Introduction

Download (commercial)

Download (free)

Streaming

Webcast

Obviously with sites offering free downloads of recorded music, there may be instances where copyright is breached. Musicweb International, in creating these pages, have attempted to ensure that no such site is included.

However, because the copyright laws differ from country to country, and the possibility that the webpage owner may not be telling the whole truth, Musicweb accepts no responsibility for problems caused by a user downloading from a site listed on this page.

You can help! We cannot hope to be fully comprehensive - that would be impossible - so we ask your assistance. If you are aware of a website that isn't on our list and would seem to fit this category (or one of the others), please send us an email. We will check it out, and if we believe that it is appropriate, will add it to the list.

Beethoven

Home page	http://www.lvbeethoven.com/
Format	mp3
Comments	The majority of files are in midi format, but there are quite a few mp3, if you look for them.

Classicat

Home page	http://www.classiccat.net/
Format	mp3
Comments	A links page to many individual third-party sites; the site claims 4800 performances

Czech Radio

Home page	http://www.rozhlas.cz/d-dur/download_eng
Format	mp3, flac
Comments	Recordings of Bach's Brandenburg concertos

Damien's 78s

Home page	http://www.damians78s.co.uk/
Format	mp3 (typically 158 kbps)
Comments	Mostly 78 rpm recordings, but also a few early LPs. Site design is somewhat basic (the advantage being that pages take no time at all to load), but transfers generally well done.

Danish Radio

Home page	http://www.dr.dk/P2/P2+Koncerten/Koncerter/20080423145212.htm
Format	mp3
Comments	Concert recordings, range from Baroque to contemporary; pages in Danish only

European Archive

Home page	http://europarchive.org/collection.php?id=public_classical_music_BeG
Format	mp3 64 kbps, wav, ogg, flac
Comments	1950s out-of-copyright recordings; not the quickest or best organised download site around; downloads are whole LP sides, not individual movement tracks

The Music of Paul Corfield Godfrey

Home page	https://sites.google.com/site/paulcorfieldgodfrey/home
Format	mp3
Comments	Mostly excerpts, but there are complete versions of the symphonies.

 

Internet Archive - 78s and Cylinder Recordings

Home page	http://www.archive.org/details/78rpm
Format	mp3 (varying bit-rates), Ogg Vorbis
Comments	Contains huge numbers of transfers, but unfortunately they are all heaped up together. There is no subdivision into broad categories; hence, searching is not convenient, and locating by tags is decidedly patchy. You need to have some idea of what you're looking for! Also, the transfers all tend to be in some way "restored" of "refurbished" by their contributors, whereas I'd have expected an "archive" to have insisted that each entry must include an absolutely "straight" digital transfer, sounding as close to the unadulterated originals as possible, with the contributor's own idea of a restoration being merely a "consumer option". Ergo, caveat emptor!

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Home page	http://www.gardnermuseum.org/music/listen
Format	mp3 128 kbps
Comments	More than a hundred recordings from the Museum's concert series - one of the best free sites on the web

Lisztonion

Home page	http://www.lisztonian.com/download/index.html
Format	mp3
Comments	Keyboard works by Liszt and others; two performers only (Jeremiah Jones and Jonathan Bowman)

Frederik Magle

Home page	http://www.magle.dk/music-mp3-downloads.html
Format	mp3 200+ kbps
Comments	A Danish composer offering recordings of his own music; his music has been recorded by EMI and other well-known labels

Alexi Matchavariani

Home page	http://www.matchavariani.ge/alexi/rec.html
Format	mp3 - 192 kbps
Comments	Site dedicated to a 20th century Georgian composer; download files are Russian recordings of Matchvariani's compositions no longer available, including violin concerto (see review), symphonies, chamber music and ballet

MF Files

Home page	http://www.mfiles.co.uk/classical-music.htm
Format	mp3 56 kbps
Comments	A small range of standard repertoire; source not idientified

John Mitchell

Home page	http://abm-enterprises.net/mp3.html
Format	mp3
Comments	Recordings of Mitchell's compositions - chamber, instrumental and songs; Richard Stolzmann is one performer

Peabody Concert Orchestra

Home page	http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/ensembles
Format	mp3 192 kbps
Comments	Archive of the orchestra and wind ensemble's performances dating back to 2000

Piano Society

Home page	http://pianosociety.com/cms/index.php?section=1
Format	mp3, some video
Comments	Performances submitted by aspiring pianists; at the time of writing "140 pianists have uploaded 1,982 recordings by 120 different composers"

Radio New Zealand Concert - Podcast Classics

Home page	http://www.radionz.co.nz/concert/audio_features/podcast_classics
Format	mp3
Comments	Page offers two downloads, "this month's" and "last Month's", each comprising one or more complete works. The download pages provide detailed information (including photos) about the performers, and a brief programme note for each work. Since any given download remains available for only two months, if you're interested you need to grab them quickish!

ReDiscovery's Paperback Classics

Home page	http://www.rediscovery.us/paperbacks.html
Format	mp3 320 kbps
Comments	As it says, ". . . memorable performances that might have sonic or technical flaws, or may not be of sufficient consumer interest for a catalog release." Currently (Jan 2012) comprises about four dozen CD-length downloads, to which additions occasionally made. Some interesting stuff, mostly central repertoire.

Stokowski.org

Home page	http://www.stokowski.org/index.htm
Format	mp3 mostly 128 kbps
Comments	Very informative site, literally crammed with transfers of many recordings made by Stokowski between 1917 and 1940. Well worth a browse!