Skip to Main Content

Music: Websites on Music

This guide covers finding music and scores at the OSU Library as well as using audio and scores databases and music research databases

Websites for Music Research and Music Scores

There are many free, and fee-based Web resources on music, online music scores, and some for purchasing and downloading recordings. These sites are not provided by the OSU Library, but are listed to help students and researchers locate addition information on musical topics.

Below are some helpful online resources for the study of music.  Some, but not all, are free resources, though some will link to fee-based or subscription sites.

  • American Musicological Society: offers resources for musicologists including information academic programs in music, sites on different periods, genres, theory, topics, and many other areas of study for music.
  • ClassicalNet features more than 8,200 files including more than 5,600 CD, DVD and Book reviews and over 5,500 links to other classical music web sites.
  • Library of Congress Performing Arts Encyclopedia is a guide to performing arts resources at the Library of Congress, including scores, sheet music, films, and Web resources on topics and collections as well as as articles and biographical material

There are Websites with online, mostly public domain music scores for downloading.  Please note that copyright guidelines for music scores differ from country to country, so not all scores will be found on free Websites.

  • Choral Public Domain Library is a website for choral conductors. Includes thousands of pieces of music which are searchable by voicing, accompaniment, form, and sacred season.
  • IMSLP (International Music Score Library Project) offers music scores, a music blog, and forums for discussing classical music topics.
  • Music for the Nation:  American Sheet Music 1870-1885 on the American Memory Web site from the Library of Congress contains over 47,000 pieces of sheet music registered for copyright during the years 1870 to 1885. Included are popular songs, piano music, sacred and secular choral music, solo instrumental music, method books and instructional materials, and music for band and orchestra.
  • Sheet Music Consortium from UCLA provides tools and services that promote access to and use of online sheet music collections by scholars, students, and the general public.