Research Guides: Music: Books & scores

Where are they?

Music books, bound journals, scores, and microforms are located on the 3d and 4th levels of the Farber Library. Here's where to locate specific types of items:

Books and bound journals: begin on Farber 3 (including oversize) and continue onto Farber 4
Reference books: Farber 3 (Creative Arts Reference)
Scores: Farber 3
Oversize materials (+ precedes call no.): Oversized ML's and MT's are on Farber 3, oversized Ms are integrated, and ++M's/ML's are in the passageway between Farber 3 and Goldfarb 3
Microforms: Goldfarb 1 (behind the InfoCommons near the CDs)
Unbound periodicals: Farber 3 (Creative Arts periodicals area). Note: many music journals are now electronic only

Creative Arts Librarian

Lisa Zeidenberg

she/her/hers

Contact:

lzeidenb@brandeis.edu

781-736-4697

Subjects: Art, Architecture and Photography, Classics, Film Studies, Music, Theater and Dance

Find books and scores

OneSearch is your first option for locating books, scores, microfilms, journal titles and articles, sound recordings, and videos owned by Brandeis, as well as Web-based resources that are accessible via OneSearch (electronic books and journals, databases, and substantive Web sites selected by Brandeis librarians).

To locate music items, limit your results by Resource Type: Audio, Scores etc..

Library Catalog: Advanced Search
Best to use when you already know what you want--working from citations or a bibliography, or other sources with precise information.

Online scores and sheet music

Digital Music Collections
Outstanding, up-to-date list of links to free digital music collections--maintained by the Loeb Music Library at Harvard University.
Petrucci Music Library (IMSLP)
Canadian Web site sponsored by the International Music Score Library Project and dedicated to creating "a virtual library containing all public domain music scores, as well as scores from composers who are willing to share their music with the world without charge."
Sheet Music Consortium: Sheet Music on the Web
A group of libraries building an open, cross-searchable collection of digitized sheet music, including Duke University, Indiana University, Johns Hopkins University, Library of Congress, Maine Music Box, National Library of Australia, and UCLA, among many others.
Historic American Sheet Music
Comprehensive list of links to online sheet music collections, maintained by Duke University Libraries.

Online scores database

Music Online: Classical Scores Library This link opens in a new window
Series of four volumes containing scores of contemporary and canonical works. The collections encompass all major classical musical genres and time periods from the Middle Ages to the 21st century. Available through at least May 31, 2023, as part of ProQuest's Evidence-Based Acquisition Program.

WorldCat

WorldCat Discovery (OCLC) This link opens in a new window
A combined catalog for libraries around the world. Use it to request material from other libraries, and pick them up at Brandeis Library.

A fundamental resource to use and master for advanced research in music! Regard it as a super catalog.

Make use of the "Format" options for Music recordings or Musical scores to focus your results.
When searching for scores or sound recordings of generic forms of music, use plural instead of singular (quartets, symphonies, masses, motets, etc.)

Library of Congress classifications

Class M Schedule (M, ML, MT)
Library of Congress classification schedule for music.

Browse the virtual shelves of the library (print materials only): browse OneSearch by call no. (choose "By Library of Congress call numbers" from the drop-down menu).

If It's Not at the Library

Is the item you want checked out by someone else? Ask for a recall. .
In a hurry? Get a Boston Library Consortium (BLC) card and borrow the item from a nearby academic library - use WorldCat to find which libraries own the item.
Have a little more time? Request the item from another library through Interlibrary Loan (ILL).