Later Symphonies (Nos. 35-41) in Full Score Review

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(More customer reviews)As a musicology student on a budget, I've acquired quite a few Dover scores over the last years. They may be slightly antiquated in many cases, but there's simply no one who can match their prices.

This edition is from Breitkopf & Härtel's late 19th century edition of Mozart's complete works, which means that a lot of the archaic notation practices that existed in Mozart's time have been updated, allowing for a very easy to read product (The only C clef in use is in the viola). The font used is a bit heavy for my tastes, but by no means difficult to read. The print is of top notch quality; Dover Publication can be a little hit and miss when it comes to this, but this book has no notable printing flaws. The paper is of a high enough quality to withstand heavy handed rubber use.

The only minus I can think of right away is that there are no numbered bars, and that the instrumental organization of a movement is only mentioned on the first page of the movement; you have to keep track yourself after that. The first point is slightly annoying, the second one I don't really care about. These two points combined, however, force me to remove one star. Of course, this doesn't mean that it's not a top notch product in it's own right, or that there are better options out there, but there are some minor points that could have been improved without much work.

Since the instruments are only spelled out at the first page of a movement, this means that you won't get a reduced score; all instruments are written out all the time, even if they don't play anything. This makes the book slightly longer, but in my opinion, it actually makes the score a bit easier to read. Besides, it makes sure that you always have plenty of free space to write on, as opposed to some reduced scores that tends to get very cramped (you can find a couple of exceptions: pages where three separate lines of music have been added rather than two. You can probably count the instances of this on your fingers, though). A big point for anyone interested in analysis.

Bottom line: For this price, there's no better edition. It's a shame that Dover didn't take some few measures to improve it, because my fifth star could have been had for a very small price...

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Product Description:
This affordable collection includes Mozart's seven final symphonies (Nos. 35-41) including the great composer's greatest orchestral work-the last 3 symphonies. Reprinted from the authoritative and acclaimed Breitkopf & Härtel edition.

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Complete String Quartets Review

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(More customer reviews)The reader from St Louis should be told that Mozart was still a teenager when he wrote most of his quartets.Try the Hoffmiester and the 3 Prussian Quartets.Better still try the Viola Quintets. Nothing prosaic here!

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Breitkopf & Härtel edition. All 23 string quartets plus alternate slow movement to K156. Study score.

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String Quartets, Opp. 20 and 33, Complete Review

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(More customer reviews)As a musicology student on a budget, I've acquired quite a few Dover scores over the last years. They may be old, but there's simply no one who can match their prices.

Dover's concept seems especially suited to string quartets (and other chamber music). While the standardized set up for orchestral scores have changed vastly over the years, string quartets have basically remained unchanged since the conception of the form. The only "challenge", from a modern point of view, is reading the violas alto clef, which anyone interested in string quartets should be acquainted with in any case.

The edition appears to be an enlarged miniature score, making it very comfortable to follow, and leaves plenty of space for writing notes/analyzes etc. It was originally made by Eulenburg, a company known for quality. The print leaves a bit to be desired, however. Some spots on every dozen or so page, the print is light to non-existing. This isn't REALLY that much of a problem, you can still see what is going in all cases, but I think it's fair to reduce a star for this. I've used this book in a class, and it appears that while such flaws were present in every students edition, they seem to appear at random places. Also, being heavy-handed with a rubber can rub off the print, which obviously is a disadvantage if you are planning to use the scores for analytical purposes. These aren't huge deals, but I think it's fair that they subtract one star, especially since these problems were not present in my version of op. 74, 76 and 77.

I would recommend this edition to the people who would want this book are people interested in following along with recording or performances, or people who intend to use it for analytical purposes. Naturally, I wouldn't recommend it for performance. The notes are large enough to be viewed at a distance, but it would require way more page turns than required, and the somewhat haphazard print quality is naturally a much larger problem for a performer than a spectator. I imagine that, apart from previously mentioned trouble spots, it would work well with PhotoScore or similar software, so you could probably make single-instrument scores out of it with relative ease. Everything taken into consideration it is a great product well worth the money, but I can't give a full score on this one; unfortunately this is for reasons that Dover could correct with ease. You did it right with the Op. 74/76/77 score!

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Product Description:
Full scores of Op. 20, Nos. 1-6, and Op. 33 (the "Russian" quartets), Nos. 1-6, in the reliable Eulenburg edition. 12 masterful quartets by the composer who helped define the form include such favorites as the "Joke" and the "Bird" from Op. 33.

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Unlocking the Masters Series: Exploring Haydn - A Listener's Guide to Music's Boldest Innovator - Book/CD Review

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(More customer reviews)Exploring Haydn: A Listener's Guide To Music's Boldest Innovator is a book and music CD set that introduces the reader to the life and works of Haydn. An astonishingly creative genius, Hayden invented the string quartet as it is known today, earned the title of "The Father of the Symphony", and mentored the renowned Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Author David Hurwitz guides the reader through a brief tour of Haydn's life, a close discussion of Haydn's instrumental music including first movements, slow movements, minuets, scherzos, and finales, and a topical view of Haydn's art and works. Two full-length Naxos CDs, filled with more than two and a half hours of beautiful music keyed to pieces described in the text, allow the reader to experience Hayden's music firsthand. Highly recommended for lay readers, novice music scholars, and anyone seeking a greater understanding and appreciation of Haydn's monumental legacy.

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No composer has ever achieved the amazing progression that Haydn has. He invented the string quartet as we know it today, became "the Father of the Symphony," and founded the greatest school in the history of music. His life was one of ceaseless experimentation and invention, of problems surmounted and challenges met.In this book, No. 6 in the Amadeus Press Unlocking the Masters series, David Hurwitz acquaints readers with Haydn's innovative melodic creativity, his revolutionary use of musical form, and important characteristics of his personal style, including his genius for writing in minor keys and creating comedy in his music. In addition to Haydn's principal instrumental works, Hurwitz explores Haydn's vocal music and instrumental masterpieces that fall outside the mainstream. Four appendixes list all of his symphonies, string quartets, piano sonatas, and piano trios. Two Universal Records CDs provide over two and a half hours of music keyed to pieces described in the book.

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