National Library of Russia, St. Petersburg (Department of Printed Music and Sound Recordings)

The Department of Printed Music and Sound Recordings of the National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg is a centre for national music bibliography and undertakes key work in the compilation of the Union Catalogue of Russian Printed Music which covers Russian libraries and those in the countries of the former Russian empire. This article gives a brief history and overview of the collection, which contains both important collections from noted Russian composers and significant collections of manuscript material by foreign musicians, including letters, notes, documents, and music.