Research Guides: MUS 250: Louis Armstrong: Finding Sheet Music

Need Help?

Emery Shriver
Music Librarian

mes4@williams.edu
413-597-4716

Pronouns: he/they

Upcoming Workshops

Searching for Historical American Sheet Music

Step 1: Select a song

Choose which song you want to analyze, and then get some background information. Do some research about it to learn:

who wrote it
when it was published
who originally performed it
if it has an alternate title

All of this information will help you find a copy of the sheet music.

Use the search tools suggested below to look for your song. The background information you gathered will help you determine if you have the correct song.

You may need to search in multiple places. Be persistent!

Step 3: Get a copy of the sheet music

If your song is in the public domain, a digital copy of the sheet music may be available online. If not, you may need to request a copy from the archive where the sheet music is housed. Look for information on how to request copies in the record for the song or on the "contact us" page for the archive. There may be a small reproduction fee. Be sure to tell them that you will be using the copy for an assignment, to demonstrate that your use falls under the "fair use" defense.

Background Information

Britannica Academic
Contains articles on a variety of topics written by experts. A great place to get background information.
Library Catalog
The search engine for the library. Use the "resource type" category and limit to "reference entries" to find background information on your song.

Who Wrote That Song?
Lists title, composer, lyricist and publication year for 12,000+ songs.

Sheet Music Collections

Sheet Music Consortium
The Sheet Music Consortium is a group of libraries working toward the goal of building an open collection of digitized sheet music. A large proportion of the original sheets in participating collections has been digitized, allowing users direct access to the music itself and in many cases covers and advertisements that offer evidence of the cultural context in which the songs were published.
Paul Whiteman Collection
Part of Williams Special Collections, contains a variety of materials that document the life and musical career of Paul Whiteman. Specifically, the collection includes music scores, sheet music, audiovisual materials, business files, personal files, photographs, scrapbooks, artifacts, radio broadcasts and transcripts, books, and other materials that relate to Whiteman and the musicians who participated in his orchestra or worked with him in some capacity.

MUS 250: Louis Armstrong