IMSLP Forums

I recommend reading Sonata Forms by the late, great Charles Rosen, which discusses various structures for sonata movements. It contains the great quote: "Sonatas are like chimpanzees."

What is the vocal range (soprano, mezzo, alto, tenor, baritone, bass)? Sopranos would have the least trouble finding arias through the whole history of opera. Other vocal ranges may lack good material at either end of the span.

Is this for performances or are you planning an anthology of scores? If you are planning the latter, you can do well with the scores at IMSLP from the beginnings of opera (Monteverdi, Peri, Caccini, Cavalli) up until you hit the mid 20th century when copyright rules will prevent you from using IMSLP...

Boosey is about to publish the autograph full score of Le sacre du printemps (as well of his 4-hand arrangement of the piece). Am I correct to assume it (the facsimile of the full score itself, minus any added editorial material) will be PD in the USA? If one were to derive parts from the score, wou...

Are you absolutely sure it isn't Liszt's 9th Hungarian Rhapsody, the Carnival in Pest? It is quite difficult, but also longer than 10 pages.

--Sixtus

http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usi ... 244.09.pdf

In the 1st violin part of the piece below there is an "ffmo" for fortissimo. And the contexts in which "poco for" is used either indicate either 1. something louder than what immediately preceded it or 2. the start of what we would normally perform as a crescendo -- the next dyna...

Does anybody know of a piece of music that should be classified as atonal yet contains no dissonance? A perfect 5th at the beginning of a piece is not (yet) tonal and yet is a perfect (non-dissonant) interval. Thus qualifies the opening of Beethoven's 9th as well as of Thus spake Zarathustra (R. St...

I've never been compelled to listen to more Henze from the pieces I've heard "accidentally" (on the radio or in an online stream). Can anybody recommend any symphonic or large-ensemble works of his that bear repeated listening?

--Sixtus

Bruckner Sym 8, Kolner Rundfunk Sym Orch conducted by Otto Klemperer. Mono recording from the 50's that happened to be playing online at Catmusica.cat, the online classical station of Catalunya Radio and one of the better national-network classical stations.

--Sixtus

The 0:24-0:43 piece is an easy ID. It is the theme Britten used in his Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra, namely, to quote Wikipedia, "the Rondeau from Henry Purcell's incidental music to Aphra Behn's Abdelazer." The rest of the music (which is hard to hear) does not come from the Britt...

An quasi-chamber-orch arrangement of Gershwin's American in Paris that gave the sax players even more to do might be interesting (GREAT use of the them in the original). It would even be publishable under Creative Commons here, whereas the original can't, go figure.

--Sixtus

Put another way, if the first 18 measures didn't exist, how would the rest of the 3 hours and 59 minutes be any different? The first 18 measure contain some of the most fundamental melodic motives of the opera, regardless of the harmonies. Take away all the motives contained in the opening measures...

For basic analysis, take a look at the Norton Critical Score of the Tristan Prelude, which also includes the full score to Wagner's concert ending of the prelude. There are several analytical essays in the volume. http://www.amazon.com/Prelude-Transfiguration-Tristan-Isolde-Critical/dp/0393954056/re...

Too bad amateur wind players don't seem to want to tackle the oboe or bassoon any more. Add at least one each of these two instruments and, even without sax players, and you'll have a WEALTH of material to play, dating back to the Baroque.

--Sixtus