Editing Sheet music (section)

===Vocal scores===
A ''[[vocal score]]'' (or, more properly, ''piano-vocal score'') is a reduction of the full score of a vocal work (e.g., [[opera]], [[Musical theatre|musical]], [[oratorio]], [[cantata]], etc.) to show the vocal parts (solo and [[Choir|choral]]) on their [[musical staff|staves]] and the orchestral parts in a [[Piano Reduction|piano reduction]] (usually for two hands) underneath the vocal parts; the purely orchestral sections of the score are also reduced for piano. If a portion of the work is ''[[a cappella]]'', a piano reduction of the vocal parts is often added to aid in [[rehearsal]] (this often is the case with ''a cappella'' religious sheet music).

Piano-vocal scores serve as a convenient way for vocal soloists and choristers to learn the music and rehearse separately from the orchestra. The vocal score of a [[Musical theatre|musical]] typically does not include the spoken dialogue, except for cues. Piano-vocal scores are used to provide piano accompaniment for the performance of operas, musicals and oratorios by amateur groups and some small-scale professional groups. This may be done by a single piano player or by two piano players. With some 2000s-era musicals, keyboardists may play [[synthesizer]]s instead of piano.

The related but less common ''choral score'' contains the choral parts with reduced accompaniment.

The comparable ''organ score'' exists as well, usually in association with church music for voices and orchestra, such as arrangements (by later hands) of [[George Frideric Handel|Handel's]] ''[[Messiah (Handel)|Messiah]]''. It is like the piano-vocal score in that it includes staves for the vocal parts and reduces the orchestral parts to be performed by one person. Unlike the vocal score, the organ score is sometimes intended by the arranger to substitute for the orchestra in performance if necessary.

A collection of songs from a given [[Musical theatre|musical]] is usually printed under the label ''vocal selections''. This is different from the vocal score from the same show in that it does not present the complete music, and the piano accompaniment is usually simplified and includes the melody line.