This collection is especially intended for use by schools, universities, conductors and teachers. ‘String orchestra’ here refers to music of at least 4 parts that includes a contrabass part or that has a bass line that can be played by the contrabass. Concertos with string orchestra are included, as well as string pieces of less common scoring, such as the Pachelbel canon. Major composers represented include Bach, Corelli, Dvorak, Elgar, Grieg, Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Purcell, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky and Vivaldi. Highly contrapuntal music is featured for its mental-musical benefits. Parts are duplex-printable when feasible and letter-sized–but with no or minimal reduction in note-size (each page required individual adjustment!). Unaltered, A4-size pages may benefit from a 2% reduction in size when printing.
Check http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:For_strings for other works, usually not processed by me (JDH).
NB: Strings are often divisi.
All pieces are in the public domain or published with a Creative Commons 3.0 license. Please contact me about any errors, or to comment: johnhoward at alum.swarthmore.edu
The initial 9 titles below link to 9 zipped folders; each folder contains many works and is of large size: 20-32mb. PDF list of all the pieces in these 9 folders: A LIST of Works for String Orchestra (& Contrabass Quintet)
Newly added pieces will appear at the top of the list (but after the initial 9 titles and any REVISIONS–e.g., the 10th-13th items on this list–of any piece whose original is present in one of the 9 zipped folders) .
- ALBINONI to BACH.ZIP
- CHELLERI–FIOCCO.ZIP
- FREDERICK II–KALINNIKOV.ZIP
- INDIVIDUAL pieces string orchestra–other.ZIP
- MANOOKIAN–MENDELSSOHN.ZIP
- MOOR–SCHUMANN.ZIP
- SIBELIUS–TCHAIKOVSKY.ZIP
- TELEMANN–VIVALDI-I.ZIP
- VIVALDI-II–WILSON.ZIP
- BACH ‘Great’ Fugue in g bwv 542 string orchestra PARTS & SCORE Corrections 2017may15
- VIVALDI Concerto for 2 Violins in A minor, RV 522 VN II solo IMPROVED (see 9. above)
- VIVALDI Violin Concerto in a Op3-6 RV 356 (see 9. above)
- GRIEG Holberg Suite Op. 40, PARTS and SCORE (see 3. above)
- MACDOWELL-Herbert To a Wild Rose Strings
- VIVALDI Concerto VN & VC & Strings in Bb RV 547
- VIVALDI Concerto VN VC VC Strings in C RV 561 ALL
- HAYDN, M Concerto in D Trumpet [FL or VN] & Strings & bc-KBD
- TELEMANN VN Concerto in G TWV 51-G4 VN, STRINGS
- SVENDSEN & FAUCONIER 2 Pieces FL VNS VA VC CB
- STAMITZ, A Concerto No 2 in F SOLO VA or VN, Strings SCORE
- STAMITZ, A Concerto No 2 in F SOLO VA or VN, Strings PARTS version 8 August 2014
- VIVALDI Concerto in g minor op6-1 solo VN KBD Strings
- BIBER Serenada A 877a 2 VNS 2 VAS VC-BC Bass Voice
- KREUTZER VN Concerto No. 7 strings, opt oboes horns
- HERBERT, Victor Serenade for Strings SCORE
- HERBERT String Serenade Op12 PARTS
- BRIDGE Suite String Orchestra SCORE & PARTS
- D’AMBROSIO, A. Canzonetta No2 Op28 VN PF or strings
- GRAINGER-Sargeant Molly on the Shore STRINGS & SCORE
- BRAHMS-Hermann Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op.52 STRINGS or QUARTET
- BACH Fugue in D minor from bwv 565 PARTS SCORE
- TARTINI Sinfonia in A C.538 for strings score,parts
- TELEMANN Heldenmusik solo Trumpet or other C treble, and String Orchestra
- BACH Oboe Concerto in d bwv 1059 SCORE, PARTS
- REINECKE Selected Mädchenlieder, Op.88 STRINGS
- SCHUMANN-Svendsen Abendlied aus op85 strings SCORE,PARTS
- PURCELL-Roche Abdelazer Suite for strings & continuo ALL
- GABRIEL-MARIE-Fine Cinquantaine arr str orch
- TELEMANN Concerto in G TWV 52-G3 2 violettas or ‘vas or vns’, strings, bc
- BACH Arioso IN F Cantata 156 arr viola solo, strings or pf ALL
- FOOTE Suite in E string orch PARTS, SCORE
- TELEMANN VIOLA CONCERTO Strings or pf PARTS, SCORE, REALIZATION
- ACCOLAY Violin Concerto in a SCORE, SOLO, 3 VNS, VC
- SERVAIS Souvenir St Petersburg solo vc, strings or pf
- SERVAIS Souvenir de Spa solo vc, strings or pf
- MERK Variations Op.4 solo vc, strings or PF
- BOCCHERINI Cello Concerto No.6 OR 2 in D, G.479 with strings NO SCORE
- MANOOKIAN Album of Concerto Themes for the Junior String Orchestra
- REICHENAUER Cello Concerto in d minor with strings
- REICHENAUER Cello Concerto in D with strings
- COSTANZI-Krug Cello Concerto in D [Haydn] MODERN ED solo VC (no pf)
- COSTANZI Cello Concerto in D [Haydn] ms edition (parts, no score)
- LEO Sinfonia Concertata in C minor SOLO VC vns continuo
- BOCCHERINI Cello Concerto No.4, G.477
- VIVALDI Concerto in b minor op3-10 rv 580 4vns & vc soli, 2vas vc-bc
- Beischer-Matyó Suite Concertante VC solo & strings
- CASELLA Sous L’ombrage Cello and strings
- FRANCHOMME Romance Op 10 VC STRINGS
- VOLKMANN Serenade 3 in D solo cello & strings [CORRECTED]
- HAYDN Adagio for Cello & Strings Symph.13
- SCHUBERT Fugue in e, D 952 arr strings
- FUCHS Serenade 1 Op. 9 str orch SCORE to PRINT
- FUCHS Serenade 1 Op. 9 str orch PARTS
- FUCHS Serenade 1 Op. 9 str orch SCORE for READING
- GOLTERMANN Capriccio, Op.24 CELLO & STRINGS or PIANO
- FUCHS Serenade No. 3 in e minor, string orchestra
- VIVALDI Concerto strings G RV 150
- VIVALDI Concerto [grosso] in d minor op 3-11 RV 565 2vns & vc soli,[ripieno vns] va vc-bc
- VIVALDI Cello Concerto in b minor RV 424 string orchestra
- BENDA Concerto in A violin & strings
- GLAZUNOV Theme Variations string orchestra
- LISZT Angelus Priere aux Anges S163 #1 string orchesrra
- TAUBERT Suite D Dur Streichorchester op. 67