Patelson’s Music House

And then there was one.
With the closing of Patelson’s, and the Julliard Store’s new-​found monopoly, one must ask if this is truly what we wanted.
The staff at Patelson’s were a bunch of douche bags — make no mistake. But they were ivory tower douche bags, condescending only in their superior knowledge of classical repertoire. After all, you came in looking for the vocal score to Cats. Frankly, I’d roll my eyes too. You were being treated like shit, yes; but is this really the same as being ignored by a high school drop-​out at your local Duane Reade?
You see, Patelson’s didn’t close because of their pretentious staff. That would be like Columbia closing because their teachers are too oppressive on their students. No, Patelson’s closed because the world has changed.
As a pretentious conservatory elitist myself, I’m pained that all we are left with is Colony and sheetmusicplus — both of which shamelessly advertising on their websites the availability of Shrek the Musical songbooks.
While I won’t rant about the move away from print media (as I am a proponent of
and all forms of digital distribution) I am deeply moved by the abandonment of what made Patelson’s special: legitimate classical scores and books accompanied by a staff that intimately understood them.
As a parting, let me offer you this: in my poorest days, I would go to Patelson’s and sift through their unsorted used and tarnished scores hoping to find a gem. It was a special moment, for example, finding the score to the Berg Violin Concerto, immaculate and stuffed in the back, labeled as $ 10. Looking back with today’s understanding of Patelson’s failure, I’m forced to confront the reality that my many special finds were not the work of divine luck but rather a testament to their evolved clientele: a clientele no longer interested in what made their store great; a clientele that only sought the vocal score to Shrek the Musical.
While our online alternatives exist, they cannot offer the kid-​in-​a-​candy-​store feeling I would get from walking in the door to Patelson’s. For this, I truly regret their closing.

they’re CLOSING
maybe they’ve already closed :(
Makes me sad. Very, very sad. Looks like I’m going to Colony. Or good olé Amazon.

Rude staff that ignore you, don’t offer any help, they stand around talking to their friends. They turn you away if you show up within 10 min of closing. Their shelves are not well stocked. They don’t respond to emails for days.
Patelson’s — you suck. Store owners like you are the exact reason that people would rather buy music online. I’d rather pay for shipping than put money in your pocket. A-​holes.

I find the truth somewhere between these reviews. Patelson’s still does have an impressive stock by national standards. If its not out on the shelves (they have limited space) ASK and they might have it in the back. Most everyone is very knowledgeable about versions, editions, etc. and some really make an attempt at being personable and familiar if you are a regular. Its often distressing to find out what is NOT in stock (No Rossini Stabat Mater? Bach Magnificat?!) They will special order but it often takes a while (I STILL get calls about stuff I asked about months ago). The buyer upstairs with the glasses and beard (Joe) is the pretty helpful and if he can’t find it, its out of print.
I have heard from many New Yorkers that Patelson’s is not what it used to be 10 – 20 years ago, that its reliability of stock and customer service has diminished (the clerks lament rising music import costs from Europe), but they have been trying to rejuvenate things; every month now they have a jazz trio playing live music with food and wine (surreal the first time you see it) and the website is redesigned, but its still not what it should be for a store across the street from one of the greatest halls in the world.
UPDATE: I have spoken with a Patelson’s insider… the most recent Mr. Patelson died and so his widow has taken over the store. I am told that her management style is running the store aground and that Patelson’s will probably go out of business in another year. Many customers are complaining that the stock is woefully inadequate and they cannot wait three weeks for a special order. Most business is being referred to other stores or ONLINE (
,
) where music can be shipped in a couple days. Longtime customers will notice that the shelves seem to get thinner and thinner, and that t-​shirts and trinkets are the main stock push now. Really a shame that such a mighty place has fallen so low. (I STILL don’t know what you people are talking about with the «great selection of Classical CDs»…I have NEVER seen CDs on sale here… this is a book and print music store)

Before my review, allow to to preface with a parable:
Location– On our way to a pretentious, arrogant, useless music store (there’s a lot to choose from)
Me: What’s the piece you need anyway?
BFF: My teacher wants me to learn Book I of Well-​Tempered Clavier.
Me: [This place] sucks… I’d better call ahead to make sure they have it
BFF: They’ll have it… won’t they?
Me: –dials phone– Hi, do you have the Well-​Tempered Clavier?
Guy: Ummmmm… hang on?
–5 minutes–
Guy: We have one copy.
Me: Which book?
Guy: …what?
Me: There’s two books… can you tell which one you have?
Guy: Umm… Book One
Me: What edition is that?
Guy: What do you mean?
Me: The publisher?
Guy: Ummm… it says Alfred.
Me: Oh… hang on
–I relay the information to BFF, and we share a laugh–
BFF: Michael, you gotta do something… I know you you’ve got something great to ask.
Me: Is that interpretive or urtext?
Guy: Uhhhhhh… what?
Me: Nevermind. Thanks anyway.
–hang up. more shared laughter–
The point is, Patelson’s is everything the above store is not. Friendly, super-​duper-​knowledgeable, and willing to acquire anything that’s not in stock. Nice prices, neat little store, and some good classical CDs too… I’m not expecting a mad rush of people to head over to Patelson’s but I hope all 3 of my fellow interested Unilocalers will take the time to do so.

Kinda shocking reading Mark H.‘s review of Patelson’s.
I’ve always revered it as «the» place to go for sheet music. Although I stopped playing classical music 8 years ago (hard to practice two to three hours a day while working full-time…and after a while, the ambosure just goes), I still have all my sheet music from Patelson’s and recall my favorite passages quite well from most of these pieces.
A few years ago, I was at a concert at Miller Theater and saw a woman whip out some sheet music to follow along with the pianist (Chopin). When I get to finally retire, I plan to buy sheet music at Patelson’s and follow along as well. Ah, retirement… so far away!

I’m sorry to burst any Patelson’s-lover’s bubble, but this place drives me crazy. Go there only if you have to. What potential, what possibility, and what a let-​down. Don’t be fooled that the store is across the street from Carnegie Hall. What a shame for one of the most important cities on the planet to have such a mediocre classical sheet music store. Fine, the place has a decent stock. But decent is not good enough for NYC, nor is is good enough for me.
Detailed gripes:
1) On my most recent trip to the store, I was looking for 6 items. How many did they have? Zero. (I was looking for scores to: Mendelssohn String Quintet in Bb, Mendlessohn String Quintet in A, Elgar Piano Quintet, Beethoven Serenade for Flute Violin and Viola, and parts/​scores to the Klein String Trio and Arensky Cello Quartet.) I will admit that the Gideon Klein String Trio is obscure, and I gladly accept that it was not in stock. (Nor was there an index card for it, meaning they don’t normally carry it). Arensky, though not even a B-​list composer, wrote this unusual quartet that includes 2 cellos, and any good music store should have the parts for it. But not having scores to the two Mendelssohns or the Beethoven is inexcusable. The Elgar is borderline.
2) When I called first to see if they had this music in stock, a woman answered the phone saying, «Hello, Patelson’s Music?» And when I said I wanted to check and see if they had a particular piece in stock she replied, «Sorry, we’re closed now,» and proceeded to hang up. [Um, why pick up the phone if you’re closed?]
3) I once bought a set of quartet parts (by the Swedish composer Berwald) that came sealed. When I got home, I discovered that inside the 2^nd violin part was actually printed the viola part, leaving me with a 1^st violin part, 2 viola parts, and a cello part. Patelson’s staff, friendly and helpful as usual, said they wouldn’t be able to exchange it to me. An e-​mail to the publisher, Barenreiter, got me a free replacement of the offending part, no questions asked, and expedited shipping from Germany. Thank you Barenreiter, paragon of professionalism.
4) Recent non-​haves: Scores to Brahms Bb Sextet, Brahms c minor quartet, ANY Henle Beethoven Quartets (there are SIXTEEN, let’s not forget…)
That’s it for now. Of course I’ll continue to look for what I need there, because this store is unfortunately the best that we have. (I don’t include Frank Music, whose stock is invariably better, because their prices are ASTRONOMICALLY and RIDICULOUSLY high. [check any of their prices against
, for example. You will soil your pants when you discover you’re sometimes being charged *double*, I kid you not]) Too bad, because Frank Music has potential. I guess if you need something super-​obscure at the last minute, try Frank’s, if you’re willing to clean out your bank account.]) But in the end, I’ll probably return home frustrated and end up ordering something online, for the same price or cheaper, and without having to deal with the unfriendly staff at Patelson’s.
:(
I know this doesn’t help you if you live in NY, but any music store should aspire to Doblinger’s in Vienna, or the store in Amsterdam nex to the Concertgebouw. They have the best stocks of any music store I’ve ever seen, and prices commensurate with other European music stores. (i.e. American editions are more expensive, European editions are usually less expensive, the opposite of what you’d find in the states)

The best place for all things classical. Definately a must see if you have a passion for music, regardless of whether you can play an instrument or not. They have biographies of almost every composer, it’s like a little library. My personal favorite are the many piano scores for Chopin including his preludes, ballades, etudes, nocturnes, etc.

Probably writing for a niche market here (although I was really psyched to see it already had two reviews), but I had to give a shout out to the best classical sheet music store on earth. There is nothing they don’t have (or won’t order), and the staff is freakishly knowlegable. They also have a great selection of books, magazines, and other classical music paraphenalia. One stop shopping for anyone who needs any classical sheet music.

Patelson’s is near Carnegie Hall, and has a ridiculous amount of books on music and musicians and music history; it’s got it all. This is also the probably the most reliable place to find sheet music for classical music. Great selection of classical music cds.