Known in short as IMSLP, the International Music Score Library contains over 11,000 musical scores and annotations! This website is formatted as a WIKI page. A WIKI page is a collaborative informational website that stores information in an easily retrievable database. Perhaps the best known WIKI is Wikipedia.
As music is an internationally neutral format, this WIKI is already translateable into over a dozen languages. Also, as with any WIKI, IMSLP has it’s own contributor portal and allows for users to edit, discuss and add to its growing database.
You may browse scores via Composer name, Composer Period, Work Genre and Work period. IMSLP contains works for composers whose works are largely in the public domain. For instance, a quick search for Claude Debussyreveals 51 works that are easily accessible and downloadable from this site. Scores are available in PDF format.
This resource is a “must bookmark” for any serious musician. To think, only 5 or so years ago something like this would have been nearly impossible and now we have over 11,000 scores “at our fingertips”!
Hat tip to Jason Heath for making me re-aware of this tremendous site. In his article, he also writes about another great project: Neue Mozart-Ausgabe: Digitized Version which I’ve spoke of in previous articles… another fine resource!
This is great news! As a future conductor and as a student in conducting class I was excited to hear of this music library which I can access from my own computer. I will definately make use of this great resource. Thanks for bringing it to attention.
Have you heard about CD Sheet music? It is a CD software program that allows you to look at a whole collection of scores and individual parts and then print them if you choose. I have one CD for flute solos. It cost $19.95 and has over 2000 pages of music on it! It would cost me a lot more if I had to buy each of those books individually! Of course I do have to pay for ink and paper if I choose to print out the pieces but so far it has been worth it. Visit cdsheetmusic.com for more info on their product.
[…] Want to know what IMSLP was all about, check out our article here: https://www.mustech.net/2007/08/free-music-score-library-international-music-score-library/ […]
IMSLP is a lifesaver for musicians. Just the other night I was with some freshmen who were asking each other if they had such and such a book of Beethoven or Chopin piano music, and I pointed out that most if not all of it is now available free online at sites such as IMSLP or sheetmusicfox.com. For choral music, cpdl.org is fantastic. It’s like IMSLP, but strictly choral, and it’s also set up in a wiki type format, so you get more details about the works, too. I’ve utilized it a lot for our Chamber Singers group this year.
The Werner-Icking online music archive is great for earlier music. And the complete works of JS Bach (BG edition) are available online in multiple places. The Eastman school also has many digitized scores available free.
There is something nice about having a real book of music in front of you, but these resources have been fantastic for me.