“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.
Choral Highlights
for: Mixed Choir [SAB] and Piano
Choir score
Item no.: 892580
Piano Solo Songbook
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 603006
aus dem Musical "West-Side-Story"
for: KLAV PART
Additional part
Item no.: 364787
from West Side Story
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Score
Item no.: 154023
Prüfungsliteratur
for: Voice (medium), piano
Music score
Item no.: 198564
It must be so
for: Mixed Choir [SATB], Solo [S/T] and Piano
Choir score
Item no.: 151544
Quarter Military Band QMB 435
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 1681302
for the 25th Anniversary of the High School of Music and Art, New York City
for: Wind Instruments and Percussion
Score, Parts
Item no.: 905290
from West Side Story
for: String Orchestra, Percussion and Piano
Score
Item no.: 948996
Arranger's Publ Marching Band
for: Marching band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1003956
Prelude
for: Mixed choir a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 1653332
for: 2 trumpets, horn, trombone, tuba (quintet)
Score, Set of parts
Item no.: 648005
For The Inauguration Of J.F. Kennedy
for: Woodwind, Brass and Percussion
Score, Parts
Item no.: 909527
Prüfungsliteratur
for: Tenor saxophone (B-flat), piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 216951
From "West Side Story"
Discovery Plus Band Series – A Series for Developing Bands
for: Youth concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 616931
Ein Medley
Hal Leonard String Orchestra
for: String orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 557346
Soldier's Song
for: Mixed Choir or 7 Soloists [SSATTBB] a Cappella, Percussion ad lib.
Choir score
Item no.: 163395
Second Movement
Teil 2
for: Mixed choir a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 198651
The Masterworks Library
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 268885
Unendliche Vielfalt eines Musikers
Serie Musik
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 180052
Something's Coming / Tonight
for: Treble Choir [SSA] and Piano [CD or Instruments]
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1653011
Music for String Orchestra
for: String orchestra
Score
Item no.: 801483
from Wonderful Town
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 586327
Solo arrangements of 10 songs for horn
Hal Leonard Instrumental Play Along
for: Horn
Music score, Playback-CD
Item no.: 604802
Prüfungsliteratur
for: Trumpet, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 198419
for: Flute, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 216946
Boosey and Hawkes Chamber Music
for: Alto saxophone (E-flat)
Music score
Item no.: 216950
for: Voice
Book
Item no.: 604429
from Prelude, Fugue and Riffs for Solo Clarinet and Jazz Ensemble
for: Clarinet and Piano [Percussion and Double Bass]
Score, Parts
Item no.: 471830
New Sounds for Concert Band
for: Fanfare
Score, Parts
Item no.: 881806
with piano accompaniment for rehearsal only
for: Male choir (TTBB); piano ad lib.
Choir score
Item no.: 686029
Study for the ballet Facsimile
for: Soprano and Piano
Book
Item no.: 462501
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Set of parts
Item no.: 1011881
for: Soloists, mixed choir, orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 1212243
for: Soloists, mixed choir, orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 1211877
for: Male choir
OTHER
Item no.: 1341406
for: 4 saxophones (SATBar)
Book
Item no.: 1211876
for: Wind Band
Score
Item no.: 1212321
Finale
for: Wind Band
Score
Item no.: 1211842
for: Voice, piano
Music score
Item no.: 1212296
for: Horn
Music score
Item no.: 216953
for: Concert band
Set of parts
Item no.: 1212084
for: Voice (medium), piano
Music score
Item no.: 145959
TV, Film, Musical und Show
for: Voice, piano [guitar]
Book
Item no.: 1212262
from Mass
for: Wind Band
Score
Item no.: 900313
Concert Selections for Soloists and Chorus
for: 2 soloists (ST), mixed choir (SATB), chamber orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 566241
Muzika Ensemble Music
for: Flexible Instrumentation
Score, Parts
Item no.: 223236
aus "West Side Story"
for: Piano
Single edition
Item no.: 225171