Sheet music is a written or printed representation of music, showing the notes, rhythms, and other musical symbols that make up a piece of music. It is typically written on a staff, which consists of five horizontal lines and four spaces. Each note on the staff corresponds to a particular pitch, and the position of the note indicates its specific note in the musical scale (e.g., A, B, C, etc.).
IMSLP (International Music Score Library Project):
IMSLP is an extensive online library offering free access to thousands of music scores, sheet music, and recordings. It includes works from composers across all periods and styles, with contributions from public domain sources and user uploads.
New York Philharmonic Leon Levy Digital Archives:
The New York Philharmonic Leon Levy Digital Archives is an extensive online repository that provides access to the Philharmonic’s rich history. It features a vast collection of digitized documents, including programs, scores, photographs, and business records, dating back to 1842.
Mutopia Project:
The Mutopia Project offers free, high-quality music scores for classical works in the public domain. Its collection emphasizes clean and editable formats, making it ideal for performers, educators, and arrangers.
ChoralWiki (CPDL - Choral Public Domain Library)
CPDL focuses on choral and vocal music, hosting thousands of free scores ranging from Renaissance polyphony to modern compositions. It’s a go-to resource for choir directors, singers, and vocal music researchers.
MuseScore
MuseScore is both a music notation software and an online platform where users share and access scores across genres. Its library includes user-generated works, arrangements, and transcriptions, catering to musicians of all levels.
Sheet Music Consortium
The Sheet Music Consortium aggregates digitized sheet music from global libraries and institutions. It features an eclectic range of historical and cultural pieces, making it valuable for academic and personal exploration.
8notes
8notes provides free sheet music for a wide variety of instruments, voice, and styles, from classical and traditional to pop and jazz. Its user-friendly layout and educational resources make it accessible to beginners and seasoned musicians alike.
OpenScore
OpenScore is a community-driven project dedicated to digitizing public domain scores for free use. By transforming historical works into editable formats, it empowers musicians to adapt and perform classical music in new and creative ways.
Step 1: Go to the library website: www.library.up.ac.za
Step 2: On the catalogue choose "Everything"
Step 3: Use as many details of what you are looking for eg Composer, opus numbers, type of music (vocal score etc) , instrument, high voice or low voice. Example: Mozart, K 622 clarinet concerto
Step 4: Limit on your left side to the Music Library
Step 5: Limit on the left side to the musical score
Step 6: Enter and get your results
Please remember the prefixes used in sheet music notation
MUSBN: Sheet Music Reference Collection (Library use only)
MUSN: Music Reference Collection (Library use only)
Here are a few tips to ensure accurate results: