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Best Religious & Church Music

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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What Can I Play on Sunday?, Complete Collection: 60 Easily Prepared Piano Arrangements for Services Throughout the Year (Sacred Performer Collections)
In addition to seasonally relevant selections for general worship, the book also contains arrangements that are appropriate for major holidays, including Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, the Fourth of July, All Saints Day, Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. Titles: All Glory, Laud and Honor * All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name * Amazing Grace * America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee) * America the Beautiful * Be Still, My Soul * Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light * Brethren, We Have Met to Worship * Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation * Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies * The Church's One Foundation * Come, Holy Spirit, Dove Divine * Come, Thou Almighty King * Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy * The Coventry Carol with Away in a Manger * Depth of Mercy with Search Me, O God * Faith of Our Fathers * For All the Saints * God Will Take Care of You * God, Give Us Christian Homes * Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise * Hallelujah!
Reviews
"Love having a large collection for quick fillers, however the 'seasonal' choices wouldn't be what I'd pick."
"There are specific hymns as well as general types of hymns which tie in with specific, often hard to find music for Sundays."
"This book has excellently-arranged selections of very appropriately-themed worship music."
"If you like playing interesting and beautiful hymn arrangements, get this book!"
"I have several of her other books & this book repeated a lot of the songs already have or I would have rated it a 5!"
"Cindy Berry has a real talent for creating pleasing piano arrangements for hymns."
"I love that they follow the church year and include some "general" pieces."
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Messiah
The world-famous Novello choral edition of Handel's beautiful masterpiece.
Reviews
"I sing from the Watkins/Shaw edition often enough that I finally bought one of my own so I can mark it up."
"Like many musicians I have multiple copies of Handel's Messiah."
"I ended up selling the book to someone else (I had purchased it for someone who dropped out of the chorale)."
"Wonderful edition that is much truer to Baroque performance practices than the pompous Schirmer edition."
"Nicely laid out score with good critical commentary and optional versions of many recits and arias."
"It is the score that I needed to use in our performances this year, and in the years to come."
"The score is clear and easy to read and handle."
"This is the one that most modern choruses use, so you might as well buy it."
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Best Requiems & Oratorios

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 Vocal & Singing

Rise Up Singing : The Group Singing Songbook: (larger print leader's edition)
Songs include: Amazing Grace * Desperado * Let It Be * My Favorite Things * The Rose * hundreds more. Founded in 1947, Hal Leonard LLC has become the worlds largest print music publisher, representing some of the greatest songwriters and artists of all time.
Reviews
"I love this book!"
"I bought this as it was recommended to me as having all the songs i sang growing up in church, camp, school, and family."
"This book has such a variety of folk songs."
"The clever method of providing a condensed set of chords for guitar accompaniment is useful, although it is not always easy to figure out how the chord pattern is supposed to work."
"I've heard the newer version has less hippie cover, and some of the chords are rectified."
"Even though the book doesn't notate the melody of any of the songs, it is still great for anyone who likes to kick back and play their guitar/whatever... if you need help with the melody, YouTube is a great resource, or go find someone in your community who knows the song!"
"One other word of caution--make sure when you order it that you know if you are getting the smaller size or the larger Leader book--I thought I was getting the smaller size which is more portable and easier to handle while singing (to me), but ended up getting the larger one, which feels a little unwieldy."
"1200 songs worth of sheet music would take a book easily 10 times the size of this one and the cost would be commensurate."
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Best Historical Period

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 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!"
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Massenet

Manon: Opera in Five Acts
(Vocal Score). — Daily Telegraph --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Reviews
"had to replace well-worn Schirmer hard cloth-bound."
"Well bound on sleek paper - easy on the eyes - wonderful score."
"In the score there is a little not clearly written which part some role sings, but i like it."
"He is so taken with these "Mini Guides" that each and every one of his twenty-eight five-star reviews begins, "The Opera Journeys Mini Guide Series is just wonderful; it's like a "Cliff Note" [sic] of the opera, and extremely informative and educational." Then, go out to see the opera. Older performances of operas that in many cases can only be described as superb can be found on CD right here at Amazon for about the price of this pamphlet."
"I congratulate Burton Fisher for a job very well done and Amazon for making these handy, information-laden booklets available. My tip: acquire the entire collection because you will be in easy reach of superbly presented opera guides consisting of story analysis, principal characters in the opera, story narrative with music highlights, background, analysis, and commentary."
"will buy next time ."
"The price is quite normal, as scores go, and you shall find accurate markings and index."
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Best Musicals

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 Lieder & Art Songs

All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release (9/22/13)
Every album and every song ever released by the Beatles - from "Please Please Me" (U.S. 1963) to "The Long and Winding Road" (U.S. 1970) - is dissected, discussed, and analyzed by two music historians in this lively, fully illustrated work. *Starred Review* This hefty gem of a book catalogs every recording released by the Beatles, in chronological order of album release. They know their stuff (Guesdon is a musician; Margotin, a music critic), and it shows—especially in the Production and Technical Details sections, where the type of equipment is named and described, recording speeds are discussed, and there is much talk of the number of takes each song required and why.
Reviews
"book takes the "greatest bits of info" from the Lewisohn, Babiuk, Ryan/Kehew books, as well as previously published interviews by the Beatles and associates, recording anomalies (readily available on several internet sites) and puts them together under one cover (primary songwriter, instrument/vocal credit, dates/mixing/studio location and personnel, specific instruments used, the Anthology series audio material and additional background info). You will not see photos of the EMI recording boxes nor photos of every single instrument used, however there is certainly enough visual material to make the book a valuable tool covering the studio career of the Beatles."
"This is the book for it!"
"I received this great book for Christmas.....wow....exactly what I wanted."
"I was amazed how many instruments George Martin played on some later albums."
"Beatles 4 ever!"
"Bought this as a Christmas present for my Dad and he’s obsessed!"
"Loved it all, the pictures, instruments used on each song, the history and background."
"If you fell in love with the print version, as I did, but were waiting for the Kindle version so you wouldn't have to lug around that giant physical book be warned that the Kindle version has NONE of the great photos found in the print version."
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Best Ballet & Dance

Hog Wild!: A Frenzy of Dance Music
The ever-wonderful Kristen Bell convinces everyone to just “Dance It Out.” Samuel L. Jackson stomps his captivating way through “Tyrannosaurus Funk.” Stanley Tucci is the impossibly frenetic caller of the “Rat Race.” Five for Fighting goes full-on big band era with a stunning slow-build/big-finish “Swing Thing.” And when’s the last time you heard Laura Linney and “Weird Al” Yankovic perform a song together? Here they give you the electronic sci-fi “Robot Dance,” which Mr. Yankovic suddenly turns into (naturally enough) a Broadway tap dance number. Take a child by the hand, put on your sneakers or tap shoes (oh heck, bare feet will do), cue up the CD, and get out there and dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance!! Michael Ford, Sandra Boynton’s esteemed collaborator on Philadelphia Chickens and Rhinoceros Tap , is a classically trained composer and pianist, with a long detour in Progressive Rock performance.
Reviews
"We love all the Boynton books and have about every single one."
"Though the songs seem much simpler than other Boynton albums, my kid loves it, and that's what matters most."
"Fun music by a number of artists."
"100% grand-daughter endorsed."
"A truly delightful book/cd."
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Best Violin Concertos

Concerto - Corrected Revised Version: Violin and Piano Reduction
Corrected, revised edition, incorporating newly discovered details from Barber's personal conducting copy.
Reviews
"In my opinion, the Barber Violin Concerto is on a level of its own."
"I am running into some issues when comparing this 2014 version with my teachers 1949 issue--which is to be expected."
"The revised (2014) edition has smaller prints, compare with the old (1949) edition, and it's harder to read."
"The violin part was missing."
"The 2014 revised version took some liberties with bowings, and most of them don't make sense."
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Best Piano Concertos

Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in Full Score
Just as Serge Rachmaninoff's piano virtuosity ranked him among the greatest pianists of the twentieth century, his compositions for piano and orchestra won him an important position among modern composers. 1 in the years 1890–91, while he was still a young student at the Moscow Conservatory, and revised it nearly three decades later in 1917, when he began to devote his life mainly to his international career as a piano virtuoso.
Reviews
"Regarding those who say that the type is too small to allow pianists to learn their parts from this version of the score: fine, get a 2-piano version for your technical mastery of the music, BUT get this too if you want to be a real musician when learning this music."
"Love Dover Publications."
"Rachmaninoff is one of the truly great romantic composers, and I have purchased all of the scores for enjoyment."
"A must have for fans of the Rachmaninoff piano concertos... cheap in price while well printed and bound - it's a great addition to any music library collection!"
"His writing this while still a student in the Moscow conservatory is just a preview of what a notable pianist and composer he would become."
"The score of the First Concerto is basically the revised version, except there are occasional passages where the piano writing is something other than what you will find in any two-piano score."
"Structurally, it seems to be identical to the revised version, but much of the piano figuration (I'm unsure about the orchestral part) is based on the original version."
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Best Popular

All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release (9/22/13)
Every album and every song ever released by the Beatles - from "Please Please Me" (U.S. 1963) to "The Long and Winding Road" (U.S. 1970) - is dissected, discussed, and analyzed by two music historians in this lively, fully illustrated work. *Starred Review* This hefty gem of a book catalogs every recording released by the Beatles, in chronological order of album release. They know their stuff (Guesdon is a musician; Margotin, a music critic), and it shows—especially in the Production and Technical Details sections, where the type of equipment is named and described, recording speeds are discussed, and there is much talk of the number of takes each song required and why.
Reviews
"book takes the "greatest bits of info" from the Lewisohn, Babiuk, Ryan/Kehew books, as well as previously published interviews by the Beatles and associates, recording anomalies (readily available on several internet sites) and puts them together under one cover (primary songwriter, instrument/vocal credit, dates/mixing/studio location and personnel, specific instruments used, the Anthology series audio material and additional background info). You will not see photos of the EMI recording boxes nor photos of every single instrument used, however there is certainly enough visual material to make the book a valuable tool covering the studio career of the Beatles."
"This is the book for it!"
"I received this great book for Christmas.....wow....exactly what I wanted."
"I was amazed how many instruments George Martin played on some later albums."
"Beatles 4 ever!"
"Bought this as a Christmas present for my Dad and he’s obsessed!"
"Loved it all, the pictures, instruments used on each song, the history and background."
"If you fell in love with the print version, as I did, but were waiting for the Kindle version so you wouldn't have to lug around that giant physical book be warned that the Kindle version has NONE of the great photos found in the print version."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Opera

Hamilton - Vocal Selections
Our collection features 17 selections in piano/vocal format from the music penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda, including: Alexander Hamilton * Burn * Dear Theodosia * Hurricane * It's Quiet Uptown * My Shot * One Last Time * Satisfied * That Would Be Enough * Washington on Your Side * You'll Be Back * and more.
Reviews
"The songs included are: Alexander Hamilton. My Shot. The Schuyler Sisters. You'll Be Back. Helpless. Satisfied. Wait For It. That Would Be Enough. History Has Its Eyes On You. Dear Theodosia. What'd I Miss. The Room Where It Happens. Washington On Your Side. One Last Time. Hurricane. Burn. It's Quiet Uptown."
"I can't play piano parts from my phone without hunching over and squinting, and I can't play them from a larger screen like a tablet because they're much too blurry. But unless I'm missing something important in how to use Kindle editions of books, DO NOT buy the Kindle version."
"My only complaint is that this collection is missing some really great songs, a few of which are eminently playable as stand-alone pieces."
"Was a Christmas gift for someone who plays piano and has seen Hamilton 3 times already."
"Got this for my wife, who is a huge fan."
"Great book."
"This was purchased as a birthday gift for my grown daughter and she loves it."
"My daughter is obsessed with Hamilton and already had the songs memorized but she LOVES this book."
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Best Vocal

Hamilton - Vocal Selections
Our collection features 17 selections in piano/vocal format from the music penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda, including: Alexander Hamilton * Burn * Dear Theodosia * Hurricane * It's Quiet Uptown * My Shot * One Last Time * Satisfied * That Would Be Enough * Washington on Your Side * You'll Be Back * and more.
Reviews
"The songs included are: Alexander Hamilton. My Shot. The Schuyler Sisters. You'll Be Back. Helpless. Satisfied. Wait For It. That Would Be Enough. History Has Its Eyes On You. Dear Theodosia. What'd I Miss. The Room Where It Happens. Washington On Your Side. One Last Time. Hurricane. Burn. It's Quiet Uptown."
"I can't play piano parts from my phone without hunching over and squinting, and I can't play them from a larger screen like a tablet because they're much too blurry. But unless I'm missing something important in how to use Kindle editions of books, DO NOT buy the Kindle version."
"My only complaint is that this collection is missing some really great songs, a few of which are eminently playable as stand-alone pieces."
"Was a Christmas gift for someone who plays piano and has seen Hamilton 3 times already."
"Got this for my wife, who is a huge fan."
"Great book."
"This was purchased as a birthday gift for my grown daughter and she loves it."
"My daughter is obsessed with Hamilton and already had the songs memorized but she LOVES this book."
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Best Piano Sonatas

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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Best Concerto

Concerto For Violoncello and Orchestra Op. 22 ( Full Score)
inch....this work is likely to become a standart work very quickly and is to be recommended to all schools where recorder studies are undertaken inch.
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Best Symphonies

Welcome to the Symphony: A Musical Exploration of the Orchestra Using Beethoven's Symphony No. 5
This charming and interactive picture book with its panel of 19 sound buttons is like a ticket to a concert hall, taking readers on a journey from the exciting first moment when the musicians begin tuning up to the end of the first movement (attention newcomers: don’t clap yet!). Kids will want to match their voices to the A note that tunes the orchestra, dance to the rhythmic passages—and, of course, sing along to da-da-da- daah ! “An ideal way to introduce children to the magic of music—delightful, charming, wonderfully entertaining, beautifully illustrated.” —Gerard Schwarz, Music Director, the All-Star Orchestra. " Welcome to the Symphony [lives] up to the publisher's promise that children will enjoy it . “An ideal way to introduce children to the magic of music—delightful, charming, wonderfully entertaining, beautifully illustrated.”. –Gerard Schwarz, music director, The All-Star Orchestra and music director laureate, Seattle Symphony. (Gerard Schwarz). "A delight for kids of any age! (Terry Kinney). “Lively, beautifully written…a charming way to educate the next generation of concert-goers.”. –Orin O’Brien, double bassist, The New York Philharmonic. (Orin O’Brien). “This beautiful book appeals on so many levels...The charming illustrations and brilliant musical recordings provide the perfect sensory stimuli, while the text illuminates every question a child might have about the experience in the most natural and satisfying way.”. –Dorothy Lawson, artistic director, Ethel String Quartet. (Dorothy Lawson). "An introduction to one of the greatest of all classical works that quite wondrously includes not just words and pictures, but some of the music itself.
Reviews
"It provides great beginner information in a way kids understand and makes it interactive."
"I was surprised by how good the sound is, and that each instrument plays a different part of the piece."
"We read this before bedtime and the music (altho short clips) helps slow her down and lull her to sleep."
"It’s funny and silly with the mice, and also teaches about classical music- and I love that you can then hear what they are explaining with the sound buttons."
"Even though this book is a bit mature for our 2 year old, he loves pressing the buttons and saying the instrument names."
"Wonderful book!"
"I do like the book for my little one."
"Best first music book ever!"
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