“Music... can name the unnameable and convey the unfathomable.” Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
Leonard Bernstein was an American conductor, composer, pianist, pedagogue, and musical educator. Browse our sheet music and scores, and explore all his ground-breaking works with Stretta Music today!
Bernstein studied music at Harvard and conducting with Sergei Koussevitzky at Tanglewood. His international conducting career got off to a quick start, when he jumped-in for Bruno Walter to conduct the New York Philharmonic. In the following years, he not only became music director of the New York Philharmonic, but he was also the first American to be guest conductor for numerous orchestras in Europe and around the world, including Vienna, London, Berlin, Boston, Prague, Israel, and many more.
His last concerts in 1989 and 1990 were of great importance. On Christmas Day 1989, just a few weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall, he conducted one of the most impactful performances of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. He made a small, yet decisive change to Schiller’s text in the finale, “Ode to Joy”, the chorus and soloists sang “Freedom”, instead of “Joy”, which was a strong political statement. He also conducted the same work in June 1990, at the final concert of the Prague Spring Festival, only six months after the fall of the communist regime in former Czechoslovakia. Both concerts are still considered symbols of new found freedom, and have had a lasting impact on music history to this day.
Leonard Bernstein quickly recognized the power of the new, emerging medium, television. From as early as the 1950s, he brought music education programmes for both young and old to people’s living rooms all around America. His most popular series was the ’Young People’s Concerts with the New York Philharmonic’, which enjoyed 53 episodes. Bernstein was also instrumental in popularising modern American classical music, and he regularly performed works by Aaron Copland and many other American composers.
Bernstein was a polystylist who used elements of both classical and popular music, whichever served him best at any particular moment. His compositions often have a tonal basis, a pronounced irregular or off-beat rhythm, and creative, unusual instrumentation. He often uses several languages in his vocal compositions, most commonly English, Latin and Hebrew. He made a huge impact on American musical theatre, and his West Side Story is one of the most successful musicals of all time. Bernstein’s Three Symphonies, Sacred Music by Bernstein and Bernstein’s Chamber Music are also important additions to performance repertoire around the world today.
for: Piano
Music score, online media
Item no.: 862913
for: Big band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 897083
for: Cello
Music score, Playback-CD
Item no.: 602697
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 491883
for: Horn (F/E-flat), piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 276386
for: Voice, piano
Single edition
Item no.: 277143
for: Mixed Choir and Ensemble
Piano reduction
Item no.: 136238
Benedictus
for: Mixed Choir or 7 Soloists [SSATTBB] a Cappella, Percussion ad lib.
Choir score
Item no.: 1670475
Selection (easy)
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 339086
A Cycle of American Poems
for: 6 Singers and Orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 631500
Transcribed from the Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Book
Item no.: 861743
French and Latin Choruses
for: Mixed Choir or 7 Soloists [SSMezTTBB] a Cappella, Percussion ad lib
Choir score
Item no.: 198631
for: Voice, piano [guitar/keyboard]
Single edition
Item no.: 660499
für 6 Posaunen
for: 6 trombones
Score, Parts
Item no.: 174207
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Book, CD
Item no.: 633066
for: Marching band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1003989
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 155055
for: Symphonic orchestra
Piano score
Item no.: 671179
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 631638
for: Flexible ensemble (5 voices); drums ad lib.
Score, Parts
Item no.: 665141
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1211578
for: Marching band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1212388
for: String orchestra
Score
Item no.: 949006
for: Flute Quintet
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1191294
for: Flute, Keyboard
Instrumental Solo & Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612075
from West Side Story
for: Flute, piano
Music score
Item no.: 753535
from West Side Story
for: Flute, piano
Music score
Item no.: 744635
for: Libretto
Lyrics
Item no.: 133964
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 604134
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score, Playback-CD
Item no.: 631637
from West Side Story
for: String Orchestra, Percussion and Piano
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1212120
for: Piano
Piano Duet
Item no.: 1612634
Arr. John Glenesk Mortimer
for: Brass band
Sheet music
Item no.: 594165
A Concert Overture
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 327732
for: Concert band
Set of parts
Item no.: 680699
from West Side Story
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 730329
for: Piano
Piano Duet
Item no.: 1612725
for: Voice, piano
Music score
Item no.: 206324
for: Flute, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 1701662
A Cycle of Five Kid Songs
for: Voice (medium/low), piano
Music score
Item no.: 603220
for: Soloist, Mixed Choir [SATB] and Orchestra
Choir score
Item no.: 198648
for: Cello, orchestra
Score
Item no.: 167895
for: String Orchestra, Percussion and Piano
Score
Item no.: 1211521
Symphony No. 1
for: Voice (mezzo-soprano), orchestra
Score
Item no.: 610950
for: Marching band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1003802
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 798382
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 675098
for: Mixed Choir [SATB] and Piano, CD or Instruments
Choir score
Item no.: 162757