Ballades: Piano Solo (Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics) Review

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(More customer reviews)This edition of Chopin's Ballades is great. Notes are printed clearly. Fingerings are not confusing. Ballades are quite difficult so this book is suitable for late-intermediate to advanced pianists.

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In this edition, Palmer provides fingering and offers suggestions for the performance of ornaments and other markings as revealed through the study of original sources. The introductory material includes a helpful discussion of ornamentation in Chopin's music.--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Beethoven, Revised Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the second edition of Solomon's biography of Beethoven and it isan improvement in terms of both analysis and lucidity.
The book iswritten from a psychoanalytic point of view that all may not findconvincing.However, the rudiments of Mr. Solomon's analysis, in terms oftracing Beethoven's life problems, his difficulties with women, with peers,and with himself to his childhood experiences probably transcends anyspecific psychological dogma and is insightful.
The book is a biographyrather than an attempt at technical musical analysis.Even so, itelucidates the music well and with an obvious love for it.I found thediscussion of Beethoven's final period works, and of his sometimesneglected vocal writings, particularly good.
The sections on Beethoven'srelationship with Haydn, on his testament written upon the discovery of hisimpending deafnesson the immortal beloved, and on his relationship withhis nephew are all thoughtful and helped me better understandBeethoven.
A wonderful book for anybody who loves this composer or wantsto learn more about why other people love him.

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Softcover edition of this national bestseller!Hailed as a masterpiece for its original interpretations of Beethoven's life and music.This edition takes into account the latest information and literature.Includes a 30-page bibliographical essay, numerous illustrations and a full-color pictorial biography of the composer.

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Preludes (Kalmus Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)This Alfred Complete Preludes edition is very good. It contains a lot of information about the preludes that you can't never find in other edition or not as much as this edition such as introductory or background. The music is well engraved so it can be read easily (important for very complex structure music. The footprints are also helpful and valuable. This is recommend for true musician that they don't perform only the music, but do understanding about music that they play too. The CD is also incredible. It can serve as for practical purpose or listening in your car or anywhere else. Alfred always offer the best quality with the fine price.

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Symphonies Nos. 5, 6 and 7 in Full Score Review

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(More customer reviews)Generally free of errors. Large, readable print and lays flat for study, conducting, or simply for enjoyment. Good for students and professionals alike.

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Superb, authoritative editions (Henry Litolff's Verlag) of great orchestral masterworks: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67; Symphony No. 6 in F Major ("Pastoral"), Op. 68; Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92. Lists of instruments.

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Symphony No. 5 (Dover Miniature Scores) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you want some kind of a score of this piece, you can buy it.
If you need bar numbers, rehearsal letters or reliable text, head for Bärenreiter urtext edition.

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Widely regarded as the most powerful and most popular of the composer's nine symphonies, the fifth represents the thematic unification Beethoven developed during his middle period. Magisterial and much loved, this magnificent work in miniature format appears here in full score with original instrumentation, bar-numbered movements, and ample margins at the bottom of each score page for notes and analysis.

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Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 Pastorale (Schott) Review

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(More customer reviews)An essential score for all serious musicians - one of Beethoven's greatest works, and one that is truly pivotal between classicism and romanticism. This edition is great value for money.

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Preface * I. Pleasant, cheerful feeling aroused on approaching the countryside. Allegro ma non troppo * II. Scene by the brook. Andante molto mosso * III. Happy gathering of villagers. Allegro * IV. Thunder-storm. Allegro * V Shepherd's song. Grateful thanks to the Almighty after the storm. Allegretto

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Sonatas (A Kalmus Classic Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)The scores are generally accurate and I love that it's Urtext and without much editorial suggestions, in fact, there isn't any single writing through out the book, which comes to the reason why it is only three stars: no fingering at all. Other bothersome defects are its bindings (mine's already fallen apart and I've only had it for less than a year.) Also, it doesn't contain the complete sonatas. Lastly, though the scores are generally easy to read, but I did find some faded prints and measures (in fact, a lot of them) that should be spread longer for easy reading are instead squashed together.

I'd buy a more expensive book for better quality instead of this one.

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Product Description:
A collection of advanced Piano solos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Nos. 1-10

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Mozart 21 of His Most Popular Pieces: Alfred Masterwork Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)The Alfred Masterworks Editions are my favorite piano music books. I've been playing the piano for about 20 years, and these are the best series of books I've used. They have very good, clear notations, the arrangements are really well presented and put together, the fingering recommendations are the best I've seen (with the little numbers by the notes), and the biographical information and performance recommendations are a nice touch.

I only wish they had more books in the series.

This Mozart book is a good starter for someone who hasn't played Mozart before, and is looking to get better acquainted with his music.

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Product Description:
Some of Mozart's most popular works are contained in this volume, including the "Fantasia in D Minor," the "Sonata in C Major" (first movement) and the "Turkish March" from the Sonata in A Major. Other selections include intermediate-level transcriptions from operas and orchestral works. Arranged in the order of difficulty, each piece is prefaced by a short description. A biographical sketch of the composer is also provided.

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Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 1-5 Transcribed for Solo Piano Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this book as a result of listening to the performance of it on CD. I have always enjoyed listening to Beethoven, and his symphonies have retained a place on my shelves for years. However, being a pianist, I never had a chance to actually play them. The way Liszt transcribed Beethoven's works onto piano is astounding, as he writes in a very natural way. There are, of course, some details of certain harmonies left out, but the overall impression remains remarkably similar. I look forward to being able to purchase the next book of the series when it is released.

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Memorable tribute from one musical genius to another, reproduced from authoritative editions, reveals Liszt's remarkable capacity for translating orchestral effects into pianistic terms. An astonishing, brilliant and sensitive tribute to the master by the 19th-century's greatest piano virtuoso.

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A Ravel Reader: Correspondence, Articles, Interviews Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a wonderful book - very informative, interesting and enjoyable.As musicians my husband and I are fascinated with this composer, and knowing more about his life enables us to perform his works better.Highly recommended.

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Maurice Ravel played a decisive role in the history of modern French music.Thisreadercaptures the essence of this enigmatic man through his own words, both written and spoken. This compilation of articles by Ravel (who was a brilliant critic) features reviews, interviews, and some 350 letters from Cocteau, Colette, de Falla, Richard Strauss, Stravinsky, and others.

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Sonatas - Book 2: Piano Solo (Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics, Vol. 2) Review

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(More customer reviews)Beethoven's sonatas are wonderful - this goes without saying. But Schirmer editions, particularly of Beethoven and Mozart, epitomize poor scholarship and sloppy editing. As one of my college piano teachers yelled angrily at me, "Never by Schirmer editions. They are a waste of your money."

Hans von Bulow (the editor of the present volume) is notorious for having constantly interfered with the original musical texts, "improving" upon them in various ways: e.g. inserting markings for dynamics, articulation, etc. where they don't belong. It's incredible to me that this edition is still in use.

For a really authoritative edition of the Beethoven sonatas, I would recommend an Urtext edition by Henle or Vienna. If price is an issue, get the Dover edition of the Beethoven sonatas instead: Ludwig Van Beethoven Complete Piano Sonatas Volume 1 (Nos. 1-15)
- it's an older edition, but authoritative, having been scrupulously edited by Heinrich Schenker himself.

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Contents: Sonata, Op. 49, No. 1 * Sonata, Op. 53 * Sonata, Op. 57 * Sonata, Op. 31, No. 3 * Sonata, Op. 49, No. 2 * Sonata, Op. 79 * Sonata in A Flat, Op. 110 * Sonata in C Minor, Op. 111 * Sonata in A, Op. 101 * Sonata in B flat, Op. 106 (Hammerklavier) * Sonata in E flat, Op. 81a * Sonata in E minor, Op. 90 * Sonata in E, Op. 109 * Sonata in F, Op. 54 * Sonata in F#, Op. 78.

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Sonatas, Vol. 1: Nos. 1-15 (Urtext Edition, for Piano) Review

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(More customer reviews)In a snobby music world, where editions like Durand and Henle are too quickly deemed top dog, it's very nice to be able to find an edition like this one for so cheap.It's the urtext, so one has a lot more confidence in this edition than say, the Schirmer edition.(NEVER buy a Beethoven Schirmer if you ever want to play REAL Beethoven!)
Beethoven is always a joy, and the top sonata in this volume is the Pastorale, of course!Get volume 2 if you want to enjoy op. 78 (a favorite) and the Waldstein.

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A collection of advanced piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven, urtext edition.

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Unlocking the Masters Series: Beethoven Symphonies Book/CD (Softcover) Review

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(More customer reviews)I picked this book up on a whim. I've always loved Beethoven's music,but the symphonies, in my opinion, stand out as the greatest of all. This book puts each one of them in its historical and artistic context, allowing you to understand what his music meant to the people of Beethoven's time as well as our own,Young is an amazing writer, as he explains things in a colorful and exceptionally vivid way that does not require any technical knowledge of music (which is totally unlike Charles Rosen's books on classical music, which I plowed through, but which I found way too technical, labored, and turgid). His analyses of the symphonies are really very cogent and easily understandable, but also sharp and intelligent. He doesn't talk down to the reader, or dumb things down, but brings the music to life in words.

Young'schapter on "intonatsiia" is especially fascinating and actually, very useful for the neophytes among us, as it details an approach to listening to music from the inside out. I'd never heard of "intonatsia" until now and it was really a revelation. All in all, this is an absolutely enthralling read that is hard to put down,by an author who I can say is certainly the most engaging, brilliant, and communicativewriter about music since Leonard Bernstein. It comes with a CD, too, with one movement of each symphony excitingly conducted by Wilhelm Furtwangler.

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The latest release in this value rich book/CD series brings us the great German composer who bridged the classical and romantic eras. In Beethoven's Symphonies - A Guided Tour, readers are treated to a detailed nuts-and-bolts description in easy-to-understand English of each of the famous nine Beethoven symphonies. This book is perfect for anyone who wants to read, listen, and learn more about Beethoven (1770-1827), and discover how this musical genius changed the face of orchestral music forever.

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Le Tombeau de Couperin and Other Works for Solo Piano Review

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(More customer reviews)This book contains a great selection of pieces at a more than resonable price. I bought it as a set with Piano Masterpieces of Maurice Ravel also by Dover. (I saw another edition of Ma Mere l'Oye *on it's own* was more than what I paid for this whole book!)Dover editions I have found in the past have great quality.The pages are sewn in so the book will last a lifetime without pages falling or ripping out.
If you're not already impressed by the selection of pieces (I love the 1913 Prelude which I already had a copy of and memorized a while ago), Dover goes even further with this set.It opens with the table of contents and after that it has a complete glossyry of french terms and text used in the music!This I found was quite impressive. Even Dover's other Ravel book doesn't do this.Some of the terms sound enough like English words or Italian musical terms for you to figure it out but it's really great that they gave you it there for you to know for certain.Following that are translations of the wonderful quotes of fairy tales from La Mere and other text that appears in the book.
Before each multi-movement piece it receives it's own cover page followed by an introduction to the piece written by Ronald Herder citing Orenstein's book Ravel: Man and Musician as a primary source.It is really nice to learn a little about the piece before playing it and it's a wonderful inclusion.The music appears to be in chronological order with the three 1913 pieces grouped together under a single cover sheet (sans any introduction).The title piece is well deserving of it as it is a large section of the book with it's 7 movements.The book concludes with Ravel's transcription of La Valse.It is annotated with Ravel's own notes on the orchestra version sometimes including a third ossia staff showing parts of the orchestration unincluded in the transcription.Instruments are named in french and can be translated via the glossary at the front of the book.
The only problem anyone might have with this book is that there are no noted fingerings as far as I've seen.I don't rely on them much myself but I know other people prefer them.If that is an issue, consider still getting this book and consulting someone on parts where you are unsure of the best fingering.Otherwise this is the perfect set!

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Essential pieces for intermediate and advanced pianists, reproduced from authoritative French scores. This superb compilation contains Ma mère l'oye [Mother Goose], Valse nobles et sentimentales, Le tombeau de Couperin: Suite pour piano, and La Valse as well as three shorter pieces: Prèlude, A la manière de Borodin (Valse) and A la manière de Emmanuel Chabrier.

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Complete Sonatas and Fantasies for Solo Piano Review

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(More customer reviews)Pianists beware: the sonatas/fantasies in this book are reprints of the old Breitkopf & Härtel edition, which is not a very "faithful" or "authentic" printing of Mozart's works.Certain markings, like long phrase slurs and use of the word legato, arevery un-Mozartean: they are clearly the work of the editor. Other edits,like appogiaturas written as regular notation, and certain post-trillornaments, may also cause concern among Mozart purists.
Despite thesealterations, this edition -- like all other Dover piano books -- isexcellent for playing. Once you open out the pages and press them intoplace, they won't drift back. The notation is printed clearly; the onlysonata with readability issues is the 9th in D major. The inclusion of two"new" Sonatas (which did not appear in older editions) is aninteresting surprise, but not necessarily a good or bad one.
If youreally can't stand to see Wolfgang's work altered by editors, then avoidthis book and buy an Urtext edition instead. If, on the other hand, yousimply want to play some melodious, intermediate piano music, then go aheadand buy this book -- it's the cheapest one out there. However, you would bewell advised to check out an urtext version just to see where the editingchanges are.

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Authoritative, inexpensive volume contains all 19 sonatas and 4 fantasies, ranging from the relatively easy Sonata in C Major, K. 545 to the profoundly moving Fantasy in D Minor, K. 397. Reprinted from the reliable Breitkopf & Härtel's Complete Works. Indispensable for serious pianists at all levels.

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Moonlight Sonata Opus 27, No. 2(Complete Edition) (A Belwin Classic Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is sheet music.What can you say?It is complete and the printing large enough to read easily and make your own notations.Includes a one-page bio of Beethoven plus background on the piece.If you are considering this one, you might want to get the Arthur Schnabel version.It is essentially the same (same publisher) but with Schnabel's notations, which you can always ignore if you don't like.

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Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata Op. 27, No. 2 is among the most popular andmost frequently performed compositions by any great composer. Reflectingthe depth of Beethoven's musical power, the Moonlight Sonata is one of thebest-loved sonatas Beethoven ever composed. In this Belwin Classic Libraryedition, each page of the music is spaciously laid out, meticulous anduncluttered, with clear, clean engraving. All three movements are included: I. Adagio sostenuto, II. Allegretto, and III. Presto agitato.

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Ludwig Van Beethoven Complete Piano Sonatas Volume 1 (Nos. 1-15) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is an excellent value! For only about 10 bucks you receive over 350 pages of music in a high quality book.It opens flat, and doesn't fall off the piano while you're using it.The binding has not cracked or split,and shows no signs of doing so.I would pay twice as much as I did forthis book.

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Volume 1 of authoritative Schenker edition includes Op. 2, Nos. 1-3; Op. 7; Op. 10, Nos. 1-3; Op. 13; Op. 14, Nos. 1-2; Op. 22; Op. 26; Op. 27, Nos. 1-2; Op. 28.

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