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Music Education

How to Find Musical Scores & Recordings

This video shows you how to find scores and audio recordings in Scout. It briefly addresses limiters, key terms, and other search criteria specific to music. 

More Search Tips

Formatting Names:

  • Use full names for composers with common surnames 
  • Use standard English-language spellings (e.g., "Rachmaninoff" instead of "Rachmaninov")
  • Avoid abbreviating names (e.g., J. S. Bach)

Searching for Vocal Music:

  • To specify vocal range in your search, indicate high, medium, or low voice 
High voice Medium voice Low voice
Soprano Mezzo Soprano Alto
Tenor Baritone Bass
  • You can add vocal range to some subject headings, like "Songs (High voice)" or you can simply search "high voice" as a keyword

 

Keys:

  • Avoid using keys in your search terms (such as "C" or "G minor")

Finding recordings by format:

  • For CDs, add a keyword search for "compact" or "CD"
  • For LPs, add a keyword search for "LP"
  • For streaming media, add a keyword search for "electronic"

 

For works with unique titles:

  • Enter the title as a keyword search
  • Search the title in quotation marks (i.e. "Nozze di Figaro") 
  • If the title is in a foreign language, try searching for the title both in it's original language and in English (i.e. "nozze di Figaro" and "Marriage of Figaro")

 

For works with generic titles (i.e. Concerto, Symphony, Sonata):

  • Search using the subject term, which is generally the plural form of the work (i.e. symphonies, operas, concertos, suites, etc.)
  • If applicable, use the opus number or another standard number assigned to the work to narrow your search results (i.e. for Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550, try adding "40" or "550" as a keyword)
  • If you don't know the subject term, just do a keyword search for the title instead
  • Sample search string for Scout Advanced Search: 
    • Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus AND symphonies AND 40

Basic Subject Headings for Music

Subject Heading Type of Composition(s)
Symphonies Symphony
Concertos Concerto
Sonatas Sonata
Operas Opera
Oratorios Oratorio
Masses Mass
Songs Aria; Art Song
Suites Partita; Suite
Piano trios Piano, violin, and cello
Piano quartets Piano, violin, viola, and cello
Piano quintets Piano, 2 violins, viola, and cello
String trios Violin, viola, cello
String quartets 2 Violins, viola, and cello

Digital Scores

Translations