The Choral Public Domain Library ( CPDL), also known as ChoralWiki, is an online community and repository for choir and vocal music. Its contents primarily include sheet music in the public domain or otherwise freely available for printing and performing (such as via permission from the copyright holder).
It is a 501(c)(3), tax-deductible organization, whose contents are published under one of multiple types of specific copyright licenses. Editing articles or contributing scores is allowed only for contributors who create a free account. The CPDL stands with IMSLP, Musopen and the Wind Repertory Project as among the most prominent online music repertoire databases.
Overview
In addition to making sheet music scores available, the site includes:
- original texts, their sources and translations;
- cross-indexing of choral music using criteria including musical genre, period, and number/distribution of voice parts;
- composer information;
- description and performance considerations can be included for works;
- indexes of published collections (primarily historical collections) of choral music;
- community discussion such as through a bulletin board forum or via "Talk" pages related to composers or specific works.
- sponsorship recognition and a way to donate via credit card or PayPal.
Music is available for free download in a variety of file format, including score images in PDF, PostScript and TIFF format, sound files in MIDI and MP3 formats, and in the notation formats supported by various notation programs, including Finale, Sibelius, NoteWorthy Composer, Encore, and the open source GNU LilyPond. Most scores on CPDL are distributed under an open-source license. As of 1 December 2017, CPDL archives over 27,800 scores by more than 2,900 composers, contributed by over 1,200 editors and contributors. It includes large numbers of scores from the Renaissance and Baroque music eras, including nearly complete vocal works by William Byrd and Tomás Luis de Victoria in excellent editions.
CPDL is suggested as a resource by departmental or faculty websites at Kent State, Northern Illinois University, the University of Oregon, the University of Western Ontario, the Internet Public Library of the University of Michigan, the University at Albany, The State University of New York, by the UCLA Music Library, by the libraries at the Universities of Boston and Stanford and by inclusion by faculty members in syllabi for courses at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh. It is recommended by the Iowa and Massachusetts chapters of the American Choral Directors Association, and is included in the resource database of Intute, an association of Institutions in the UK.
Jason Sickel has described the CPDL as a Gold Mine for Choral Directors.Sickel, Jason (2015) “CPDL (Choral Public Domain Library)— A Gold Mine for Choral Directors.” The Choral Journal 56, no. 5: 59–63.
License terms
The default CPDL license allows copying/distributing copies of a musical edition, as well as modification and derivative works free or for a fee, as permitted by the license, conspicuously retaining on each copy the applicable copyright notice and/or other references to the license/terms under which it is distributed.
See also
- List of online music databases
- Public domain resources
- Werner Icking Music Archive
- Mutopia Project
- Kantoreiarchiv
- International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
Citations
Sources
Further reading
External links
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