Printed Music Collections

The New York Philharmonic Shelby White & Leon Levy Digital Archives houses multiple score and part collections, including those of Leonard Bernstein and Andre Kostelanetz as well as the oldest items of the Philharmonic's own music library which dates back to the founding of the Orchestra in 1842. The Bernstein and Kostelanetz collections are the complete libraries of those conductors donated to the New York Philharmonic after their deaths. They include not only orchestral scores and parts, but also chamber music, vocal, piano, and miniature study scores. All items from these collections that are significantly marked by the conductor are available online; unmarked parts are not included in the digitization project. Materials available from the Philharmonic's own music library include some of the earliest acquisitions to the library — a collection that has remained intact since its founding in 1842. It includes many rare and first edition scores acquired during the 19th century, most used by many different conductors and musicians, reflecting a performance history that spans multiple decades.