Scores every composer should have

[Mike_Worth]

I agree, for aleatoric, Lutoslawski (specifically, Sym. 3) is a great example. Plus, it's notated in standard notation (unlike Penderecki, who invented his notation), so you can achieve the same effects for a studio session without having to explain new notation.

I have to say, I also love scoring that is a) cinematic/narrative, and b) really clean and clear with the foreground/middleground/background. Right now, I'm saturating myself with the following three categories:

1. The Russians. Tchaikovsky (esp. the Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty full ballets, and Sym. 4 and 5). Rimsky-Korsakov (Especially after reading his orchestration manual). Early Stravinsky (Firebird and Petrouchka). Dvorak's 9th. Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet suites.

2. Film scores. John Williams. Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Superman. I'm also transcribing cues from Jerry Goldsmith's Star Trek, and Danny Elfman's Spiderman. Incidentally, I highly recommend you all try that. Transcribing an orchestral cue by ear is (IMHO) the single best way to learn orchestration. You're basically reverse engineering doublings and orchestral balance.

3. For the lighter stuff, Mendellsohn's Midsummer Night's Dream, and the Hebrides Overture. Really brilliant light writing for strings and winds.

I think those are fantastic scores to get into your collection and walk through.

Mike

[diligamus]

I have five:

Beethoven -- Symphonies 5 6 7
Schubert -- Symphonies 4 5 8 9
Elgar -- Enigma Variations and P&C Marches
Elgar -- Symphonies 1 2
Elgar -- Dream of Gerontius

I have CDs to match so I can hear what they sound like.

[JohnG]

and all stolen. we can't be musicians and steal the music

[Garritan]

and all stolen. we can't be musicians and steal the music

JohnG

The topic is "Scores every composer should have" and people are discussing what composers here have in their reference library.

What exactly is stolen? Music in people's private collections? Famous composers copying other people's works? Perhaps there is a misunderstanding. Please clarify.

Gary Garritan

[snorlax]

Hindemith:
MATHIS DER MALER
SYMPHONIC METAMORPHOSES

Hanson:
SYMPHONY #2 "ROMANTIC"

RAVEL:
LE TOMBEAU DE COUPERIN

Those'll keep me busy for a while!

[Ashermusic]

Ravel's "Daphnis and Chloe."

Ravel is the grandfather of modern "sauce-making" orchestration that the Hollywood sound is built upon.

[NormJ]

How about "Black and Tan" by the Duke, "Six Flats Unfurnished" by Benny, "Artistry in Rhythm" by Stan Kenton, "Boogie Woogie" by Tommy Dorsey, "Moonlight Sonata" or "Tschaikovsky's Piano Concerto" by Glenn Miller. Marvelous scores, all of them! Oops, wrong forum!?

[talisman]

For an interesting approach to aleatoric stuff check John Adams shaker loops.
It's essentially a notated version of what you could do with Ableton Live. It's written for 7 solo string and the conductor shapes the performance in real-time. It's a modualr score with no definite length. Lutosalwski is good as well because it goes back forth from standard notation to aleatoric stuff. You might also want to try and get your hands on some electro-acoustic. The difference being they are not instruction based but concept based meaning yu have to interpret the graphical images into sound.

John

[HorNet505]

hello there,
my first post so far :-)
I wanted to add one great work:
"PENDERECKIs - Passio et mors Domini nostri Iesu Christi"
Besides, the modern notation style is a great experience and shows you
non-linear, free-timed scoring.

NO I am not religious. I once got it from the library for taking a look on vocals. WOW this work is a treasure for young film composers like me.

I made a lot of marks and found it very interesting that already great composers studied it. I found sounds of MATRIX (right in the beginning with cluster buildings in brass) in it.

THE SHADOW (Goldsmith) with flute gliss @ No.IV +5 bars.
E.Goldenthals microtunings right behind it, followed by
ALIENS (J.Horner) in the Tbn+Tb

EVENT HORIZON (M.Kamen) + ALIENS (J.Horner) heared @ No.V ff. in the brass section.

BRAM STOKERS DRACULA (W.Kilar) @ No.XII (Psalm a capella)

MATRIX (Don Davis) again on No.XIII + aprox.13bars in great building cluster scoring


I had the privilege to copy a big score (Din A3) which was published @ Moeck Verlag, Celle (Germany)


cheers
S

[peter269]

I have several hundred scores in my library, but in time I've learned to group them so that I have a reference set for how to score a song orchestrally. For this group (in the order they floated up to my brain):

Tschaikovsky - Nutcracker Suite
Bizet - Carmen Suites 1 and 2, L'Arlesienne Suites 1 and 2
Mahler - Songs of a Wayfarer
Bach - St. Matthews Passion (for small ensemble plus choir)
John Williams - Raiders March, Across the Stars, Sayuri's Theme, Hymn to the Fallen, Original Star Wars Suites (especially Princess Leia's Theme), Superman theme

BY LISTENING FROM CD or LEGAL MP3
Jerry Goldsmith - Voyager Theme, Air Force 1, Powder, ST: Next Generation
Miklos Rozsa - Ivanhoe

Not all of these will be AABA or verse chorus. Some are A, some are AB, some are ABA.