About Open Score Library

Open Score Library is a free directory of 3,313 public domain and openly licensed scores, organised for music teachers: by instrument, composer, era, occasion and approximate level.

Where the music comes from

We do not scan or engrave the scores ourselves. Every edition comes from an open project that publishes its work for anyone to reuse, and each score page links back to the exact source file:

• Mutopia Project — 1,625 scores: newly typeset editions of public domain music, each with a PDF and MIDI file.
• OpenScore Lieder Corpus — 1,447 scores: art songs for voice and piano, transcribed by volunteers and released under CC0.
• OpenScore String Quartets — 179 scores: string quartets from Haydn to the early twentieth century, released under CC0.
• MuseTrainer open library — 62 scores: well-known piano pieces in MusicXML.

What you can do with a score

• Look before you download. Every score page shows the first page of the music.
• Listen. Press Play to hear the piece with a piano sound, and slow it down to practise.
• Transpose and print. Scores that have a MusicXML file open as an interactive score. Choose a new key and print that version.
• Download. PDF for printing, MusicXML for notation software such as MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale or Dorico, and MIDI for playback.
• Save a lesson list. Tap ♥ on any score to add it to your list, then share the list as a link. No account is needed.

Automatically engraved files

Some source editions are published only as MusicXML. For those we produce the PDF, the MIDI file and the on-page preview from the MusicXML with the open-source Verovio engraver. These files are marked on the score page. The notes are the same as the source edition, but spacing and page breaks may differ from a published print.

How levels are estimated

Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced labels are estimates worked out from the notes in each score: how many notes per measure the busiest part has, the share of fast notes, chord thickness, range, length and key signature. They are a starting point for choosing repertoire, not an exam-board grade, so look at the music before assigning it.

Licences

Every score is public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA. The licence is shown on each score page. Public domain and CC0 scores need no credit. For CC BY and CC BY-SA editions, credit the editor named on the page, and share adaptations of BY-SA editions under the same licence. Copyright terms differ between countries, so check your local law for recent composers.

Who pays for it

The library is free, and downloads need no signup. It is funded by tips, an optional supporter pack and a sponsor listing on the homepage. The monthly newsletter is optional; the privacy page explains what we do with your address.

Credits

• Score engraving in the browser and for generated files: Verovio (LGPL).
• Playback sound: Salamander Grand Piano samples by Alexander Holm, CC BY 3.0.

Contact

Found a wrong composer, a bad level estimate or a broken file? Email hello@musicnotesdir.com. Corrections are welcome.