“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.
"Unfinished"
for: Orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 758186
for: Organ
Music score
Item no.: 1670856
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 315568
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 217326
for: Organ
Music score
Item no.: 1340841
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 140833
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 205424
"Linz Symphony"
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 196606
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 133923
for: Piano
Item no.: 579851
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 432906
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 358987
for: Symphonic orchestra
Harmony parts (complete winds)
Item no.: 296601
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 296594
String Symphony MWV N 7
Urtext based on the Leipzig Mendelssohn Complete Edition
for: String orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 362378
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 666051
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 116467
for: Symphonic orchestra
Gesamtausgabe, Partitur, Urtextausgabe, Sammelband
Item no.: 433397
for: Trumpet, organ
Item no.: 576738
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 658645
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 300427
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 108880
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 621811
Second Version with two Clarinets
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Symphonic orchestra
Harmony parts (complete winds)
Item no.: 377138
for: Symphonic orchestra
Book (critical commentary)
Item no.: 620213
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 282537
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 156214
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 391626
Symphony of a Thousand
for: Solists, boys’ choir, mixed choir, orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 124177
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 349557
Critical Edition of the Orchestral Music, Volume 2
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 176575
for: Symphonic orchestra
4 Study scores (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 215621
2010 Critical Edition by the International Gustav Mahler Society, Vienna
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 562724
“From the New World”
Revised new edition of score and orchestral parts
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 180586
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 217972
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 486834
Eulenburg Miniature Scores
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 391650
for: Voice (soprano), orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 132021
Repertoire Explorer
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 1345087
"Scottish"
for: Orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 726062
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 194644
for: Symphonic orchestra
Set of parts
Item no.: 305078
for: Orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 486577
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 275840
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 154153
with marked and unmarked string parts
for: Violin, viola, piano
Piano reduction, 2 solo parts (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 431809
"Grand Symphony in C major"
Urtext-Edition
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 292335