Cello Expressions Sheet Music Library strives to make music accessible to a broad range of cellists and ensembles. Most of the music listed in this library is available free of charge. However, some arrangements (non-original works) are subject to various copyrights.
If you hold a copyright to a piece published on this site for which I have misidentified rights, please contact me.
The following terms are subject to change without notice (because downloads and personally-identifiable information are not tracked). Last updated February 2025.
Public Domain and Original Works
Arrangements of works that are in the public domain and original works composed by Nick Halsey on this website are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The following interpretation is intended to clarify how this license could be applied to sheet music for the most common uses:
- For distribution and printing of sheet music, the attribution and license-link requirements are met by keeping the composer/arranger text and the link to celloexpressions.com in the footer on the first page of the music. There are no restrictions on sharing the unaltered sheet music in .pdf or printed format unless you want to change the license.
- For typical use in performances and recordings, the attribution requirement is met by crediting the composer/arranger in any accompanying written materials (programs, descriptions, etc.).
- The Share-Alike provision is only applicable to derivative works (reusing original portions of compositions or arrangements in new compositions or arrangements), where the same CC BY-SA license is required to be used by default.
- Please contact me if you need to coordinate alternative licensing for your project.
Due to the complexities of copyright laws internationally, I am not able to verify localized copyright status on a per-piece basis in this sheet music library. In the United States, where I am based, music first published at least 95 years ago (in 1929 as of 2025) is in the public domain, meaning that my arrangements are licensed as indicated above. Copyright durations for works published after that date are generally more variable in U.S. and international laws; therefore, other arrangements may be copyrighted. By using the music on this site, you agree to verify usage rights in your location.
Copyrighted Works
Some of my arrangements of copyrighted works are legally distributed through Sheet Music Plus as of January, 2020. This sheet music cannot be distributed for free; most of the purchase price goes to the publishers and composers of the arranged music, and price minimums are set by the publishers. I receive a 10% commission for music purchased through Sheet Music Plus, which does not cover my costs of operating this site. However, this mechanism allows cello ensemble arrangements of newer music to be made available at a relatively low cost.
If you wish to attain various rights (performance, recording, etc.) to use arrangements of copyrighted works that are available here, please contact the original publisher/rights holder. I can assist with acquiring rights for arrangements if needed, but I cannot facilitate this process.
Music Available for Ensemble-Specific Rights
I have created several arrangements that cannot currently be distributed for general use. These were originally created as an arrangement for a specific ensemble/single performing group, or originally distributed through Sheet Music Plus but later discontinued there by their publisher/rightsholder.
These pieces can be made available for your use if you can arrange usage rights for your specific ensemble directly with the publisher. Many, but not all, of these pieces are managed by Hal Leonard Corporation and ensemble-specific arrangement rights can be requested at this link. Please contact me with the publisher’s ensemble-specific copyright notice to be placed on the music and I can provide the sheet music PDFs (free of charge for my part). This process is applicable to any of my arrangements of copyrighted works that are not currently available through Sheet Music Plus.