Classical music Archives online - Items of Interest - Brief Article

American Music Teacher, Feb-March, 2002

The Classical Archives, found at www.classicalarchives.com, contains the largest collection of classic music files online--more than 14,000 compositions by more than 1,000 composers.

In addition to the music stored in MIDI, Windows Media and MP3 formats, visitors can access composer biographies, historical timelines, live recordings, music videos of young performers, essays, editorials and more. The Learning Center, which features advice from conductor/educator David Barg, the site's artistic director, offers focused lessons on various topics. Everything is categorized alphabetically and searchable, by composer and keyword. Links lead to downloadable sheet music and other musical sites, including books and educational organizations.

Subscriptions allow access to downloadable Zip files and high-fidelity MP3 files. However, the bulk of the Archives are free and open to the public.