In honor of this month’s featured composer, Leonard Bernstein, we’ve found our favorite Bernstein books on sheetmusicplus.com. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do! Music for Piano, Bernstein’s solo piano compositions Bernstein on Broadway, piano/vocal music from Bernstein’s most popular shows Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, a fantastic arrangement for the more advanced duo
Here’s your chance to own a stellar baby grand piano for less than half the price of a new one! Granted, you could easily mistake this for a brand new piano, but that’s what makes it such a sweet deal! The perfect size for any home, church, or school, this “low mileage” instrument will serve you well for years to come. With a rich, balanced tone that captures the imagination, […]
This stunning instrument has it all, a gorgeous polished cabinet, a crisp singing tone, and take a look inside: this might as well be brand new! You’ll notice some slight fading on the cabinet, but even that has done little to diminish its beauty. Petrof crafts some of the best pianos in the world, and this is a remarkable deal on one of them! A new Petrof of this quality […]
While this doesn’t directly involve piano, we thought it was worth sharing. Mark O’Connor is a renowned American composer and writes jazz, bluegrass, and American classical music, among other things. Often when we think of “classical music” we turn to Vienna and London, but O’Connor spotlights American beauty in much of his music. This video is O’Connor’s “Appalachia Waltz.”
Need music before the 4th? Avoid the wait (and the shipping costs!) now because Sheet Music Plus is offering a great selection of digital print patriotic sheet music! [here] For more Americana, and to focus on this month’s composer, here are some compilations of Stephen Foster’s most famous works! Stephen Foster Songbook Complete Piano Music Immortal Melodies
As one of America’s principal and most influential songwriters, Stephen Foster shares his birthday with that of the nation. Born on 4 July 1826 in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, Foster revealed an early interest in music but received little formal training. Primarily self-taught, Foster displayed an affinity for “Ethiopian” and minstrel songs (he performed in minstrel shows as a boy), yet he also incorporated characteristics of Irish melodies, German songs, […]
Will you become smarter if you play the piano? Does piano study increase the capability of your brain? The question is whether there is a correlation between mastering a musical instrument and one’s brain increasing in potential. It seems that there exists a correlation between early musical training and how strong the connection is between neurons in the brain; and even development of new routes. Studies have shown that there […]
Igor Stravinsky, born June 17, 1882, is a highly celebrated composer and conductor. One of his most famous works, Rite of Spring, premiered 100 years ago and caused quite a riot — literally! On this anniversary of a performance that made history, we would like to honor Stravinsky during his birthday month. Igor Stravinsky was one of music’s truly epochal innovators; no other composer of the twentieth century exerted such […]
Almost no musical work has had such a powerful influence or evoked as much controversy as Igor Stravinsky’s ballet score “The Rite of Spring”. The work’s premiere on May 29, 1913, at the Théatre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, was scandalous. In addition to the outrageous costumes, unusual choreography and bizarre story of pagan sacrifice, Stravinsky’s musical innovations tested the patience of the audience to the fullest. In this edition of Milestones […]
The New York Philharmonic has recently released 520,000 pages of their own musicians’ scores to the public. This digital archive is a brilliant resource that holds parts marked by numerous incredible musicians, including Leonard Bernstein, Gustav Mahler, and Arturo Toscanini. Search the archive for your favorite symphony, concerto, or ballet, and see the expertise of world-class musicians for free! http://archives.nyphil.org/
