Music

This guide highlights some library and online resources and search strategies for music research, with attention to items that represent an array of experiences and perspectives

A note on terminology

When searching, keep in mind that "music" in a library context might mean

the actual sounding and performance of musical creations
the printed notation of musical notes or instructions for performers
information about music, musicians, and performances

There may also be contexts in various times and places in which the term for one of the above is something other than "music." This can make searching for things in the library and online a bit of an adventure! It helps to be willing to flexible, and to think both about the "big picture" as well as the details.

Locating historical and contextual information

If you are looking for a biography of an individual performer or composer, a keyword search in the catalog of that individual's name should be a good starting point.

For more complex searches, depending on the attention that has been paid to your topic, you may need to think broadly.

Are you investigating the reception of the performance of a work by a well-documented composer?
- You may want to include attention to biographies, memoirs, journal articles, and primary source reviews or recollections.
- Consider, too, the era of focus (are you thinking about a historical premiere or a contemporary setting, for example?).
For a lesser-documented composer or performance:
- Information may be less obviously placed within other discussions such as of musical style, performance venue, instrumentation, genre, period, country, or region.
- Encyclopedia entires, liner notes, and concert programs may be of benefit.

Search @UW

You can search "everything" in the UW system, or you can use that drop down to narrow to various collections (including those only on our campus)

You can also use the dropdown under the search bar (opened here) to specify what in the record you want to search

Catalog view showing drop down limiting options

The catalog can search for your words in association with the following:

ANYWHERE IN THE RECORD is a kind of keyword search. You can try:
- genre
- ensemble
- instrument/instrumentation
- You may also add (with AND) terms such as "collection" or "anthology"
- You may also have some luck with publisher names
TITLE (name)
AUTHOR (composer)
SUBJECT: including but not limited to:
- [instrument] music
- ensemble by name (e.g. piano quintet)
- voice [part]
- instrument name

A recommendation: begin broadly, then narrow. For instance:

Begin by limiting to UW Superior books & media (not journals or all of UW);
After you get results, on the left navigation narrow to “Garden Level, Books” to weed out the DVDs or sound recording.
And note you will sometimes see the option to limit by “Resource Type – Scores”