Music Research Guide

Finding Scores in Print

1. Discover@UMSL

The library's main search tool for books, articles, and more, including print music scores.

Search by song title:

Recommended: a general keyword search (as opposed to a "title" search). This approach searches for the song title in the title of the work as well as the "contents" section of the record, allowing you to find individual songs in a larger collection.

1. Type the song title into the search bar. Recommended: place the title in quotations (e.g., "Clair de Lune.")
2. Click Search.
3. Look under the search bar. Under "Limit by Source Type," select Music Scores. You may need to select the "Show More" button to see this option.
4. Click the title to visit the full record. Explore the full list of songs included in the collection next to Content Notes.

Search by composer:

1. Select Advanced Search.
2. Type the composer's name into the search bar.
3. Open the "Select A Field" drop-down menu. Select Author.
4. Click Search.
5. Look under the search bar. Under "Limit by Source Type," select Music Scores. You may need to select the "Show More" button to see this option.

2. Print Catalog

Easier to find just print materials and limit your results by UM System Campus.

Recommended: a general keyword search (as opposed to a "title" search). This approach searches for the song title in the title of the work as well as the "contents" section of the record, allowing you to find individual songs in a larger collection.

1. Type the song title into the search bar. Recommended: place the title in quotations (e.g., "Clair de Lune")
2. Click Find.
3. Limit your results on the right side of the screen. Limit by (a) Library (select "Thomas Jefferson Library") and (b) Format (select "Musical Score"). You may need to select the "More" button to see these options.
4. Click the title to visit the full record. Explore the full list of songs included in the collection in Table of Contents.

Search by composer:

1. Type the composer's name into the search bar.
2. Select "Author" in the drop-down menu to the left of the search bar.
3. Click Find.
4. Limit your results on the right side of the screen. Limit by (a) Library (select "Thomas Jefferson Library") and (b) Format (select "Musical Score"). You may need to select the "More" button to see these options.

3. Browse the Shelf

Music scores live on Level 4 of TJ Library. Search the following call numbers:

M: Music

• M1.A5 - 3.3: Collections
• M5 - 1480: Instrumental music
• M1495 - 2199:  Vocal music

Library of Congress Music classification in more detail.

Finding Scores Online

There are many sites that offer scores/sheet music online. We highlight some significant digital collections/databases below: