Digital music library

Introduction[edit | edit source]

According to Wikipedia, “A music library contains music-related materials for patron use. Collections may also include non-print materials, such as digitized music scores or audio recordings. Use of such materials may be limited to specific patron groups, especially in private academic institutions. Music library print collections include dictionaries and encyclopedias, indexes and directories, printed music, music serials, bibliographies, and other music literature.” (Music library, retrieved 17:21, 9 September 2011 (CEST))

Note: This page never will become an index of download sites and commercial sheet music. It's main purpose is to describe what digital music libraries are and to provide links open and free resources.

See also:

• MIDI

List of repositories[edit | edit source]

MIDI[edit | edit source]

Some of these MIDI files are not suitable for displaying the score in a digital piano as is. Loading it into a music notation software or some other MIDI edit tool and then saving may help ...

Free midi

• ElectroFresh (one of the largest places)
• Cool Midi (one of the largest places)
• musescore.com (related to the MuseScore.org free music editing software). Not many titles, but high quality.
• freemidi.com Software for midi and karaoke and index of midi file sites
• Forum CVP Fichiers MIDI optimisés pour la série CVP de Yamaha.
• mididrumfiles.com (commercial, some free)

... there are many more

Commercial

• sheetmusicplus.com (large sheet music vendor, carries some MIDI titles on CD)

Links (indexes)

• MIDI links at Mfiles.co.uk
• Free Music Directory

MIDI search engines

• MusicRobot
• MIDIsite

Consult the MIDI File Search Engines list at notation software.

MusicXML[edit | edit source]

MusicXML is a transport format for music notation that is useful in addition to MIDI since it can include much more information.

Free

• Wikifonia
• MuseScore.com

See the MusicXML Sites list at Recordare for more ...

Free printable Sheet music[edit | edit source]

Music scores can be published in PDF or other printable formats, as well as some kind of source format. Sometimes, MIDI files or audio files with free performances also can be found. Most free music is "classical" music, for obvious copyright reasons. Unfortunatley, not many modern artists agree to free their creations ...

• Wikifonia
  • My favorite place for finding leadsheets (Jazz, Rock)

• MuseScore.com

• IMSLP - International Music Score Library Project (also known as Petrucci Music Library)
  • Best place for classical printable scores (PDF).
  • Some entries also include performances, e.g. as Midi files
  • 43,332 works · 110,441 scores · 3,199 recordings · 6,288 composers · 102 performers
  • Wikipedia entry

• WIMA - The Werner Icking Music Archive (will be merged with IMSLP - decision taken in sept. 2011)
  • The other large archive
  • WIMA used MusiXteX for typesetting

• Mutopia Project
  • Uses the LilyPond typsetting software, scores are also available as PDF or as MIDI
  • 1675 pieces for various genres available.
  • Wikipedia entry

See also: Other sheet music sites (at WIMA)

Recording catalogues[edit | edit source]

• MusicBrainz! is an open music encyclopedia that collects, and makes available to the public, music metadata.

• Musipedia is a search engine for identifying pieces of music. “You can play it on a piano keyboard, whistle it to the computer, simply tap the rhythm on the computer keyboard or use the Parsons code.”

Links and Bibliography[edit | edit source]

• Music library

Lists and portals[edit | edit source]

• Virtual Library of Musicology. “ViFaMusik, the central portal for music and musicology, allows you to access an extensive digital library containing the latest scholarly research and online resources.”

• List of online music databases (Wikipedia)

Institutions[edit | edit source]

• Distributed digital music archives and libraries Lab Univ. McGill.

• OMRAS2 project Online Music Recognition And Searching, or alternatively Ontology-driven Music Retrieval & Annotation Sharing service. Omras2 is a framework for annotating and searching collections of both recorded music and digital score representations such as MIDI. The project is funded by the EPSRC.

Publications[edit | edit source]

• Bainbridge, D., Dewsnip, M. & Witten, I. H. (2005). Searching digital music libraries. Information Processing & Management, 41(1), 41-56. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/1299