BandMusic PDF Library
BandMusic PDF Library preserves and shares band music from the Golden Age of the American Town Band. If you are looking for public domain music to play with your school band, community band or other group, you’ll find it here–marches, waltzes, rags, theater music, cornet solos, trombone features, and much more.
Thanks to the band community the Library continues to grow. Vintage music in print is being donated. We continue to scan old music–we post both old and new editions each month. Friends of the library send missing pages, and volunteers create transposed parts for modern bands. It’s this spirit of generosity that is making this heritage project truly “The band library for musicians, by musicians!”
In this fourth edition of the web site we are trying to make the Library fit more comfortably on small devices and improve the search. As we continue to improve our catalog to help you find what you are looking for, please let us know how we can improve.
Getting Started
- Browse the Entire Library
- Recent Additions first
- Finding Music–A guide to searching the library
- Suggested Works
- Works with scores
- Guide to Instrumentation
Join the Community
We’re always glad to hear you’re using the music. Let us know when your band performs music from the Library. And, help others by alerting us to titles we should add to our Favorites lists.
Check out the How You Can Help page. There are many ways, large and small, that you can participate in building the Library.
Please sign up for our email list below, and we’ll keep you up to date on the Library’s progress. Or, find us on Facebook.
Featured Content
We have been encouraging band directors, music librarians and others to share their suggestions for Golden Age band music that is fun to play and pleasing to audiences.
All Sound Recordings Prior to 1923 Enter the US Public Domain in 2022
While we do not publish sound recordings, we thought this news would be of interest to many of our visitors. Learn more at the Public Domain Review.
- Public Domain Review Audio collection
- Internet Archive search for all pre-1923 recordings
- Library of Congress National Jukebox
New Band Music in the Public Domain
Starting with 2019, the cutoff date for public domain music will advance one year each Jan. 1. From its beginning BandMusic PDF Library has been limited to works published in the United States up to 1922. Now that the Public Domain is expanding, we will expand our range each year, too.
If you have works for band published in 1926 (or earlier) that you are willing to scan and share, please contact us.
Suggested Marches updated
Our list of Suggested Marches has been revised by Marcus Neiman to include some of the best of our recently added pieces.
Music of Vaughan Williams
Folk Song Suite and Sea Songs (1924) are newly in the public domain in 2020. Now available for download, complete with scores.
The Bicentennial Musical Celebration
The band music from the 1975 JCPenney Bicentennial Musical Celebration is now available on BandMusic PDF Library. Learn more about The Bicentennial Music Celebration.