Music at the BPL: Scores

A guide to the Music Department at the Boston Public Library's Central Library in Copley Square, including resources and suggestions for searching our collections.

Score Formats

Full score: complete composition with each part displayed on separate staff

Miniature score (study score, pocket score): size reduction of a full score for study purposes

Condensed score (particella): principal instrumental parts printed usually two to four staves to provide basic melodies and harmony, with instrumentation shown by exact indications within staves

Score and parts: contains score and all parts issued together

Piano reduction (piano score): full orchestration reduced for keyboard with a separate staff for the soloist; also an orchestra score reduced to a piano version

Vocal score (piano vocal score, organ vocal score): separate lines for vocal soloist and chorus with reduced instrumental accompaniment

Chorus score: choral parts displayed with no accompaniment or accompaniment reduced for keyboard

Close score: used for vocal music, puts all vocal parts on two staves

Online Scores

Classical Scores Library This link opens in a new window
Contains 400,000 pages of classical scores from both in-copyright and public domain editions. The major composers output is represented, as well as many lesser known composers and works.

Choral Public Domain
More than 12,000 public domain choral score pages.

Hoopla Streaming Media This link opens in a new window
There are some scores and music instruction books included within the ebooks collection.

International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
Thousands of public domain scores for free.
Sheet Music Websites
List of free sheet music sites compiled by Yale University Library.
The Morgan Library & Museum -- Music Manuscripts Online
Works by J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Fauré, Haydn, Liszt, Mahler, Massenet, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Puccini, Schubert, and Schumann, among many others, can be viewed on these pages.
Music Library Digital Scores Collection -- University of Washington
Contains manuscript musical scores dating from the 17th through 19th centuries. The majority of the collection is comprised of 17th and 18th century operas, opera excerpts, and other vocal music.

Locating Manuscripts

RISM International Inventory of Musical Sources This link opens in a new window
RISM International Inventory of Musical Sources after 1600 is an annotated index and guide to music manuscripts produced after 1600, containing more than 564,000 records by over 19,500 composers into one database which can be easily searched. The manuscripts are found in over 740 libraries and archives in 31 countries. Coverage: after 1600 (mainly 1600-1850)

Scores at the BPL

Scores in our Research Collection can be borrowed for in-house use from the Book Delivery Desk on the 2nd floor of the McKim building. We also have scores available to take home from our open shelves on the 2nd floor of the Boylston Street building and from each of the branches. Check our catalog for availability.

Classical Scores Library can be accessed anywhere with a valid BPL library card!

Selected Bibliography

Collected Editions, Historical Series and Sets, and Monuments of Music by George R. Hill; Norris L. Stephens
Call Number: MUSIC ML113 .H55 1997, In Library Use Only
Handbook of Music and Music Literature in Sets and Series by Sydney R. Charles
Call Number: MUSIC ML113 .C45, In Library Use Only
Historical Sets, Collected Editions, and Monuments of Music by Anna H. Heyer
Call Number: MUSIC REF ML113 .H52 1980, In Library Use Only