“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.
for: Chamber orchestra
Score
Item no.: 313083
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 289320
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 141819
textcritical edition of the final version 1910
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 685909
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 154205
Urtext based on the new Complete Edition
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 612622
2Second Version (1878) with the 1880 Finale
Anton Bruckner Gesamtausgabe (Complete edition)
for: Symphonic orchestra
Conductor score
Item no.: 337522
'Haffner Symphony'
Urtext of the New Mozart Edition
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 116522
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 276524
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 214559
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 409803
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 369296
original version 1878
Anton Bruckner Complete Edition
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 409802
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 385491
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 108932
"Resurrection"
New revised edtion based on the Critical Edition of 2010. A separate textbook with historical essays and a critical report in German and English is enclosed
for: 2 soloists (SA), mixed choir (SATB), orchestra
Score (with critical report)
Item no.: 579442
Second Version (1878) with the 1880 Finale
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 409801
for orchestra
New Edition of the Complete Works (NBE)
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 196857
Symphony cantata MWV A 18
for: 3 soloists (SST), mixed choir (SSAATB), orchestra, organ
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 1641236
(Urtext)
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 558778
2. Fassung 1877
Anton Bruckner Gesamtausgabe (Complete edition)
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 409798
Book
Item no.: 173321
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 683416
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 409804
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 164106
Urtext based on the Leipzig Mendelssohn Complete Edition
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 364090
Urtext based on the new Complete Edition (G. Henle Verlag)
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 565554
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 282795
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 304760
Critical Edition of the Orchestral Music, Volume 1
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Hardcover)
Item no.: 157262
Urtext based on the new Complete Edition
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 487064
for: 2 voices (SB), string orchestra, latin percussion
Study score
Item no.: 108834
9 Volumes in a Slipcase
for: Symphonic orchestra
9 Study scores (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 695842
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 282584
Second Version with two Clarinets
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 116466
A text-critical edition “based on the sources” of this work which was first published by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1885
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 177713
Urtext based on the new Complete Edition
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 374531
“From the New World”
Revised new edition of score and orchestral parts
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 186850
for: Symphonic orchestra
Conductor score
Item no.: 487840
In memory of Dmitri Shostakovich
Russische Musik der Moderne
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 659839
"Prague Symphony"
Urtext of the New Mozart Edition
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 116504
for: 4 soloists (SATB), mixed choir (SATB), orchestra
Piano reduction (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 205427
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 391771
Score
Item no.: 430029
New Critical Edition from the Internationalen Gustav Mahler Gesellschaft, Vienna
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 342119
"The Surprise"
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 280725
"Jupiter Symphony"
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 116448
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 1640578