sheet music

noun

1. music printed on unbound sheets of paper.

sheet music

noun

1. the printed or written copy of a short composition or piece, esp in the form of unbound leaves
2. music in its written or printed form

Word History and Origins

Origin of sheet music¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

With the orchestra unobstructed by sheet music, the actor explains "it feels really connected on stage."

From BBC

The manuscript includes the world’s oldest-surviving sheet music from Barbados, capturing voices of enslaved people working in the sugar plantations.

From BBC

She sailed past the violinists, scattering sheet music.

From Literature

Is songwriting defined by what you hear on a recording, or the notes inked long ago on a piece of sheet music?

From New York Times

I don’t push myself too hard to write something new or original, I just pull out sheet music to pieces I played when I was younger, classical pieces, and it just always roots me.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• songbook