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Finding Music Materials in the Library Catalog

This guide contains instructions for finding music materials in the library catalog. For additional assistance, contact the Music Library.

Music Scores and Recordings - keyword searching
Music Scores and Recordings - alphabetical searching
Materials About a Composer/Performer or Topic/Subject
School of Music Recordings

Music Scores and Recordings - keyword searching

2. Title box: the title of the piece you are looking for.

• Opus or work number often works best, especially for works with generic titles like "symphony" or "sonata."
• Works with more distinctive titles: use the title in the original language, and omit initial articles a, an, the, and their foreign language equivalents (i.e. Zauberflote, not The Magic Flute or Die Zauberflote).
  
  Caution: Many titles which seem distinctive are not the composer’s original title. Example: Beethoven’s "Moonlight" sonata is actually Sonata no. 14, op. 27, no. 2 in C# minor.  Use the opus/work number, not the popular title, in your search.
  
  Tip: If the piece you want is part of a larger work (opera, song cycle, etc.) try searching both for the larger work and the smaller section.

3. Author box: composer and/or performer's name, including ensembles.

5. Broad Material Type and Specific Material Type drop-down boxes: select the material type you need, i.e. score, sound recording, CD, DVD, etc.

6. Click the search button to conduct your search

• An alternatative to keyword searching. 
• Helpful when you want an alphabetical list of all the materials the library owns by a given composer, or on a certain subject.
• Helpful when you suspect the library owns a work but you are unsure of the correct title and/or if keyword searching is unsuccessful.

1. Go to the library catalog.

2. Begins with (Browse) search - from the root bar near the top of the screen.

3. Author - select from the drop down menu. Enter composer’s Last name, First Name (example: Beethoven, Ludwig van) and click the search button.

4. The catalog will return a list of all the composer’s works owned by the library in alphabetical order (example: all Beethoven’s works.) Move through this list by using Next and Previous in the yellow bar.

5. Prolific composers: "jump" within the list.

• Copy the composer’s entire name as found in the library catalog (this often includes birth/death dates and/or middle names - example: Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827) into the search box at the top of the page.
• Follow it with the first few letters of the title of the piece you want.
• Example: to jump to Beethoven’s symphonies, the search box will read:
  Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827 symp.

Materials About a Composer/Performer or Topic/Subject

If you want to find materials about someone, they will be the subject of the work, not the author.

Tip: Besides the library catalog, look in in Oxford Music Online, which includes the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (also available in print at Ref ML100.N48 2001) or search Journal Articles links from the Music Library homepage.

Tip: If you already know the exact title of a book and want to see if the library has a copy, go to the library catalog, select "Title Alphabetical" and type in the title, omitting the articles a, an, the.  This method only works for books. It does not work consistently for scores/recordings!

1. Go to the library catalog

2. Subject box: name of the person or topic.  Example: Beethoven.

Tip: for famous composers/topics, you may get many results. If you are looking for information on a specific work or genre, narrow your search by adding additional words describing that aspect.  Example: "symphonies" or "Fidelio."

4. Broad Material Type: select the appropriate limit (usually books).

5. Click search

Alternate subject method to return an alphabetical list (alphabetical searching)

1. Go to the library catalog

2. Select the Begins With (Browse) search from the yellow bar near the top of the screen.

3. Select Subject from the drop down menu. Type the composer’s Last name, First Name (example: Beethoven, Ludwig van), or the topic in the search box and click the search button.

4. The catalog will return a list of materials pertaining to that composer or other topic owned by the library in alphabetical order (example: all materials about Beethoven).   Move through this list by using Previous and Next.

School of Music Recordings