Oxford History of Western Music
Oxford History of Western MusicFrom Gregorian Chant to the end of the 20th Century, this set of volumes surveys this history of Western Music. Each signed article (of 50 to 100 pages) examines one chunk of history. Remember to follow up on the notes (gathered at the end of each volume) to point you toward the authors' sources or other suggested reading. The final volume contains a comprehensive chronology, bibliography, and master index.
Librarian
LibKey Nomad
Finding Scores
- Catalyst Advanced Search (Scores)Carleton & St. Olaf's collections.
Search "Author/Creator | contains" and enter your composer's name. To the right, select "Scores" under "Material Type." Enter any other necessary information (arrangement, instrumentation, etc.) on the next line. Click "Search."
- WorldCat This link opens in a new window
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Other libraries' collections
Click "Musical Score" in the "Format" drop-down menu below the main search boxes.
- Sibley Music Library (Available to anyone on the web)
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Digitized scores from the Sibley Music Library at the University of Rochester. All scores are in the public domain (meaning their copyright has expired), and therefore available for download. - Vocal Music Instrumentation Index
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Catalog of Baroque music (co-developed by Ben Kazez '07) indexed by instrumentation with links to scores and other resources.
Common Call Numbers
Just want to browse for scores in the library? Here are the most popular call numbers. You'll find our scores downstairs on 2nd in both the regular and the oversized sections.
- M 3 : Collected Works by composer
- M 20 - M39 : Music for solo piano
Books
SEARCH TIPS:
- To find literature about music in Catalyst, search for your composer as a Subject rather than Author. You can also search for major forms of music as a subject. You can further refine your search by doing an Advanced Search, entering your composer's name as a Subject, and entering phrases like the following as a Subject:
- History and Criticism
- Interpretation (Phrasing, Dynamics, Etc.)
- Analysis, Appreciation
- Did you know that scholarly biographies often include critical analysis of that composer or performer's work? It's true! Often the easiest way to find these parts of the book is to flip to the index at the back and see if your piece is listed there.
- Catalyst Advanced SearchCarleton & St. Olaf's collections. Use your composer or performer's name and do a "subject" search.
- WorldCat This link opens in a new window
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Other libraries' collections
Use your composer or performer's name and do a "subject" search.
Biography and Autobiography
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Catalyst (or WorldCat)
Search for your composer (last name first) and the word "biography" or "autobiography." This works best in the Advanced Search form, so that you can put your composer's name in as an Author search, and "biography" or "autobiography" in the next box as a Subject search. -
Browsing the Stacks
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ML410: Biographies of composers
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ML417: Biographies of pianists
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Article Databases
- Music Index This link opens in a new window
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This is one of the primary tools for locating articles written in any given year (for 1949 to 1969, see the print version in the reference room at Ref ML118 .M84). Keyword searching is often the best way to navigate this database, but be sure to look at the subjects (found at the bottom of any article entry) to see what keyword strings might be most useful. - RILM Abstracts of Music Literature This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations, subject indexing, and abstracts)
A vast index to scholarship about music, ethnomusicology, music therapy, and the like. Covers 1967 - present. - JSTOR This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations and the full text)
Provides access to more than 12 million journal articles, books, images, and primary sources in 75 disciplines. Most journals are included from their first issue until 5 years ago. - Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
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(Searches through citations and the full text)
Search through the full text of key books and journals from across the disciplines, with emphasis on recent scholarship.
Discographies
All Music Guide to Classical Music by Call Number: Ref ML156.9 .A385 2005ISBN: 0879308656Publication Date: 2005-09-01Availability and more information from Catalyst...
Look here for lists of current recordings of important or popular classical pieces. Note that this reference work includes "recommended" recordings that have appeared on CD. The editors have chosen recordings that are "considered reliable introductions to the music at hand and samplings, as diverse as possible, of the excellent performances available" on CD. All CDs were available and in print as of February 2005.
The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music 2010 by Call Number: Ref ML156.9 .M33ISBN: 9780141041629Publication Date: 2009-11-24A comprehensive survey (with reviews) of recorded classical music. PLEASE NOTE: This is the latest available print edition and some information may be out of date.
- AllMusicIncludes information about albums, artists, cover art, descriptions of the artists or pieces, relational information about the connections between artist and music, as well as editorial content by AMG's staff and freelance writers.
Early Music Discography by Call Number: Ref ML156.2 .C76ISBN: 0897740181Publication Date: 1981-01-01Availability and more information from Catalyst...
The first volume is a record index, the second an index of composers, plainsong, anonymous works, and performers. Note that not all of the recordings presented here are still available. Check Catalyst before setting your heart on listening to one of these recordings.
