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Music

Music, Copyright & Public Domain

When sheet music is in the public domain, you can freely:

  • record it
  • remix it
  • copy and distribute it
  • perform it in public

The public domain consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights (copyrights) apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. 

Find Print Music Scores in Cabell Library

 Find Music Scores in Cabell Library:

  1. Go to library.vcu.edu and search for the title of the score.
    Limit the results to Material type=Scores
  2. For online scores, limit the results to Show Only=Access Online
  3. For print scores, browse by call number in the Music Scores Section located on
    Cabell Library's 3rd floor.

If you need help locating your score, see any staff member at the service desk on the 1st floor.

Online Music Score and Printed Music Resources

Music Scores in Series and Collected Editions

To determine if a musical work was published in a collected edition or anthology, try the following reference works. 
There are also alternative sources such as song indexes and repertoire resources in VCU Libraries collections.