“A symphony is no joke.” Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
And he’s not wrong! A symphony is a large-scale, mostly multi-movement cyclical form, that is mainly composed for a large instrumental ensemble, a Symphony Orchestra. The symphony is without a doubt one of the highest forms of instrumental music, and can be found among the works of the greatest composers from the 18th century onwards. Browse our sheet music and scores, and explore all the wonderful symphonies on offer today!
The word symphony is derived from the Greek expression “sym-fónós”, the harmony of several tones at the same time. The father of the symphony is without a doubt Joseph Haydn, who composed a total of 104 symphonies. Mozart then took up the baton, and Beethoven added more and more instruments to enrich the texture. In the classical period, a symphony is usually a four-movement work that uses sonata form in the outer movements. The middle movements are usually made up of a slow movement and a dance movement, a minuet or scherzo.
Over time, new elements began to be introduced to the symphony. The first major development came with Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. With the Ode to Joy Beethoven introduces the choir and soloists to the symphony for the first time. In the romantic period, the formal structure of the symphony gradually loosens, the number of movements changes, and the instrumentation is expanded. One of the high points in the development of the symphony, as it moves into the classical modern period, is the large and complex symphonic works of Gustav Mahler, whose symphonies can include several hundred players and singers.
In contemporary music of the 20th and 21st centuries, various drum and electronic instrument ensembles began to appear in the symphony, such as in the works of Philip Glass. In principle, there are no set rules for modern symphonies, and it is up to the composer which approach to composition he chooses to employ.
A Symphony-Cantata after Texts from the Holy Scriptures
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: 3 soloists (SST), mixed choir (SATB), orchestra, organ
Piano reduction (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 695978
New Edition
for: 2 solo voices (SBar), mixed choir (SATB), orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 176271
Symphony-Cantata
Breitkopf Urtext Edition
for: 3 soloists (SST), mixed choir (SATB), orchestra, organ
Piano reduction (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 229353
Sinfonie-Kantate für drei Solostimmen (SST), gemischten Chor (SSAATB) und Orchester
Klavierauszug XL im Großdruck
for: 3 soloists (SST), mixed choir (SSAATB), orchestra, organ
Piano reduction (XL format, Urtext edition)
Item no.: 681541
for: school orchestra
Book
Item no.: 327667
"La Poule"
Urtext of the Haydn Complete Edition
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 460612
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 1198873
Eine Bestandsaufnahme
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 325962
aus dem Largo der Sinfonie Nr. 9 "Aus der neuen Welt"op. 95
for: gemischter Chor (SATB) und Klavier (Orgel)
Choir score
Item no.: 655826
Book
Item no.: 771078
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 325340
Symphonies de Beethoven Nos. 5-7
EMB New Liszt Edition II. 'B'
for: Piano
Music score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 197488
Recent Researches in the Music of the Classical Era 17
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (anthology)
Item no.: 208206
Revised Edition 1981
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (spiral binding)
Item no.: 128674
Essays from the Eulenburg Scores
for: Symphonic orchestra
Book
Item no.: 223904
Cambridge Music Handbooks
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 980086
Cambridge Music Handbooks
Book (Hardcover)
Item no.: 771154
Analysis, Reception and Cultural Politics
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 980428
Sinfonien 1 und 2 mit kritischem Bericht
Beethoven Gesamtausgabe Abteilung I Band 1
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (with critical report)
Item no.: 303609
A Study in Musical Semiotics
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 979979
From the beginnings to 1945. A preliminary survey
Book (Hardcover)
Item no.: 662803
The Nineteenth-Century American Symphonic Enterprise
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 873671
Studies in Musical Genesis, Structure, and Interpretation
Book (Hardcover)
Item no.: 768952
Studies in Musical Genesis, Structure, and Interpretation
Book (Hardcover)
Item no.: 870705
G-Dur KV 45a
for: Chamber orchestra
Score
Item no.: 499773
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 557154
for: 2 Violins, viola, oboe, horn
Music score
Item no.: 769815
Studien zur Wertungsforschung 52/ 2011
Book
Item no.: 604817
for: Symphonic orchestra
9 Study scores, 9 CDs
Item no.: 768269
A guide to the development of the symphony through the 18th and 19th centuries
for: Instrument [voice]
Book
Item no.: 1192864
Studies in Musical Genesis, Structure, and Interpretation
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 768961
First versions
EMB New Liszt Edition Supplement 'A'
for: Piano
Music score (Hardcover, Urtext edition)
Item no.: 851049
Cambridge Music Handbooks
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 771157
Book (Hardcover)
Item no.: 766478
for: Chamber orchestra
Score
Item no.: 1551079
In Full Score
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 164106
Revidierte Ausgabe nach der Neuen Gesamtausgabe
Russische Musik der Moderne
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 108879
Russische Musik der Moderne
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 108881
Symphony cantata
for: 3 soloists (SST), mixed choir (SSAATB), orchestra, organ
Piano reduction (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 279250
Reprint of the definitive Vienna Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde edition
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 207841
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 666051
Revised Edition
Russische Musik der Moderne
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 108872
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 116464
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 289320
Russische Musik der Moderne
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 108871
"Eroica"
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 159979
Das Jahr 1905
Russische Musik der Moderne
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 108870
für Soli. Chor und Orchester
for: 3 soloists (SST), mixed choir (SATB), orchestra, organ
Piano reduction
Item no.: 359619
Second Version with two Clarinets
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 116466
in Full Score
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 217458
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