“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.
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Item no.: 1702809
Musical-Querschnitt für gemischten Chor und Begleitung
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir part Bass
Item no.: 680903
47 Songs
for: Voice (medium/low), piano
Piano score
Item no.: 580432
Vocal Studio 99
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 1676945
Life is happiness indeed
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 198632
for: Voice (medium), piano
Music score
Item no.: 904187
for: 2 soloists (SBar), Male choir (TTBB), piano
Score
Item no.: 612148
for: Soloist (soprano), narrator, mixed choir (SATB), boys' choir, orchestra
Score
Item no.: 458271
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Score
Item no.: 138085
for: Viola
Book, CD
Item no.: 608647
for: Voice, piano [guitar]
Music score, online audio
Item no.: 643510
10 Songs
for: Soprano and Piano
Book
Item no.: 1667959
from West Side Story
for: Voice, piano [guitar]
Book
Item no.: 416789
Musical-Querschnitt für gemischten Chor und Begleitung
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir part Alto
Item no.: 680902
Musical-Querschnitt für gemischten Chor und Begleitung
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir part Tenor
Item no.: 680904
Vocal Studio 99
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 207166
Bearbeitung aus dem Musical "Peter Pan"
for: Voice, cello, piano
Score, Parts
Item no.: 674378
Young Jazz (Jazz Ensemble)
for: Jazz ensemble
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1212418
from the Musical Candide
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 162408
for: Voice, big band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 586299
for: 2–4 voices, piano
Piano score
Item no.: 580433
for: Violin
Book, CD
Item no.: 602698
aus dem Musical "West-Side-Story"
for: Women's choir (SSAA), piano
Additional part
Item no.: 364789
Solo arrangements of 10 songs with CD accompaniment
for: Flute
Music score, Playback-CD
Item no.: 602695
Jazz Play-Along Volume 92
10 favorite Songs including "Somewhere", "Cool", "Mambo" etc.
for: Voice; piano ad lib.
Music score, Playback-CD
Item no.: 561643
Finale
for: Marching band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 185453
from Mass
for: String orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 897468
for: Clarinet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1613020
for: 2 trumpets (B-flat), horn (F), trombone, tuba
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1107105
for: Youth concert band
Score
Item no.: 471671
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 657300
for: 2 pianos
Ensemble score
Item no.: 578291
for: Tenor saxophone (B-flat)
Music score, Playback-CD
Item no.: 602659
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 131584
for: Voice, piano
Music score
Item no.: 564297
for: Symphonic Band
Score
Item no.: 893608
for: Bassoon, piano
Book
Item no.: 216952
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 366654
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 197668
for: Flexible wind band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 761971
for: Double Bass, Keyboard
Instrumental Solo & Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612211
for: Violin, Keyboard
Instrumental Solo & Accompaniment
Item no.: 1638635
Boosey and Hawkes Quarter Military Band
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 465964
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 863746
Finale aus der Symphonie Nr.1 Jeremiah
for: Mezzo-Soprano and Piano
Book
Item no.: 198566
French Choruses
for: Mixed Choir or 7 Soloists [SSMezTTBB] a Cappella, Percussion ad lib
Choir score
Item no.: 225180
Something's Coming / Tonight
for: Mixed choir (SABar), piano [keyboard]
Choir score
Item no.: 161344
A Wonderful Town
for: Piano/Vocal/Chords
Item no.: 1529628