Messages from the Ether

Sheet music purchase

I haven't purchased any new scores in quite a while. I finally received the Shostakovich piano pieces from Amazon (24 Preludes and Fugues for Piano, Op. 87 and 24 Preludes for Piano, Op. 34) and heard a review of a recent recording of the Chopin Piano Sonata #2, so I decided to purchase the scores to study. A quick Google search took me to Sheet Music Plus, a site that I believe I've been to before. I finally committed to the Mel Bay edition of the complete Chopin sonatas. When I think of Mel Bay, I think of glossy, 20-page how-to-play-beginning-guitar books, but the publisher is also listed as Koenemann which brought up some favorable comments in Usenet. Also, they appear to be Urtext editions. All for just $10. Nice. The Shostakovich editions are published by DSCH [Wikipedia] of Moscow, with text in Russian and English. His music, I think, is still controlled by family copyright (not really sure how that works internationally), so these should be like getting them from the source.

Based on the search and purchase process, I highly recommend Sheet Music Plus. They rival Amazon in clarity and simplicity of page layout and processing. I hope to soon buy much more music that is beyond my skills!

Chopin: Sonatas (MB.800172)
  - Ships from our warehouse within 24 hours. 
  - Qty: 1 at $9.95 each, $9.95 total

Dmitri Shostakovich - 24 Preludes and Fugues for Piano, Op. 87 (HL.50484225)
  - Ships from our warehouse within 24 hours. 
  - Qty: 1 at $32.50 each, $32.50 total

Dmitri Shostakovich - 24 Preludes for Piano, Op. 34 (HL.50484224)
  - Lead time before shipment - 4 to 6 business days. 
  - Qty: 1 at $22.50 each, $22.50 total