Koncocoo

Best Saint-saens

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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Danse Macabre and Other Works for Solo Piano (Dover Music for Piano)
Splendid compilation features a variety of the composer's best piano works, all reproduced from authoritative sources.
Reviews
"Arrived right on time and just as described."
"111 - Six piano studies. - includes "The bells of Las Palmas". Six études pour la main gauche seule, Op. 135 - Six studies for the left hand. This is a decent representation spanning Camille Saint-Saëns' career. Some difficult pieces, but when you've played them enough you too will have what Saint-Saëns calls "l'independance des doigts" .. finger independence. A good collection for the beginner to challenge themselves with or the accomplished pianist to add to their own opus!"
"2: Franz Liszt isn't that great at transcribing this title piece."
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The Carnival of the Animals in Full Score (Dover Music Scores)
Written in 1886 for a Mardi Gras celebration, Saint-Saëns' best-known work consists of 14 pieces scored for flute/piccolo, clarinet, glass harmonica (tuned glass bowls), xylophone, two pianos, and strings.
Reviews
"I eventually just cut out the spine and put each page into a sheet protector and into a binder."
"The score was fine except for some of the printing wasn't as clear as it could be."
"Fun!"
"I'm a pianist and am excited to learn the piano parts with my sister who also plays."
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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 Schumann

Schumann: Album for the Young, Op. 68: Piano Solo (Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics)
(Piano Collection).
Reviews
"Another great edition from Schirmer."
"Good sightreading literature for more skilled pianists."
"This is a wonderful collection, not too hard or easy -- highly recommended."
"These editions are taking up more and more room on my shelf."
"I have been a great fan of Shumann's works for a long time."
"Good paper and printing quality!"
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Best Sibelius

Sibelius 7 Music Notation Essentials (Avid Learning Series)
SIBELIUS 7 MUSIC NOTATION ESSENTIALS provides the most thorough introduction available to the fundamental operations of Sibelius 7 and lays the foundation for continuing studies at the more advanced levels. He was previously Director of Applications and Education at Sibelius Australia.
Reviews
"At the same time, it provides an organized overview of the features of Sibelius 7 that will be enormously valuable to new users and may also be useful to seasoned Sibelius users who want a leg up in exploring and using the new interface that centers around the Ribbon. Here, for example, are the sections of Lesson 1: Amazing Grace. Before You Begin: Copying Course Files to Your Computer. Moving Around the Score. Exploring the Ribbon and the Status Bar. Exploring Playback. Simple Editing. Exploring the Ideas Panel. Exercise 1 Rearranging a Score. Ideas to Get you Started. * Organization: Each Lesson begins with the name of the piece that you work on to learn the elements of Sibelius covered in that lesson. * Bonus: The book doesn't require it, but James has included Appendix A: Elementary Music Theory for those who may be entering the world of music notation for the first time. * Scores: Scores are well-engraved, and the Agent Zero scores provide a taste of James's considerable skills as a composer."
"I've purchased two other Sibelius books (which I liked), but this is the by far the best book for Sibelius 7."
"This is an excellant course for learning Sibelius 7."
"I purchased this for my husband who said, "I would have rated it 5 except it is not a beginner level book as was advertised."
"Sibelius 7 is actually very easy if you learn it well."
"I used Sibelius first so some of the explanations don't apply but overall an excellent book."
"This book will make learning the ins and outs of the computer program so easy!"
"The class refers to page numbers in the physical book."
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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 Stravinsky

The Rite of Spring in Full Score (Dover Music Scores)
Now music lovers can enjoy every note of this brilliant and stirring landmark of twentieth-century music, faithfully reproduced in this inexpensive, high-quality edition — ideal for study and for following both live and recorded performances. The leading composer of his day, Igor Stravinsky experimented with virtually every technique of 20th century music.
Reviews
"This is one of the greatest masterpieces ever written."
"As a composition student, studying this score in particular has given me a lot of inspiration."
"Study score is clean and accurate."
"What a beautiful piece of music."
"Its so nice to see how my timpani part fits in with everything else."
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Best Sondheim

Hat Box: The Collected Lyrics of Stephen Sondheim: A Box Set
In Hat Box , Stephen Sondheim presents his complete collected lyrics from the acclaimed Finishing the Hat and Look, I Made a Hat . Stephen Sondheim has written award-winning music and lyrics for theater, film and television.
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 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 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 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 Mascagni

Cavalleria Rusticana in Full Score (Dover Music Scores)
Mascagni's first produced opera (1890), and ultimately his most successful, Cavalleria Rusticana is a tempestuous drama of adultery and revenge set in a remote Italian village.
Reviews
"This Dover score, like all Dover scores, is very nice."
"I am really impressed with amazon.com as I got this product £5 cheaper than buying it on .co.uk I wonder why?"
"Like always, Dover prints on high quality paper, and binds books in such a way that their products could survive any abuse short of a nuclear blast."
"Like always, Dover prints on high quality paper, and binds books in such a way that their products could survive any abuse short of a nuclear blast."
"Like always, Dover prints on high quality paper, and binds books in such a way that their products could survive any abuse short of a nuclear blast."
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Best Hammerstein

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 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 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 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 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 Schubert

Music by the Masters: Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Grieg, Handel, Haydn, Schubert and more
This consistent top-seller includes 65 works by these famous composers: C. P. E. Bach, J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Grieg, Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Schubert , Schumann and Tchaikovsky.
Reviews
"I'm learning to play the piano and although this isn't a beginner book It will be great when I reach this level."
"Useful collection with nicely selected pieces, although i found some wrong notes, and awkward notations, so not sure of the quality of the edition."
"It's a great book."
"Shipment was extremely fast."
"I learned many pieces from this collection when I was younger and this book has them all."
"Disappointing small book with very little in it."
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Best Strauss, Johann

The Last Waltz: The Strauss Dynasty and Vienna
Captured in a beautiful package, including more than fifty color photographs, The Last Waltz tells the intriguing story of the Viennese Strauss family known for producing some of the best known, best loved music of the nineteenth century. "Very readable ... elegantly prepared with plenty of quality illustrations ... makes a fascinating read about one of the greatest musical dynasties that ever lived. John Suchet puts their personal lives into the context of the politics of the day without missing out on the musical history. Stuffed full of facts, both historical and musical, this is in no way a dry academic tome because John Suchet, as always, spins his enthusiastic way through the drama as if guiding us personally in the footsteps of the protagonists and their times. Importantly, and unlike almost every other contemporary writer in this field, Suchet embraces the fact that the Strauss family's music-making did not end with the death of the 'Waltz King' in 1899, but continued well into the 'swinging sixties' of the 20th century." "Handsomely produced and superbly written… As a former News at Ten anchor [Suchet] knows a thing or two about distilling narratives and crafting pay-off lines. The snippets and anecdotes have been carefully collected and put together in such a way that dipping in and out of the book is easy - highly recommended for anyone wondering what is behind the Blue Danube!"
Reviews
"Vienna outgrew its wall, tore it down, and made it into a boulevard where they placed some of their most important new buildings, like the opera house."
"These family members were the music superstars of the late 19th century, and the fame, trials and tribulations they went through would be the subject of front line news in magazines and papers today."
"I liked the writing style which is part story, part history/biographical and part gossipy....and not in the least bit overly music interpretation."
"It is hard to find a biography about Johann Strauss, Jr. and this one is excellent."
"A must have book for all music lovers and if you've never been to Vienna you really want to after, or even better during, reading this book."
"Great condition, good book (loved the lustrations and pictures)."
"It is a very well research story of the Strauss Family, the musical history of Vienna and Europe during their lifetime and an insight into the private lives of all the members of the Strauss Family."
"Really enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone who loves music and the historical background of Vienna."
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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 Schoenberg

Theory of Harmony: 100TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
A new critical foreword by Walter Frisch, H. Harold Gumm/Harry and Albert von Tilzer Professor of Music at Columbia University, expands this centennial edition. Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951), renowned Austrian and American composer, musical theorist, painter, and teacher of composition, pioneered compositional and critical approaches to atonality that were landmarks in twentieth century musical thought.
Reviews
"A classic text by one of the true masters of the musical craft."
"This book is absolutely amazing, a must have for any music library."
"This is the best music theory book ever written....It is a little dry but it contains everything you will ever need to know about harmony."
"If you take the time to study it properly and reread any sections that seem a bit hazy, it will take you a while to get through it, but your understanding of music and harmony will be incredibly profound. If you want a hardcore study, and want to come to understand things about sound and harmony you would never even guess at; if you want to learn to write music (and not just throw chords together because they sound great) with purpose; if you yearn to understand WHY that one song sounds so incredible, and to learn how to evoke emotions through similar progressions and melody, this is the book for you, and it is worth many times the amount of money requested here."
"I have been writing 4 part harmony exercises as directed by ASchoenberg in this book. Writing out one's own harmony exercises according to Arnold's instructions is KEY, I believe, to getting the real value out of the book. I play jazz piano, in addition to sight read through Bach (currently pieces from his French Suites)."
"The fact that he never read a book on the subject of harmony or even music history might mark him as an ignoramus, but he does admit to looking through several textbooks. He defends the issue of the possibility of a 7th that resolves by rising upwards but fails to show the classic example of it in the opening allegro of the Op. The chapter on rhythm is incorrect because bar lines are necessary to understanding that weak progressions are not to be written over them especially in chorales unless his majesty would like to quibble about that."
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Best Shostakovich

Shostakovich Studies (Cambridge Composer Studies)
The eleven essays lay a foundation for a proper understanding of Shostakovich's musical language as well as providing new insights into the issues surrounding his composition.
Reviews
"_Shostakovich_Studies_ is valuable first and foremost for Richard Taruskin's essay "Public Lies and Unspeakable Truth: Interpreting Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony.""
"This book is indispensable if you are really interested in Shostakovich."
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Best Rimsky

Principles of Orchestration (Dover Books on Music)
This book, therefore, which differs from most other texts on the subject because of its tremendous wealth of musical examples and its systematic arrangement of material according to each constituent of the orchestra, will undoubtedly be of value to any music student. Chapter IV, Composition of the Orchestra, covers different ways of orchestrating the same music; effects that can be achieved with full tutti; tutti in winds, tutti pizzicato, soli in the strings, etc. Immediately following this text are some 330 pages of musical examples drawn from "Sheherazade," the "Antar Symphony," "Capriccio Espagnol," "Sadko," "Ivan the Terrible," "Le Coq d'Or," "Mlada," "The Tsar's Bride," and others of Rimsky-Korsakov's works.
Reviews
"Just started reading it, but was just what I was looking for."
"Explanations of how to orchestrate various groups of musical instruments to create beautiful sounding symphonic arrangements."
"This book is a great and to the point orchestration course book."
"The three stars is only for the "free" Kindle version."
"I don't have any background in music and never studied it but what the author writes here is clear an understandable."
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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 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 Beethoven

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
"Perfect for my return to the piano."
"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."
"Beginner Classical Piano Music: Teach Yourself How to Play Famous Piano Pieces by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven & the Great Composers (Book, Streaming Videos & MP3 Audio)."
"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."
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Best Rossini

The Liturgical Organist, Vol 1: Easy Compositions -- Preludes/Interludes/Postludes for Pipe or Reed Organ with Hammond Registrations
This is the first and easiest book in a 4-book collection of preludes, interludes, and postludes compiled and arranged by Carlo Rossini for performance on pipe, electronic or reed organs, and with Hammond registrations included.
Reviews
"As other reviewers have written, this is easy to sight read and insert pedals where you will."
"I am new at playing for services and don't have time to prepare preludes, postludes, etc."
"Great options for short or longer preludes-postludes."
"I'm a pianist, not an organist, who plays organ for church services because we have such a shortage of musicians, locally; and when I found this book - worn and incomplete - at a yard sale a couple years ago, I picked it up on the cheap."
"I love it."
"I am a part time organist at a church which means months may pass between the times I am called on to play."
"The product was old, but worth the price."
"Arrived on time and as expected."
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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 Strauss, Richard

Rounding Wagner's Mountain: Richard Strauss and Modern German Opera (Cambridge Studies in Opera)
Richard Strauss' fifteen operas, which span the years 1893 to 1941, make up the largest German operatic legacy since Wagner's operas of the nineteenth century. Richard Strauss' fifteen operas make up the largest German operatic legacy since Wagner's operas of the nineteenth century.
Reviews
"To that elite group must now be added Bryan Gilliam’s ROUNDING WAGNER’S MOUNTAIN, RICHARD STRAUSS AND THE MODERN GERMAN OPERA. No other German composer of the time embraced all three, least of all in one work.”. A surprising amount of the source material on Strauss has never been translated into English: Strauss’s youthful letters, his letters to Clemens Kraus and Josef Gregor, for example, so Gillam’s quoting of them, sometimes at length, sheds new light on the subject. Equally valuable (and new) are the results of his own exploration of the Strauss archives and quoting (sometimes for the first time in English, so far as I know), from Strauss’s diaries, his wife Pauline’s diaries, as well as the odd find that any writer prays to uncover, like a memo from Joseph Goebbels admonishing Strauss, “The world is not as you see it from your Garmisch study.”. The discussions of Strauss’s tonal structure of each opera will, obviously, be more meaningful for musicians, but Gilliam’s writing is so clear that anyone can understand the basic points he’s making."
"Calling Strauss a musical atheist, Gilliam points out that Strauss rejected the Wagnerian concept of redemption by love with Salome which ends with the deaths of the "redeemer" and the "redeemee"."
"I have always loved the music of Richard Strauss and have therefore always relied on the scholarship of Bryan Gilliam to interpret and guide me through the works of this complex composer."
"Gilliam's new book is the state of the art account on the operas of Strauss and also perhaps the best book and most concise account of the composers life. I would say that it is the best available book for a reader who really wants to understand Strauss the man as well as Strauss the composer."
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