I wasn't sure which section this would go in, but since it's music related, I'll put it here.

Do you think that sheet music for composers who are dead and gone should be free, at least to download of the internet?

My theory is that the composers themselves aren't going to be paid any royalties because they are dead, so it's only the publishers getting the money, the publishers get quite a lot from recent music, so things on the internet should be free to download.

The sheet music itself should be free. On the other hand somebody has written the music down and is providing a service. If they wish to charge for this service good luck to them. I'm sure there's no charge for somebody to sit down with a cd and write the music down for themselves. May take awhile though.

Well, if you know where to look, it can be free. I use a service over the Internet (apparently it's perfectly legal) in which you can download "old" music. I've yet to come across a place where you can download the more modern stuff for free, though.

There are some websites like Mutopia Project and Musica Viva that offer free downloads of out-of-copyright sheet music (though a lot of the links in Musica Viva don’t seem to open). I suppose it’s a question of whether there are people who are public-spirited enough to give up their time to putting the stuff on the web.

I just looked at both of the sites TT. Music Viva seems to grade the pieces about 3 grades lower than they should be, I couldn't find anything to challenge me, and neither site had Rachmaninoff, who I am intent on learning at least one of his pieces.

Rachmaninoff? That certainly sounds challenging!

Since Rachmaninoff died in 1943 (according to the Oxford Companion to Music), his works are probably still in copyright in some countries where copyright lasts for a number of years after the composer’s death. In the US a composer’s copyright apparently depends on the date of publication, and some of his works are in the public domain there.

This site has some of his music available for downloading, but they might still be subject to copyright in Australia.

Ok thanks, most Rachmaninoff is challenging, but I have found some stuff that isn't too hard. It should take me about 1/2 a year to learn though, it's my big project for this year.

hi all
my absolutely favorite site for many, many FREE classical music piano works including some of rachmaninoff.
if my citation is good, you should be going to rachmaninoff second piano concerto (the next sentence actually refers to his rhapsody on a theme of paganini but probably applies to this one as well. you know beethoven and bach won't have this problem.
note: this score is ok to download in canada and probably in the usa (but not eu).
but see for yourself the vast riches of classical music available to you.
i will check to see if my site is correct and let you know.
oh, i just know that the pianists and others will appreciate this as riches beyond compare!
http://imslp.org/wiki/Piano_Concerto_No.2%2C_Op.18_%28Rachmaninoff%2C_Sergei%29

yes, it checks out.
ENJOY!

Thanks Dr. Bob! I'm already working on a bit of Sousa.

Thanks Dr. Bob. Only another 9MB to go of the full score before I can have a look at it.

I didn't know Wiki had sheet music.

hi all
the following site:
http://www.pianostreet.com/
[yep site sends you there]
is my favorite site to see how other pianists are viewing things.
by the way, when you go to that site, this site also has a few free piano scores but to get more you would need gold membership there. i think i got my collection of beethoven sonatas there for free (but that may have been at an earlier time when all the scores they had were free; i kept begging for piano concerti. they have them now but at a cost.
anyway, this site has 42k posts on performance (technique), 59k posts on repertoire (composers, recordings), 14k on teaching; 38k on student's corner; 10k on instruments (argue about bechstein, mason and hamlin, etc. that sort of fun), 26k misc., AND
12k with 1.5k postings of the pianists in this forum posting their piano playing for comments by other pianists.
plus 81k about any topic other than pianos, and a section for improving the site.
if you truly love piano playing and truly love to chat about same expect some impassioned statements about famous and not so famous pianists, etc.

there was some site in russia that used to have free piano music but that was several computers back and i have long ago lost that site.
another one was some argentinian pianist who used to post his many piano scores but that was still another computer ago.
my point in these last two is keep looking you may eventually find new treasures.
one of these days i plan to purchase
[yes, it is still under copyright laws]
the leonard bernstein piano version of copland's el salon mexico.
i used to have it and loved to play it.
anyone here know it, love it, play it?

I've never heard of it, but I'll add Pianostreet to my list of forums, currently containing only Funtrivia.

Dr. Bob.

The stuff I can get on Pianostreet is pretty good.
I have recently been conned into teaching my little sister piano, so I will use that for scales/easy pieces etc.

Thanks!