# What is a study score? Is it different from a regular score?



## qfcbv (Jan 22, 2021)

Amazingly, my search engine somehow doesn't have any relevant results for what a study score is.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

qfcbv said:


> Amazingly, my search engine somehow doesn't have any relevant results for what a study score is.


AFAIK- The difference is in size...a full conductor's score is large, will lay flat on the conductor's stand, and be legible from a distance. It's also large enough to incorporate markings and cues added by the conductor.
A study score can be small, even a pocket size...the student, listener, etc, can simply follow along, size is not critical....
As far as content, accuracy of the music itself, the two should be identical


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Heck148 said:


> AFAIK- The difference is in size...a full conductor's score is large, will lay flat on the conductor's stand, and be legible from a distance. It's also large enough to incorporate markings and cues added by the conductor.
> A study score can be small, even a pocket size...the student, listener, etc, can simply follow along, size is not critical....
> As far as content, accuracy of the music itself, the two should be identical


Thanks for the explanation. That was informative and concise - just the way I like it.


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## Guest002 (Feb 19, 2020)

Just to throw in that you will also find 'urtext editions' of scores. These are attempts to get the most scholarly, complete and composer-intended versions. They don't just take what has previously been printed, complete with typographical errors, but try to go back to manuscript sources, etc, weigh up conflicting changes (and perhaps give alternative readings in the one score, where it's otherwise impossible to decide which one is 'right').

So you can get study scores (for private study; often small/pocket-sized as Heck148 mentioned). And then you can get scholarly, 'urtext' editions, which are also for study (in the sense that they will probably not be sensible to conduct/perform from), which may or may not be called 'study scores'.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

I laughed my way through a rehearsal of Khachaturian's Spartacus suite no. 2 right before the pandemic while this bozo of a conductor tried to use the pocket score. He was too cheap to buy a full size edition. He had to hold the thing down with his left hand and every time he did try to cue or do something the score of course closed up and then he was lost. Plus, it was so small, the printing so tiny and so far away he couldn't really read it anyway. Too bad we had to cancel the concert - it would have been worth it to see how he managed.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

mbhaub said:


> I laughed my way through a rehearsal of Khachaturian's Spartacus suite no. 2 right before the pandemic while this bozo of a conductor tried to use the pocket score. He was too cheap to buy a full size edition. He had to hold the thing down with his left hand....


LOL!! Gawd, what a dork!! It must have been a hoot....


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## qfcbv (Jan 22, 2021)

Heck148 said:


> LOL!! Gawd, what a dork!! It must have been a hoot....


What if he was just too cheap? I mean, musicians don't earn that much money....


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

qfcbv said:


> What if he was just too cheap? I mean, musicians don't earn that much money....


If you're going to do a job, you need the right equipment....whatever the cost.


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