Sheet music | National Library of Australia (NLA)

Sheet music

Showing 13 - 24 of 31 results
Collection guide
Don Banks Collection

Discover the legacy of Don Banks, one of Australia’s most innovative composers, in the Don Banks Collection. Featuring music manuscripts, sound recordings, and personal papers, this collection celebrates Banks' pioneering work across jazz, classical, and film music. A true trailblazer, his fusion of genres continues to inspire and shape Australia's cultural landscape.

Collection guide
Collection guide
Begg Collection

Mostly Australian and New Zealand sheet music, the majority from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries collected by Charles Begg.

Collection guide
Old book sitting open on a black cushion. On the left page is a portrait of a man with large rolled hair, on the right is the title page with text reading 'Orpheus Britannicus; A collection of all the choicest songs for one, two and three voices, composed by Mr. Henry Purcell'

Henry Purcell, Orpheus Britannicus : a collection of all the choicest songs for one, two, and three voices, 1702, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn8656424 

The Excellencies of Musick exhibition opens at the National Library showcasing rare books, prints and manuscripts

A new exhibition is opening at the National Library of Australia, featuring exquisite and intriguing rare books, prints and manuscripts relating to music.

Media release
Collection guide
Williamson Collection

The JC Williamson Ltd archives include a wide range of materials, such as business records, playscripts, libretti, music, programs, magazines, books, costume designs, and photographs. It also contains personal papers from Williamson's business partners, the Tait family and George Tallis.

Collection guide
A buff coloured manuscript of 'Waltzing Matilda'

From Macpherson, Christina Rutherford. & McCall McCowan, Joan, Papers relating to the song "Waltzing Matilda", nla.gov.au/nla.obj-224075208 nla.gov.au/nla.obj-224076484

A national identity

Topic

Waltzing Matilda is recognized as Australia’s most popular folk song.

Digital Classroom
Video
Title page of the musical score for Mozart's Marriage of Figaro

W.A. Mozart (1756–1791), Boosey and Sons’ Complete Edition of Mozart’s Opera, Figaro, for Voice and Pianoforte, with English and Italian Words, London: Boosey and Sons, 1854–1864, Hince Collection (Music), MUS Hince 2 collection M 76, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn8596647

Figaro!

Searching for the 18th-century character in the Library's rare books and music collections.

Blog
Sheet music featuring an illustration of a child looking out an open window

Edith Harrhy and Bronnie Taylor, Songs for young Australians [music] / words by Bronnie Taylor ; music by Edith Harrhy, 1941, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-175231656

Music research guide

The Library has the largest collection of sheet music in the country, with over 300,000 items. The bulk of the collection relates to Australian composers, performers and music publishing houses.

Research guide
Video
Guida di Musica - preface

Hook begins his book with this preface.

Learning the piano at the Library

Ever wondered how people learned the piano in the 1780s, 1880s and 1980s?

Blog
Six women ballet dancers standing in a line

Greg Power & National Library of Australia, Annabel Knight, Juliette Barton and dancers during dress rehearsal for Sid's Waltzing Masquerade by Aszure Barton, Sydney Dance Company, The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre, 1 September 2009, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-132043442

Dance collection

Our dance collection contains portraits, manuscripts, oral history interviews, photographs, music scores, personal papers, theatre programs and memorabilia.

Information article
A drawing of a man and a woman dancing. The title of the song is 'Kangaroo Hop'.

Melville Morris & Gus Kahn, Kangaroo hop song, 1916, nla.obj-175841153

Rights and the Music Collection

A summary of copyright and rights in the Music Collection.

Information article
Blue tile
Symphony Australia collection

This large collection of music covering seven decades of Australian musical history, consists of scores and performance parts.

Information article
Collection guide
Snell Collection

About 15,500 items of sheet music and about 700 music albums from the late eighteenth century to the 1980s, as well as the personal papers of Snell.

Collection guide

Need help?

Our librarians are here to guide you.

Ask a librarian