Composers, musicians and aficionados alike were disappointed to hear that the last classical sheet music store in New York City will be closing its doors after serving generations of performers.

While brick-and-mortar options for finding classical music scores have rapidly disappeared, Queens Library offers access to the largest free circulating collection of sheet music in New York City! Over 80,000 music scores spanning a variety of genres and time periods are available exclusively at the Central Library.

Customers can easily find music scores on the shelves at the Media Center. They include sheet music and lyrics to classical and modern songs; scores for opera, musicals and films; music for individual instruments such as piano, guitar, clarinet, saxophone, violin and more; and masterpieces by diverse composers from around the world, for voice or instruments, including the complete works of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Handel, Joplin, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Schonberg, Tchaikovsky and others.

“Our sheet music collection is a treasure for musicians in New York City, available free in Queens for all types and levels of music,” says Jane Montalto, the senior librarian who has managed the collection for more than two decades.

You can quickly search our collection on the Queens Library website by using the "Music Scores" option in the "All Categories" drop-down menu at the top right of any webpage.

Knowledgeable staff members are also available at the Central Library to help customers find the scores they need, including rare pieces of music. There are also books of music published prior to 1923 available online in the Library’s digital archives.

Scores can be checked out with a Queens Library Card for 21 days and renewed three times. They may also be reserved, interloaned, photocopied, faxed and returned to any Queens Library location.

For more information on our collection of sheet music, please contact the Central Library Media Center.