LibGuides: Composition: Scores & Parts

Jump to: Find a specific piece of music | Find any piece of music with specific instruments

New Music Online

Browse these websites and get inspired by contemporary composers!

Contemporary Music Score Collection, UCLA Music Library
Nearly 5,000 open access scores from the Contemporary Score Edition series and the Kaleidoscope 2020 Call for Scores.
Score Follower
Videos of contemporary music scores along with accompanying recordings. Also see their sister channel, Incipitsify

Find a specific piece of music

Find Scores and Recordings

In the Allen Library

Open the library catalog.
Search the title and composer's name.
Limit to the format you desire.
Find a result for the piece you need.
Use the location and call number to find the item.

Image: Catalog search with the format limited to Printed Music, and search result showing location and call number.

Online

Can't visit the library? Use our guides to Music Scores Online or Streaming Audio & Video to find online score & recording sites, then search for the piece you need.

Get help

Searching for music can be tricky! If you can't find what you need, ask a librarian for help.

Find any piece with specific instruments

Browse the Shelves

Music in the library is arranged by call numbers, which are assigned to each item based on instrumentation/genre. Browsing the shelves is a great way to discover music if you don't have a specific piece in mind!

Use these call numbers to browse ensemble music in the library:

Call Number	Genre
M6 – M990 M6 – M175 M180 – M299 M300s M400s, M500s... M900s	Solo and chamber ensembles Solos Duets Trios Quartets, quintets...through nonets
M1000 – M1075 M1001 M1005 – M1042	Orchestra Symphonies Concertos
M1100 – M1160 M1101 M1105 – M1142	String orchestra Symphonies Concertos
M1200 – M1270	Band
M1470 – M1473	Chance & electronic music
M1497 – M1998 M1500 – M1508 M1530 – M1610	Secular vocal Operas & musicals Choral
M1999 – M2199 M2000 – M2007 M2010 – M2017 M2020 – M2101	Sacred vocal Oratorios Church services (e.g. Masses) Choral

Use a Repertoire Guide

Repertoire Guide: A list of music for a specific instrument or group. Often describes style, difficulty, or musical features.
Here are a few selected guides in the Allen Library:

Choral Repertoire by Dennis Shrock
Call Number: ML128 C48 S47 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2009
Covers the full canon of Western choral tradition. Contains a general description of each historical era, styles of various countries, composer biographies, and performance annotations of more than 5,000 works.
Daniels' Orchestral Music, 6th ed. by David Daniels, David W. Oertel, David A. Rahbee
Publication Date: 2022
E-book.
The gold standard for orchestral programming. Over 14,000 entries with duration, instrumentation, and composition date. Includes appendices for browsing by ensemble type, instrumentation, duration, composer anniversaries, and more.
String Music in Print by Margaret K. Farish
Call Number: ML128 S9 F22 1973 [Allen reference]
Solo and ensemble music for violin, viola, cello, and double bass. See also the 1984 and 1998 supplements; call numbers begin ML128 S9 F22.
Wind Chamber Music by Barbera Secrist-Schmedes
Call Number: ML128 W5 S43 2002 [Allen reference]
Describes more than 2,500 works for wind chamber ensembles of two to sixteen instruments.

Find more repertoire guides

Browse the Reference shelves by call number:

Call Number	Topic
ML128	Repertoire guides, A-Z by instrument/group, e.g.:
B26	Bassoon
B8	Brass
C4	Chamber
	etc.

Browse the catalog by subject, for example:
Piano music > Bibliography
(Substitute different instruments in your subject search to find more guides.)

Browse the Catalog for Music

If you're not looking for a particular piece, browse the catalog using subjects, for example:
Brass quintets
Flute music
Operas
String quartets

You can find even more subjects in individual catalog records. Find a piece of your desired ensemble/genre, then click on a subject to find more materials with that subject:

How do I choose the right format?

Here are some of the most common formats for printed music:

Score
Shows all instruments

Miniscore/study score
Small version of the full score

Vocal score
Piano and vocal line(s) only

Parts
Individual pieces for each instrument

You can determine the format by looking at the catalog record, in the Subjects or Description section: