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Search for Music
If you are unfamiliar with the UB Libraries Online Catalog, and would like some basic assistance, please refer to the UB Libraries Searching Tips.
CONNECTING TO THE CATALOG
From the UB Libraries page, click on the Catalog tab. From here you click on Connect to the UB Catalog. From there, choose Advanced from the line of options at the very top of the screen.
SELECTING FORMAT
- To locate MUSIC SCORES and RECORDINGS, go to the Format pulldown menu on the right and choose "Music."
- To locate RECORDINGS only, open the Type pulldown window and choose "Audio Music ."
- To narrow down to COMPACT DISCS, do step #2 above, then enter the word "compact" into one of the search boxes.
- To locate SCORES only, open the Type pulldown menu and choose "Printed Music," or “Music Manuscripts.”
PHRASES
Common phrases in music will be retrieved by typing the words in the order in which they naturally appear.
IN BASIC SEARCH:
Put quotations around phrase in order: e.g. “ars nova,” "bass clarinet."
IN ADVANCED AND EXPERT SEARCH:
Quotations are not necessary; you can also click on the button below the search screen:
Search as Words x Phrases
FINDING SPECIFIC PIECES
If you know a specific work, you can combine composers' names with title words from their works.
Highlight the qualifiers in the boxes to the left of the search box:
Author keyword + Title keyword
verdi + otellovaughan williams + folk
NARROWING BY AUTHOR, COMPOSER OR PERFORMER
Highlight the qualifiers in the boxes to the left of the search box:
Author keyword + Author keyword
gillespie + parkerstrauss + hoffmannstahl
NARROWING BY SUBJECT
Highlight the qualifiers in the boxes to the left of the search box:
Subject keyword
harmony
mahler and discography
NESTING
For more sophisticated types of keyword searches, you can utilize parentheses to search for synonyms or alternate spellings within the keyword search statement.
Synonyms
women and (singer? or vocalist?)
(equal or even) adj temperament
symphonic or tone) poem?
Alternate spellings
(brazil? or brasil?)
(tchaikov? or chaikov?) and ballet
record (catalog? or catalogue?)
TRUNCATION
To include plurals and suffixes:
symphon? ...
[retrieves symphony, symphonies, symphonic]
sonat? ...
[retrieves sonata, sonatas, sonatina, sonatinas]
piano? ...
[retrieves pianos, pianola, pianoforte, etc.]
CAUTION: opera? ...
[retrieves opera, operas, and operatic, but also: operant, operating, operation, and other non-musical concepts]
CAUTION: organ? ...
[also retrieves organum (another musical concept) but also: organic, organism, organization) and other non-musical concepts]
AVOID THESE! Instead, you can use:
(opera or operas) ...
(organ or organs) ...
MISCELLANEOUS TIPS
1.Limiting by publisher/company:.
miles davis [author] and columbia [publisher]
beethoven [author] and breitkopf [publisher]
2.Limiting by language: select the language in the box on the right
4.By adding "arr" to a keyword search you can select arranged scores, e.g.,
vocal scores of operas, oratorios, cantatas, etc.
k=bizet [author] + carmen [title] + arr. [title]
k=brahms [author] + deutsches requiem [title] + arr [title]
For more assistance, please see a reference librarian.
