Are there usable free sources for (symphonic) orchestra scores?
I'm talking about legal sources for pieces that are now in public domain.
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1Some of the works that you may think are in the public domain in the US have had their copyrights retroactively renewed. chronicle.com/article/A-Professors-Fight-Over/127700– TangurenaJun 2, 2011 at 0:25
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1@Tangurena Fortunately I don't have to care about USA copyright laws.– Šimon TóthJun 2, 2011 at 7:54
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5 Answers
from my bookmarks:
- http://www.sheetmusictrade.com/
- http://imslp.org/wiki/
- http://icking-music-archive.org/index.php
- http://www1.cpdl.org/wiki/
- http://www.mfiles.co.uk/sheet-music.htm
http://www.bh2000.net/score/(link dead on 7 Sept 20)- http://www.rowy.net/sheet-music-for-piano.html
- http://www.free-scores.com/index_uk.php
plus in French:
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5IMSLP.org is huge. It has a big list of other music score websites too: imslp.org/wiki/IMSLP:Other_music_score_websites Apr 27, 2011 at 15:31
Don't overlook your local library. I find that university libraries (especially when they have a music program) will have a lot more sheet music than you might think (if your library uses Library of Congress indexing, look under M). Many city public libraries carry orchestral and operatic scores as well (usually at the "main" or "downtown" branch).
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@Let_Me_Be: you are right, they are only for private study purpose. But it can help to decide if you want to use it with your orchestra and look harder for a free source version, invest in commercial material, etc.– ogerardMay 13, 2011 at 18:09
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You don't need to copy them. As a kid with little money, I would borrow one or two at a time, study them for a few weeks, and swap them for others. If I wanted them for longer, I could always renew them as no one else ever requested them.– badjohnSep 8, 2020 at 6:21
To add to @cardian's list:
http://musicaviva.com/fsmd/(link no longer to music site on 7 Sept 20)
Also:
Along the lines of @Tangurena's mention of the local library, you can check things out (pun intended) globally through inter-library loan. Try looking at https://www.worldcat.org/.