Finding Analyses of Musical Works
A DePaul Libraries Research Guide

 

Use the following sources and strategies to locate information on a particular musical work or composer.
General Sources   |   Periodical Indexes  |   Chamber Music
Orchestral Music   |   19th & 20th Century Music   |   Operas
For all types of classical music, consult the following:

• Grove Music Online (DePaul users only)
  Incorporates New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., Grove Dictionary of Opera, and New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.
  The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 2nd ed. 29v.
  (R. 780.3 G883d 2001) LPC (shelved at the Reference Desk)
  Older editions available at LPC, LC, and Naperville
  
• Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Centennial Ed., 2001. 6v.
  (R.780.922 B168b 2001) LPC, LC (shelved at the Reference Desk).
  Older editions available at LPC, LC.
  Especially useful for contemporary composers and performers.
  
• Diamond, Harold J. Music Criticism: An Annotated Guide to the Literature. (R.781 D587ma) LPC, LC (shelved at the Reference Desk).
• Tovey, Donald F. Essays in Musical Analysis. 1st ed., 6v. (R.780.072 T736e); 2nd ed., 2v. (R.780.072 T736e2) LPC,LC
• Warburton, Annie O. Analyses of Musical Classics. 4v. (R.780.072 W254a) LPC, LC

• Biographies and other works about the composer (find by doing a subject search in the Library Catalog under the composer's name; e.g., "Mozart Wolfgang"). Expand your search beyond the DePaul Libraries' holdings by searching All ILCSO Libraries in the Library Catalog or in the Worldcat database.

• Standard music histories (either comprehensive or of a specific musical period; find by doing a subject search in the Library Catalog under headings such as "music 15th century", "music 19th century", "music history", etc.).

• Genre studies (e.g., histories of the symphony; find by doing a subject search in the Library Catalog under headings such as "Concerto", "Symphony", etc.).

• Liner notes for recordings (locate by searching the Library Catalog).

• Search for the above topics in library holdings worldwide in the Worldcat database (Depaul users only)

• Internet web pages such as: those devoted to a particular composer; publisher's biographies; or program notes.
  A good starting point is Composer-specific sites (Indiana University).
  To retrieve more, perform a phrase search in an Internet search engine such as Google or Alta Vista for the name of the composer (e.g., "Libby Larsen").

Online Resources:
The DePaul University Libraries subscribe to several databases which contain information on music. Listed below are a few selected resources which are especially useful in the field of music; all databases are for DePaul users only. For a complete list and to access any of these databases, go to the A-Z Database List or the Music Research sections of the Libraries' home page.

• Music Index Online
  Indexes scholarly and trade periodicals on every aspect of classical and popular music.
• RILM Abstracts
  Indexes music journals, books, and dissertations, with abstracts. Emphasis is on scholarly, international publications in many languages.
• International Index to Music Periodicals (IIMP)
  Indexes music periodicals; with abstracts and some full text.
• JSTOR
  An archive of the full text of the most important scholarly journals in all fields, including over 30 music journals. Browse by title or use the search feature.
• Periodical Abstracts
  Indexes journals and popular magazines; with abstracts and some full text.

For chamber works:

• Cobbett's Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music. 3v. (R.785.703 C654c2) LPC
• Cohn, Arthur. The Literature of Chamber Music 4v. (R.785.0092 C678L 1997) LPC
• Tovey, Donald F. Essays in Musical Analysis: Chamber Music. (R.780.072 T736ec) LPC

For orchestral, symphonic works (18th through 20th centuries):

• Braunstein, Josef. Musica Aeterna: Program Notes for 1961-1967; Program Notes for 1967-1971; Program Notes for 1971-1976. (R.780.15 B825m) LPC, LC

• Downes, Edward. New York Philharmonic Guide to the Symphony. (R.785.1 D748n) LPC, LC

• Kramer, Jonathon D. Listen to the Music: A Self-Guided Tour Through the Orchestral Repertoire. (R.785.015K89L) LPC

• Steinberg, Michael. The Symphony: A Listener's Guide. (R.784.2184S819S) LPC

For 19th & 20th century music:

• Hoek, D.J. Analyses of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Music, 1940-2000. (R.780.9034 H693a2007) LPC

For operas:

• The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. (R.782.103N532S) LPC,LC (online version DePaul users only)

• International Dictionary of Opera. (R.782.103I61L1993) LPC

• The New Kobbe's Complete Opera Book. (R.782K75C5) LPC,LC

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For questions or comments about music research, contact Robert Acker, Music Bibliographer, DePaul University Libraries, at racker@depaul.edu.

© 1997 DePaul University Libraries.