LibGuides: MSC 242: History and Literature of Music: Scores

Where Should I Begin?

There are several good resources available for locating musical scores.

e-Scores may be accessed in Classical Scores Library, a collection of over 25,000 classical music scores that are copyrighted as well as in the public domain.

For print scores owned by libraries around the world, try searching WorldCat. If you do use WorldCat, you'll need to use the Interlibrary Loan, orTipasa, to obtain the materials.

e-Scores, or scores available full-text, may be accessed in a variety of sources. There are several databases on the web that freely offer scores found in the public domain: Sheet Music Consortium and IMSLP / Petrucci Music Library are two notable collections.

Image source: Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Classical Scores Library This link opens in a new window
Full-text of the most important classical scores and manuscripts: access 18,952 scores and 351,509 pages.
More than 4,600 composers are included, from composers such as Mozart and Tchaikovsky to contemporary artists including Kaija Saariaho, Peter Maxwell Davies, and John Tavener.

Users can access scores, zoom in to examine specific notations and tempo markings, and print scores for class or personal study.

Sheet Music Consortium
University of California, Duke U., Indiana U., and Johns Hopkins—collection of over 67,000 scores in the public domain.
IMSLP / Petrucci Music Library
Free public domain sheet music library—contains over 421,000 scores...

LVC Library Catalog
Print scores owned by Bishop Library. To search for scores only: Run your search first, off to the left, under resource type, choose SCORES.

WorldCat This link opens in a new window
Print scores owned by 77,000 of the world’s libraries. Limit your search to scores: under the Subtype Limit choose ANY FORMAT and pick SCORE. Will require the use of interlibrary loan.