Music and Arts Librarian
Here are a few suggestions for finding scores.
It is helpful to understand music publishing, so consult that guide, as well as the overview for general tips on searching and browsing.
Library Catalogs
Start with ours, and then move to WorldCat or a large music library with a good catalog. Library catalogs will often give a thorough description and analysis of the score for reprints, changes, etc.
- OCLC FirstSearch
Results in WorldCat can sometimes be overwhelming. Try this older version of the database as an alternative.
Note: Online versions of scores that we subscribe to are included in the library catalog, but you can also search this database directly:
- Music Online: Classical Scores Library This link opens in a new window
Full, study, piano, and vocal musical scores, of both classic and contemporary pieces.
Public Domain Scores Online
There are increasingly a ton of scores online. Some advice/warnings:
- Proceed with caution. This is the internet.
- While anything you find can be used for study, double-check all copyright and permissions before doing any type of performance. Copyright laws vary across the World and the U.S. laws are very restrictive.
- Be prepared to sort through a ton of 19th century printings that are essentially the same.
- IMSLP
Heed all their copyright warnings. The only reason they don't get shut down is because of how well it is moderated.
- HathiTrust Digital Library
The library half of the GoogleBooks partnership. For scores, search "Catalog" and click "Full-View Only" to limit your results. Unfortunately we are not currently HathiTrust partners, so we can only view and not download items. (Hopefully changing soon!)
Retailers: Music in Print
There are plenty of decent online music shops, but these tend to have the largest catalogs and best data.
- Music Shop Europe
Extensive database of the major European presses with sample pages, good bibliographic data, and a relatively robust stock.
- Sheet Music Plus
The Amazon of sheet music, carries the largest inventory in the United States. Database is not always up to date with latest ISMN numbers, and search engine tends to sort by popularity, so extra keywords are a must to keep all the "100 Favorite Classics for Piano" from being your top result.
- Theodore Front
Primarily serves libraries, so has an extensive database of scores, and helpful ways to search, browse, and filter. Does not keep a large inventory, however, so not for a quick purchase.
- Zinfonia
Primarily used as a way to facilitate rentals and requires a free account to search. Very useful for quickly seeing what is available and the current publisher.