All Guides: Music: Media & Scores

Finding print scores in the Macalester Library

You can use our Library of Congress Classification numbers to browse for print scores in our library collection, following some of these most common call number areas. More details can be found in the Library of Congress Classification outline for M, but this is a good place to start.

M5-1480 Instrumental music scores
M5 Collections
M6-175.5 One solo instrument (piano is M22, for example)
M176 Motion picture music
M176.5 Radio and television music
M177-990 Two or more solo instruments
M1000-1075 Orchestra
M1100-1160 String orchestra
M1200-1270 Band
M1350-1366 Other ensembles
M1375-1420 Instrumental music for children
M1470-1480 Aleatory music. Electronic music. Mixed media

M1495-2199 Vocal music
M1495 Collections
M1497-1998 Secular vocal music
M1497 Collections
M1500-1527.8 Dramatic music
M1528-1529.5 Two or more solo voices
M1530-1609 Choruses
M1611-1624.8 One solo voice
M1625-1626 Recitations with music
M1627-1853 Folk, national and ethnic music
M1900-1985 Songs of specific groups or on specific topics
M1990-1998 Secular vocal music for children
M1999-2199 Sacred vocal music
M1999 Collections
M2000-2007 Dramatic music
M2010-2017.6 Choral services, etc.
M2018-2019.5 Two or more solo voices
M2020-2101.5 Choruses
M2102-2114.8 One solo voice
M2115-2146 Hymnals. Hymn collections
M2147-2188 Liturgy and ritual
M2190-2196 Sacred vocal music for children
M2198-2199 Popular religious and devotional music

MT170-810 Instrumental techniques (for study)
MT179-258 Keyboard instruments
MT259-338 Stringed instruments. Bowed stringed instruments
MT339-533 Wind instruments
MT539-654 Plucked instruments
MT655-725 Percussion and other instruments
MT728-735 Ensembles
MT737 Motion picture accompanying
MT740-810 Instrumental techniques for children

MT820-915 Singing and vocal technique (for study)
MT898-915 Vocal techniques for children

Scores

Music Online: African American Music Reference This link opens in a new window
Text content from various publishers. Includes encyclopedias, scores, manuscripts, biographies, chronologies, sheet music, cover art, lyrics, liner notes, songs, and discographies. Use the content = scores limiter to highlight resources containing scores.
Music Online: Classical Scores Library This link opens in a new window
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.

International Music Score Library Project/Petrucchi Music Library
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The ultimate goal of the IMSLP is to gather all public domain music scores, in addition to the music scores of all contemporary composers (or their estates) who wish to release them to the public free of charge. However, another main goal of IMSLP is to facilitate the exchange of musical ideas outside of compositions: for example, the analysis of a particular piece of music.
Library of Congress: Notated Music
"The Library of Congress has one of the largest collections of notated music in the world with over 22 million items. These include popular sheet music, instrumental and vocal music, scores and parts, and original manuscripts from composers of all eras."
Aperio: The Public Domain Song Anthology
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"Aperio, the University of Virginia’s open access press, and the Music Library Association are pleased to announce a joint publication: The Public Domain Song Anthology by David Berger and Chuck Israels. This collection of 348 songs with modern and traditional harmonization is available for all to use and is free of copyright restrictions. The original songs and the anthology itself are in the public domain, which allows the material to be studied, performed, adapted, and shared without constraint."

Media

Jazz Music Library This link opens in a new window Collection of online jazz, including both historical and contemporary musicians and covering thousands of artists, ensembles, albums and genres.
Music Online This link opens in a new window Allows one to search across all of the music databases published by Alexander Street Press, including: African American Music Reference, American Song, Classical Music Library, Contemporary World Music, Dance in Video, World Music Online, Opera in Video and more.
Music Online: American Music This link opens in a new window Songs covering all eras of American history from the Revolutionary War to twentieth-century anti-war protests; extensive liner notes included
Music Online: Classical Music Library This link opens in a new window This resource includes recordings of music written from the earliest times (eg Gregorian Chant) to the present, including many contemporary composers. Repertoire ranges from vocal and choral music, to chamber, orchestral, solo instrumental, and opera.
Music Online: Contemporary World Music This link opens in a new window Access to music across many genres, both contemporary (ex. reggae, Arab swing and Jazz, worldbeat, Bollywood) and traditional (ex. Indian classical, klezmer, zydeco, gospel, gagaku).

Library of Congress: National Jukebox "The Library of Congress presents the National Jukebox, which makes historical sound recordings available to the public free of charge. The Jukebox includes recordings from the extraordinary collections of the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation and other contributing libraries and archives. Recordings in the Jukebox were issued on record labels now owned by Sony Music Entertainment, which has granted the Library of Congress a gratis license to stream acoustical recordings."
Smithsonian Music: Listen "Listen to thematic playlists from Smithsonian Folkways and podcasts featuring a wide variety of musical genres."
Classical MPR "Schedules and program information for Minnesota Public Radio's classical music stations."

Music Online: Opera in Video This link opens in a new window Some of the most important opera performances captured on video through staged productions, interviews, and documentaries.
Dance Online: Dance in Video This link opens in a new window Online videos of dance productions and documentaries by the most influential performers and companies of the 20th century. The collection covers: ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, experimental, and improvisational dance, as well as forerunners of the forms and the pioneers of modern concert dance.
Ambrose Video This link opens in a new window Access over 800 Educational videos in this collection including timely science and history topics. Videos include The Neuroscience of Addiction Extended Interviews, Behavioral Science, AP Human Geography, Great Directors, Great Authors of the British Isles and Great Irish Authors, and the BBC Shakespeare Plays.

Music and Dance on Films on Demand Content from PBS and other documentary producers highlighting music and dance content.
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Kanopy: Music Video streaming service offering films from independent and specialty producers, with a focus on documentary films. Videos and clips can be embedded into Moodle.

OntheBoards.tv This link opens in a new window Filmed works of top caliber contemporary performance artists. Collaboratively edited with the artists.

TED Talks: Music TED Talks are short videos from expert speakers with subtitles in 100+ languages. Ideas free to stream and download.

► Temporary access during COVID-19

The Metropolitan Opera: Nightly Opera Streams
"Each day, a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series is being made available for free streaming on the Met website, with each performance available for a period of 23 hours, from 7:30 p.m. EDT until 6:30 p.m. the following day. The schedule will include outstanding complete performances from the past 14 years of cinema transmissions, starring all of opera’s greatest singers."
Jazz at Lincoln Center
"This portal consolidates access to all of the online activities Jazz at Lincoln Center is offering globally, for free. We hope these programs, concerts, and discussions bring you solace, comfort, and community during this challenging, unprecedented time."

The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra: Concert Library "Experience full-length digital performances. Always free."
New York Philharmonic: NY Phll Plays On Welcome to NY Phil Plays On, a new portal for free digital content to provide comfort and connection to millions of classical music fans worldwide. Many more hours of digital content, including performance footage both past and new, will be released. Keep checking back here for updates.
NPR Music NPR Music features, streams, live concerts and music news.

► Temporary access during COVID-19

Minnesota Opera
At Home With MN Opera: "Minnesota Opera will be here throughout the COVID-19 crisis with regular updates that include music to make you smile, MN Opera news and ways to connect with opera digitally, and fun quizzes, games, and trivia to help pass the time."

YMusic (New!)

YMusic Search Engine
"YMusic is a search engine associated with a music database comprising approximately 39,000 analyzed tracks, a good part of which has an audio link to YouTube and/or Spotify. It covers practically all styles and musical periods until today, which allows interesting comparisons (Bach versus The Beatles, ...)."
About YMusic
How does it work?