BandMusic PDF Library

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

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.

Read more »

New Band Music in the Public Domain

For works published in the United States the cutoff date for public domain music advances one year each January 1st. From its beginning BandMusic PDF Library was limited to works published in the United States up until 1922. Now that the Public Domain is expanding, we will expand our range each year, too.

If you have works for band published in 1928 (or earlier) that you are willing to scan and share, please contact us.

Arrangements from Paul Hanna

We have recently added his arrangement of The Nutcracker March, and would encourage you to take a look at additional arrangements available from Paul Hanna.

All Sound Recordings from 1923 and Earlier Are Now in the U.S. Public Domain in 2024

While we do not publish sound recordings, we thought this news would be of interest to many of our visitors.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.

Disclaimer

These primary historical documents reflect the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of a different time. Some of the music of this period features words, phrases, and portrayals that are offensive and demeaning. The Library does not endorse these expressions but we are making this music available in order to preserve the music itself and because we believe one cannot understand the past if one doesn’t know what it was.