Boris Tarakanov's Sheet Music Archive

What it is

Boris Tarakanov's Sheet Music Archive is a large free library of scores run from Russia. The homepage says it holds more than 15,000 scores for all kinds of instruments and genres, by Russian and international composers. The copyright line starts in 1996, and the update log is very much alive: when we checked, the latest entries were from September 22, 23 and 25, 2026.

You can browse by work, composer, instrument or genre. There are opera, ballet and film scores, vocal scores of operas and musicals, choral works, Orthodox sacred music, ballet excerpts arranged for rehearsal pianists, a singer's repertoire section and study books for beginners.

Why we picked it

Hunting for sheet music online is often frustrating: links lead to paywalls or sketchy file hosts. This archive keeps everything in one tidy, open place, and it is clearly built by someone who knows what musicians look for. A dedicated shelf for ballet accompanists is a nice example.

Scores are posted at deliberately reduced resolution, and the site says plainly that they are for reference rather than commercial printing. For learning a piece, preparing a lesson or deciding whether to buy an edition, that is plenty.

Where to start

• Note that the site is in Russian, though composer names are listed in English as well.
• Open the Composers index and look up a favorite, from Bach to Shostakovich.
• Filter by your instrument to see what is available.
• Singers should check the vocal repertoire section with arias, duets and jazz standards.

Who it's for

Amateur musicians, music students and teachers, choir singers, accompanists, and anyone picking the piano back up after years away. There are Android apps too.

Quick answers

Is it free? Yes, the scores are free to view for reference.

How big is it? More than 15,000 scores, according to the site.

Is it still updated? Yes, with updates in late September 2026 when we checked.