, great opera, great read."
"So, if you order this particular score (any Schirmer score, really) check to make sure all the pages are there, especially if you're the rehearsal pianist."
"As a result, I suggest individuals who need to purchase a Schirmer version of Carmen either go to a music store where they can ensure they have all the pages, find a copy online, or purchase a version with good reviews and no mention of missing pages."
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Best Corelli

Complete Violin Sonatas and Trio Sonatas (Dover Chamber Music Scores)
Among the chief glories of Baroque music are the violin and trio sonatas of Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713), elegant compositions of supreme lyric expressiveness.
Reviews
"Great music - nice clear edition."
"It was probably written for 15/16th century pianos and not for 21st century pianos and taste."
"I won't take the time here to sing the many praises of Corelli's music, but suffice it to say, his trio and solo sonatas are the standard by which all Baroque sonatas are measured."
"the violin sonatas include not only the straightforward version of the first print (Jan 1, 1700) but the elaborate ornaments included in later publications "as Corelli plays them" -- a fascinating light on what people actually did with this music."
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Best Purcell

Henry Purcell (Oxford Studies of Composers)
It is the first book to explore in detail the historical context of Purcell's music, dealing fully with the institutions he worked for, the origin and development of the various genres to which he contributed, and the sources of his music. -- Observer Review "The great merits of the book derive from the fact that the author knows the music well both as scholar and as performer and similarly knows the music by Purcell's predecessors and contemporaries....It is as clear as its subject allows and perserverence is rewarding. -- Early Music Review "A balanced study of Pucell's music...his discussion of music is insightful, and his observations concerning instrumental developments are particularly valuable."
Reviews
"This is a lovely and lively performance of one of Purcell's best."
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Best Smetana

Czech Piano Music: 42 Works by Dussek, Smetana, Dvorák, Janácek and Martinu
Music of great beauty, charm and simplicity, reproduced from authoritative European editions.
Reviews
"Several of these pieces have become real favorites, including almost all of the Smetana Czech Dances, Dussek's theme and variations "Leaving for Syria", and the awkwardly titled but wonderfully spirited Smetana "Memories of Bohemia in the form of a polka," Op.13 no.2."
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Best Poulenc

Sonata for Flute and Piano (Music Sales America)
This Sonata For Flute and Piano is a virtuosic flute solo by renowned influential French composer Francis Poulenc.
Reviews
"A history of the piece, extensive critical notes, and bibliographic accounts of the source material used for the edits within are all provided in the scores first few pages (in English, French, and German)."
"It is a paperback, but the outside front and back cover is a thick, shiny, coated paper."
"Exactly what we needed for my daughters audition and less expensive than the sites the school recommended."
"Very nice music, great for teaching."
"Best sonata ever written."
"Written for and with Rampal."
"have no complaints."
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