Reference:MUSIC SCORES
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MUSIC SCORES
How to Search for a Music Score in the [http;//libpac.sdsu.edu PAC]
The following search methods are recommended when looking for music scores, but will also work as well for music recordings, which are designated by "[sound recording]" after their titles.
1. Under composer's name
If you have the composer's last name, use the AUTHOR search option and find the music in the title listing under his/her name.
Within this title listing, if the piece of music you are looking for does not have a distinctive title (such as a string quartet, a chamber symphony, a piano trio, or a violin sonata) look under the name of the musical form or genre in the plural. In the case of the above examples, you would look for quartets, symphonies, trios, and sonatas. Each of these could then be qualified by instrumentation. For a Beethoven piano concerto, the entry would be:
Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827. Concertos, piano...
In most cases, this musical form or genre title will be followed by additional information specific to the individual piece of music. This may include the key, no., opus no., and/or thematic index number if a standard one exists for that composer. Examples:
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750. Partitas, harpsichord, BWV 825-830
Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827. Symphonies, no. 9, op. 125, D minor
Brahms, Johannes, 1833-1897. Sonatas, clarinet, piano, op. 120. No. 2; arr.
If the title of the musical work you need is not in the title listing at all, check if the library has the composer's collected works. The title in the PAC for the collected works would simply be Works, such as:
Schubert, Franz, 1797-1828. Works.
2. Keyword Search
If the above method fails, try one or more keyword approaches to searching:
a. Search by an LC Subject Heading, then limit the results.
In the initial search screen, be sure to select the "LC Subject" option. Then search for a musical form or genre term (in the plural). The screen listing the results for this search will include the "Limit/Sort Search" option. Click on this option to open a screen with several limiting options. Limit your search results here by the composer's last name in "Words in the Author." You may also include additional limiting options, such as Music Score (or Sound Record) in the "Material type" field.
b. Author/Title search
In the initial search screen, click on the term "Author/Title." Enter the composer's last name and at least one keyword from the title of the piece of music (this may be a musical form or genre term).
c. Basic keyword search
(Be aware that this type of search is likely to include many items that match the search terms but are irrelevant to what you need.)
In the initial search screen, try a combined-or boolean-keyword search that includes as many of these as possible:
(1) the composer's last name
(2) the musical form or genre (in the plural form)
(3) any other piece of information as unique to the piece as possible (key, instrumentation, opus no., etc.).
d. Basic keyword search, followed by limiting the results.
In the initial search screen, click on "Words" below the search box. Then enter the same boolean keyword search as described above, but add a limit to the search in the "Options" box. Minimally, select Music Score or Sound Record in the "Material type" field. You may further limit the search by using any of the other Options at the same time.
Keyword searching could be your starting point, however, for any other piece of music with a distinctive, unique title. This is particularly applicable to songs, especially songs of popular music. Also try the many song indexes for popular and art songs in the reference collection (such as Songs -- Indexes)
3. Call numbers
Most scores are in the oversized collection and are classed as M's. ML's are generally books about music; MT's can be either books or scores. All M's, ML's, and MT's are located on the 4th floor of Love Library.
Music sound recordings use call numbers such as CD-111 or SR-1234, and are located in the Media Center, in the basement of the Library Addition.
Also see http://infodome.sdsu.edu/research/guides/music.shtml for more information about music and dance online resources.
Also see Finding Lyrics to Songs and Music and Dance and Sheet Music
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