‘Night on the Bare Mountain’ by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881) is a musical depiction of a witches sabbath on an exposed mountain. It is renowned for its orgiastic and supernatural atmosphere as a group of witches, demons and spirits gather for a night of chaos and revelry. Its pictorial nature has made our many versions a popular choice amongst 8notes members looking for something spooky to play, especially around Halloween.
And if the piece is wild, so too is the story of its composition…
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It is the dance the scandalised the 19th century, a high-kicking, skirt-flipping whirlwind of legs, laughter and naughtiness. Nowadays considered a joyous staple of French culture, in its heyday the dance caused quite the social stir, even leading to attempts to suppress it. Here then is its flamboyant history and that of the music that made it so popular. Continue reading...
Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker of 1892 is the third of his major ballets, the others being Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. It is set at Christmas and tells the story of young Clara, who embarks on a magical adventure with a nutcracker doll, a type of wooden figurine often painted to resemble a soldier. Though not considered a great success after its first performance, it eventually became one of the composer’s most popular works, iconic movements such as the March of the Toy Soldiers, Waltz of the Flowers and Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy being amongst our most popular sheet music here on 8notes.
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Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) wrote some of our most popular pieces here on 8notes, including Morning Mood, In the Hall of the Mountain King and Death of Åse. Whilst these pieces are often performed alone, they are actually all from one work, a set of incidental music for performances of Henrik Ibsen’s play, Peer Gynt. Grieg later turned these pieces into two suites, known as Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 and Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55. Nowadays these are among the composer’s most beloved works. Continue reading...
Alongside The Entertainer, Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag stands as his most well-known composition and one of the outstanding pieces of ragtime music by any composer. Its fame can be attributed to its innovative style and the quality of its melodic writing, features that led to commercial success and to the piece exerting a huge influence on composers that followed and in culture more broadly. Here then is the full story of one of our most searched-for pieces here on 8notes (over 20 versions of Maple Leaf Rag Sheet music here). Continue reading...
If you’re looking for string quartet sheet music, we have a huge collection here at 8notes, most with both score and individual parts, including at beginner , easy, intermediate and advanced levels. You’ll also find classic works, such as Albinoni’s Adagio, Pachelbel’s Canon, Elgar’s Nimrod arranged for the ensemble (see a list of the most popular string quartet sheet music, here ).
But what if you’re searching for classical string quartets? There’s a huge range of these type of works to choose from, so it’s hard to know where to start. Here then is our guide to the most suitable works from this genre for easy and intermediate players.
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Faure’s Pavane of 1887 is a short orchestral work based on a Spanish courtly dance of the same name. Its unforgettable main melody has made it one of the composer’s most popular pieces, a status it certainly enjoys here on 8notes (we have more than 70 versions of the Pavane to choose from so you should be able to find the sheet music for your instrument or ensemble). Here's the full story, including the hidden meaning of this elegant classic of nineteenth century French music. Continue reading...
Nowadays Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake stands as one of the most beloved and performed works in the ballet repertoire. It’s certainly popular amongst our members, with movements from it being amongst the most visited pages here on 8notes (see below for a list of some the best parts with links to sheet music). Its start was, however, a rocky one, with a difficult premiere and a stuttering first run before a triumphant revival after the composer’s death. Here is the full story. Continue reading...
If you are looking for one of the most rousing pieces of all time, a good place to start is Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture (and we have versions for 30 instruments and ensembles to choose from). Written to celebrate the Russian victory over Napoleon in 1812, it ends in a satisfying blaze of brass, cannon fire and bells. Whilst its effect is undeniable the piece has, however, had its issues and controversies over the years—Tchaikovsky was famously dismissive of it, the first performance was not nearly so rousing as intended and its bombast has made it the subject of both criticism and parody. Continue reading...
The beating heart of almost all orchestral music, the violin is also the quintessential solo instrument, with many composers down the years writing brilliant concertos for it. Whilst there are a great many to choose from, however, we wondered what the absolute cream of the crop might be. Here, then is our definite list, which links to both the full works and easy extracts from the pieces, allowing players not quite ready for the full concerto experience to enjoy these masterpieces. Continue reading...
