Review (PDF) Symphonies 1 And 2 In Full Score (Dover Music Scores)
Finland's greatest composer and a major figure in the development of Scandinavian music, Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) is admired for his complete mastery of symphonic form. Of the seven symphonies he composed, each differs greatly from the others, for Sibelius rarely approached the symphonic "problem" the same way. Each work seems committed to the thoughts, feelings, and logic of the movement.Sibelius's first two symphonies remain among his most accessible and popular. Of all his symphonic works, perhaps the First Symphony, composed in 1898–99, adheres most to classical form yet reflects the spirit of Nordic nationalism that came to be associated with the composer's music.The Second Symphony, perhaps his most expansive and melodious work in symphonic form, demonstrates Sibelius's increasing command of orchestral form and scoring. These two major works are reprinted here from the definitive full-score editions published by Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig.
Series: Dover Music Scores
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Dover Publications; Reprint edition (November 30, 1993)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0486278867
ISBN-13: 978-0486278865
Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 9.5 x 12.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #114,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #2 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Sibelius #9 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Forms & Genres > Symphonies #11 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Musical Genres > Classical > Chamber Music
For a Dover score, this is standard. You get what you pay for--it's a reprint, which means the quality is only as good as the original was. For a student like me, it works very well as a study score. If you want to be picky, it is a pain to have to remember which line is which instrument (and what key the instruments are in, e.g. Trumpet in F in #1) since the instruments are only given on the first page of each movement (with a few exceptions throughout the score).
Sibelius's first two symphonies are not regarded as being his best but I personally love the first symphony. I wrote a research paper for a music history course relating Symphony 1 and 7. I used this score to analyze the first symphony and enjoyed working with this version of the score. However, I can't find any other version of the score and I would've liked to have found a pocket-sized version of the first symphony only so it would have been cheaper.
This reprint is exactly what you expect from Dover: an acceptable photocopy (yes, that's that Dover scores are) of an old edition of the piece. This said, the score is printed on good quality paper, has a good size to conduct from it, and opens flat on a music desk, and on top the price is really good.
Because this is a reprint of the Breitkopf & Hartel original, the print is exceptionally clear and easy to read. The 12" x 9 1/2" page is perfect for the conductor's stand, and the "Lay Flat Sewn-Binding" is a blessing for the performer. One wishes for several improvements: measure numbers, the identification of the instruments when the full instrumentation appears, and bar lines broken between the winds and brass, as they are above the strings. Also, a brief commentary about the symphonies would be of interest. All in all, this is a beautiful score and a delight to own and study.
Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7 in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) Symphonies 1 and 2 in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Symphonies in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) Symphonies Nos. 6 & 8 in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) Complete Symphonies in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) Paris Symphonies Nos. 82-87 in Full Score (Dover Orchestral Scores) Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) London Symphonies Nos. 93-98 (Dover Music Scores) Requiem Mass and Te Deum in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) Roman Carnival and Other Overtures in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) "Polovtsian Dances" and "In the Steppes of Central Asia" in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) Three Orchestral Works in Full Score: Academic Festival Overture, Tragic Overture and Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn (Dover Music Scores) Serenades Nos. 1 and 2 in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) Le Tombeau de Couperin and Valses Nobles et Sentimentales in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) Pelléas et Mélisande, Op. 80, and Pavane, Op. 50, In Full Score (Dover Music Scores) Holberg Suite and Other Orchestral Works in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) Nelson Mass and Mass in Time of War in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) The Rückert Lieder and Other Orchestral Songs in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) William Tell and Other Overtures in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) Samson et Dalila in Full Score (Dover Music Scores) (French and German Edition)
