The '''International Music Score Library Project''' ('''IMSLP''') is a project for the creation of a virtual library of [[public domain]] [[sheet music|music scores]], based on the [[wiki]] principle. Since its launch on [[February 16]], [[2006]], more than 2,600 works by over 300 composers (as of April 2007) have been uploaded, making it one of the largest public domain music score collections on the web.<ref>http://www.freesheetmusicguide.com/classical.htm</ref>
The library consist mainly of [[image scanner|scans]] of old musical editions out of [[copyright]]. In addition, it admits scores by contemporary composers who wish to share their music with the world by releasing it under a free license like [[Creative Commons]]. One of the main projects of IMSLP (almost completed as of April 2007) is the sorting and uploading of the complete works of [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] in the [[Bach Gesellschaft|Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe]] (1851-1899).<ref>http://www.imslp.org/wiki/Category:Bach%2C_Johann_Sebastian</ref>
IMSLP is officially recommended by the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]],<ref>http://news-libraries.mit.edu/blog/archives/354</ref> which also uses it extensively in some of its [[MIT OpenCourseWare|OpenCourseWare]] courses.<ref>http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Music-and-Theater-Arts/21M-262Fall-2006/Listening/index.htm</ref> It is suggested as a resource by university libraries at [[Manhattan School of Music]]<ref>http://library.msmnyc.edu/screens/freestuff.html</ref>, [[Stanford University]]<ref>http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/music/research_help/outsidelinks.html#sheet</ref>, [[McGill University]]<ref>http://www.mcgill.ca/music-library/collections/links/</ref>, [[Brown University]]<ref>http://dl.lib.brown.edu/gateway/program.php?programid=45&task=internet#32</ref>, [[University of Maryland]]<ref>http://www.lib.umd.edu/PAL/resources.html</ref>, [[University of New Mexico]]<ref>http://elibrary.unm.edu/subjects/music.php</ref>, [[University of Washington]]<ref>http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/Music/dr/elsco.html</ref>, [[University of Wisconsin]]<ref>http://music.library.wisc.edu/resources/scores.htm#onlinescores</ref>, [[California Institute of the Arts]]<ref>http://www.calarts.edu/library/researchresources/artsites.html#music</ref>, and several others, and it has been submitted to [[MERLOT online community|MERLOT]] by a member professor.<ref>http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=243764</ref>
== Similar projects ==
* [[Mutopia project]]: focused on retypeset scores. The files are thus in general higher quality and editable, but the library is much smaller.
* [[Choral Public Domain Library]]: focused on choral and vocal music.
* [[Werner Icking Music Archive]]: contains mainly [[early music]].
== References ==
<references/>
== External links ==
* [http://www.imslp.org/ IMSLP Official Homepage]
[[Category:Digital libraries]]
[[Category:Wiki]]
[[Category:Music websites]]
[[Category:Public domain music]]
[[Category:Online music and lyrics databases]]
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[[es:Proyecto Biblioteca Internacional de Partituras Musicales]]
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