Book Description

Customer Reviews (10)

Good Edition
Obviously there is nothing to say about the Beethoven sonatas. Simply amazing.

This edition has given us 1-15 in a very reasonably priced book. The binding is sturdy, and I have put it through some strain, trying to make it stay open. It will stay open, if you will work with the binding. But the binding seems to have no problem standing up to the strain I have put on it. Highly recommended.

Awesome Edition For the Cheap Price
I'm a piano major in college and I know several people who own this edition and have in soem cases for years and they're all still in very good condition for their age. Surprisingly, it holds up well over time and the pieces are excellently presented...I've never heard any editing complaints.

I myself own the Henley Urtext edition of the volume 2, but own teh Dover for the volume 1. If you're strapped for cash in your music shopping *which I have been many times*, this is a great choice!

Most bang for the buck
I might be biased because I almost exclusively buy Dover editions of piano music, but the LVB Sonata volumes are one of the better ones.

Firstly, it's clear that you can't Dover on value. It'd cost more to photocopy the entire book than to buy it. I like the binding of the books, as they are well-made.I do have some trouble keeping the pages open in the thicker books (esp. the Scriabin Etudes book), but I can't complain.

Secondly, the notes are printed as a good size, and notation/fingering is good. I like Heinrich Schenker's notation and commentary, and I feel that it's very helpful for the amateur pianist for suggestions.There are some fingerings that I don't necessarily agree with, but it's unobstrusive enough to not bother me. I'd rather have some suggestion than none at all.

For Beethoven Sonatas, Dover is a good choice, unless you'd prefer Henle Urtext, which is at least 2x or 3x the price of this. I would avoid the Schirmer editions, as they butcher the markings.

Has stood the test of time
As the other reviewers have noted, this book is printed with very high quality and attention to detail.I've owned mine for almost 20 years -- over that time, it has the the most-used and best-wearing piano book I've owned.As others have noted, it also lies flat, the print is very clear, and it's a total bargain.

Great edition
To be quite honest, perhaps I would give it a 4.5 star rather than 5 stars. First off, I'd like to praise the accuracy this volume presents. Though, it isn't an Urtext edition, but I've compared some to an Urtext and surprise, surprise, even the pedaling isn't much deterred from one. Also, it isn't heavily edited, and to me, the little editing that it has, actually is helpful. Now on to the reason why I subtracted a .5 star off is because though the fingerings are there, but some of them are quite horrible and if anything, complicated the flow of the piece, that, if one isn't attentive to the piece might just ruin it. The worst is, a mere change of fingering can probably correct the problem. So my advice is to have your teacher check the fingerings and make corrections. Of course, those kind of mistakes aren't abundant, but here I should give an example of bad fingering for Sonata no.17 "Tempest". When one plays the triplets, instead of playing along what the book suggests, just play all triplets with your right hand and have your left hand cross over. This alternative fingering isn't a secret, many people know it and find it better. I wonder why doesn't the book at least give alternative fingerings?

But it is jaw-breakingly cheap and accurate. If I were to make a choice to buy it again, I certainly would.

By the way, I find all Dover bindings to be on the horrible side. This book, along with my many other Dover scores are already broken in half (hey, it's like having two books with a price of one! I kid, it's like a book broken in half that's not supposed to be.) So just be prepared to see this great Dover edition break... and you can't do anything about it. ... Read more

Book Description
How hard is it to move 5 legless pianos 39 times?
Beethoven owned five legless pianos and composed great works on the floor. His first apartment was in the center of Vienna's theater district... but he forgot to pay rent, so he had to move. (And it's very hard to move a piano. Even harder to move five). Beethoven's next apartment was in a dangerous part of town... so he moved, and the pianos followed on a series of pulleys. Then came an apartment with a view of the Danube (but he made too much noise and the neighbors complained), followed by an attic apartment (where he made even MORE of a rukus), and so Beethoven moved again and again. Each time, pianos were bought, left behind, transported on pulleys, slides, and by movers, all so that gifted Beethoven could compose great works of music for the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Bravo!
This book begins with a musical score in Beethoven's own hand. The end papers are an actual photograph of Beethoven's working manuscript for the Grosse Fuge in B flat major, Op. 134.

Jonah Winter recounts the story of Beethoven's pianos and the thirty-nine apartments where he lived in Vienna. So often children's "non-fiction" blurs the line between fact and speculation. Not so in this book. Winter clearly identifies what is fact and what is conjecture and does so with great humor.

Diaries, eviction notices, physical evidence and piano movers' notes are used as a basis for the story he tells. Why did Ludwig change apartments so frequently? Well, there is some evidence to suggest the neighbors complained. As Beethoven moves from place to place, Winter chronicles the music that was composed there. An author's note at the end gives additional information about his deafness and the amazing fact that he composed his magnificent Ninth Symphony after he had completely lost his hearing.

Barry Blitt's illustrations lift the story to a new level. We first see Beethoven as a baby crying in Gothic letters, "wha wha wha WHA." He accurately and humorously depicts the difficulties and incredible logistics involved in moving pianos to the new apartments, over rooftops, through windows and through walls. The composer's effect on his neighbors is depicted in a cross-section where we see the neighbors living above, below and next door to him reacting to the noise coming from his apartment in the middle. Babies cry, dogs bark and people pound on the floor, ceiling and walls as Beethoven plays.

This book is a must have for music teachers, piano teachers and students of music. What a treat!

So Much Fun
What a great and witty book.Great for K-2 Music Teachers.Excellent.

A very different kind of story youngsters will relish.
It's hard to easily categorize this: based on a little-known fact about Beethoven's habit of moving frequently, it offers up a fun story of how he not only moved, but moved all five of his pianos from place to place. The hilarious tale of and why he moved, followed by all those pianos, creates a very different kind of story youngsters will relish.

39 Facts of Fun
"The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven" is one clever picture book. Jonah Winter structures the story in such a way that you only get the joke at the end. Barry Blitt's illustrations are drop-dead funny, with a cranky Beethoven juxtaposed with beautiful Viennese cityscapes on each page. (As you can tell from the cover illustration, Blitt's Beethoven looks just like the ubiquitous statuette of the great composer that glared down at you during weekly piano lessons.)

"The 39 Apartments of Ludwig von Beethoven" begins with three facts. The first of these is:

"FACT: Ludwig van Beethoven was born in the town of Bonn in the country of Germany in the year 1770."

We then learn that Beethoven composed on five legless pianos and "FACT: Ludwig van Beethoven lived in 39 different apartments--which is of course the subject of our story. (See book title.)"

Then the story begins. Beethoven's move from apartment to apartment is "documented" with complaints from neighbors, what he composed where, and details on how movers transported the five legless pianos. Here's a mover's lament:

"In the diary of one Anselm Schwartz, we find the following translated here into modern English: 'After this move, I'm out of here. That dude is WHACKED in the head! Yow...My back is, like, REALLY messed up!'"

After the first three FACTS of the book, there are only three to follow--two in the story of the moves: "FACT: It is very difficult to move a piano. FACT: It is even more difficult to move five pianos." These two FACTS are self-evident and are easily overlooked amongst the evidence of cotton balls with earwax found in neighbors' apartments.

It's only when you read the last FACT on the final page that you get the joke: "FACT: That's all we know of the 39 apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven." In other words, absolutely nothing--but a good story results nonetheless.

"The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven" is a stunner of a picture book and definitely makes my 2006 favorites list. Read it aloud to a group just for the experience of watching kids get the joke. "The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven" is highly recommended for children ages 5-10.

... Read more

Book Description

Book Description
Presents a biography of Ludwig van Beethoven ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An entertaining juvenile biography of the great Ludwig Van
Mike Venezia's Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers series tends to focus on biographies rather than music appreciation because unlike his companion series on the World's Greatest Artists you cannot include a sonata the way you can a reproduction of a painting.However, for Ludwig Van Beethoven the author/illustrator makes an exception.This volume begins with an appreciation for how Beethoven changed the sound of music (no more party music).Within that context Venezia provides the expected biography, complete with historic ethics and paintings as well as those funny cartoons; just think Beethoven as the Liberace (if you are over 50) or Elton John (if you are under 50) of his day.There is also a photograph of his eyeglasses and metal ear trumpets.However, Venezia only mentions a handful of specific works by Beethoven, touching on how the 3rd symphony represented Napoleon, the four-note theme of the 5th Symphony, and going into some depth on the 6th Pastoral Symphony (but no mention of the glorious 9th Symphony or his other masterworks).Still, I appreciate the attempt to get more into Beethoven's music than he has done in other volumes of this series, which covers not only the great classic composers like Handel and Mozart, but also contemporary composers from Aaron Copland and George Gerswhin to Duke Ellington and the Beatles.As always, the recommendation is for young readers to have listened to some of Beethoven's masterpieces before, during and after reading this engaging juvenile biography and mini-music appreciation lesson. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Mass in C full score
The choral parts are written using soprano, alto, tenor and bass clefs.The measures not numbered. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer. He is generally regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of music, and was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical music. His music and his reputation inspired - and in many cases intimidated - ensuing generations of composers, musicians, and audiences. While primarily known today as a composer, Beethoven was also a celebrated pianist. Born in Bonn, Germany, he moved to Vienna, Austria, in his early twenties and settled there, studying with Joseph Haydn and quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. Despite gradual hearing loss beginning in his twenties, Beethoven continued to produce notable masterpieces throughout his life, even when he was almost totally deaf. Beethoven was also one of the first composers to work freelance - arranging subscription concerts, selling his compositions to publishers, and gaining financial support from a number of wealthy patrons - rather than seek out permanent employment by the church or by an aristocratic court. ... Read more

Book Description
An advanced duet for two piano, four hands by Ludwig van Beethoven. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great purchase
Well set out and easy to read. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Book Description
A collection of advanced piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven, urtext edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

You get what you pay for and this is cheap
I ordered both this and volume II and ended up returning both.The printing was poor and difficult to read--the worst I have seen in any edition of printed music.The music was skewed on the page and parts looked distorted. The paper looked cheap too.Urtext aside, even my Schirmer edition is better, in terms of readability.I not only would never buy these again, I would think twice about buying any Kalmus edition.

For about $50 I bought the Henle edition, which is just beautiful and a pleasure to read.(This is not snobbery but the superior print quality simply improves my ability to learn these pieces.) This is a lifetime investment so it doesn't pay to go cheap.

Beethoven is the man!
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. ... Read more

Book Description
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. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Study Score
You get 5 late Beethoven quartets plus the Grosse Fuge (some of the best chamber music ever written) in one inexpensive volume.Covenient size, although sometimes the 5-systems-per-page layout is a bit crowded. ... Read more

Book Description
A collection of advanced piano solos by Ludwig van Beethoven (Nos. 8-15). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good
It's urtext so it is what it is.It looks like the printer was running low on toner on a couple of pages (notes very difficult to read) but it's just a few notes on a few pages and I was able to darken them in with a pen. ... Read more

Product Description
Score & Sound Masterworks are convenient, compact and value-priced study score/CD packs perfect for classical music enthusiasts and students. Follow along with the score as you listen to some of the world's great music. Discover which instruments are playing and in what combination, and admire the orchestration of a master composer.Publications in this series include an interesting article about the composition and history of the featured piece, a helpful reference addressing transposing instruments, and a glossary of musical terms used in the score.A monument of Western culture, Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C Minor may be the single best-known and recognized piece of classical music ever written. When Beethoven commenced work on his fifth symphony in 1806, his hearing loss was acute. The meaning of the fascinating four-note motive contained in this symphony has been widely debated, but this four-movement work may very well be testament to the composer's struggle and ultimate triumph over fate and adversity. The symphony continues today to reveal its timeless appeal, some two hundred years after its Vienna premiere. ... Read more

Book Description