ABOUT THE MUSIC LIBRARY
The Music Library, located on the top floor of the Livingston Library, contains books about music related subjects, music related periodicals, music scores, and a small collection of 12 in. vinyl sound recordings. Other music related materials such as CD’s, DVD’s, and cassette tapes may be requested at the library’s circulation desk which is located on the main floor of the library.
The Shorter University library online catalog provides call number information for music related library materials. If you cannot find the music materials you need in the online catalog, consult the manual card catalog which is located in the Music Library. This manual card catalog contains call number and cataloging information for older sound recordings (12 in. vinyl discs).
The manual card catalog is arranged principally by composer’s last name. The manual card catalog is divided into three parts:
- Sound Recordings
- Music Scores
- Song Literature – Recordings – This part of the manual card catalog is an index to recordings of classical song literature of the library’s collection of 12 in vinyl discs and CD’s.
The cards in this portion of the manual card catalog are arranged by composer’s last and first name only. There is no access by title or subject. Each card in the song literature portion of the manual card catalog includes the composer’s last and first name, title of song, sound recording call number, and the singer’s and accompanist’s name.
DEWEY CLASSIFICATION FOR MUSIC
Livingston Library uses the Dewey Classification scheme for its book collection. The following brief outline of the Dewey Classification system for books on music related subjects and can be used for general browsing of the collection. Please use the Shorter library catalog for in-depth searching.
780 Philosophy And Aesthetics
.1 Miscellany
.2 Dictionaries
.3 Special topics of general applicability
.4 Study, teaching, performances
.7 Scores and parts, and treatment among groups of persons
.8 Historical and geographical treatment
.9 General principles and considerations
781 Scientific Principles
.2 Other basic considerations
.3 Harmony
.4 Melody and counterpoint
.5 Musical forms
.6 Composition and performance
.7 Music of ethnic groups and various specific countries and localities
.8 Other topics
782 Dramatic Music And Production Of Musical Drama
.1 Opera
.8 Theater music
.9 Music for ballets, masques, pageants, pantomimes
783 Sacred Music
.1 Instrumental music
.2 Liturgical and ritualistic music
.3 Oratorios
.4 Nonliturgical choral works
.5 Nonliturgical charts
.6 Songs
.7 Evangelistic music
.8 Choirs and vocal groups
.9 Hymns
784 Voice And Vocal Music
.1 Choruses and part songs
.2 Complete choral works
.3 Songs from one to nine parts
.4 Folks songs
.5 Popular songs
.6 Songs for specific groups and on specific subjects
.7 Other kinds of songs
.8 Collections of vocal music
.9 The voice
785 Instrumental Ensembles And Their Music
.1 Symphonies and band music
.2 Music for orchestra with incidental vocal parts
.3 Miscellaneous music for orchestra
.4 Music for small ensembles
.5 Independent overtures for orchestra
.6 Concertos
.7 Chamber music
.8 Suites for orchestra
786 Keyboard Instruments And Their Music
.1 Keyboard string instruments and their music
.2 Keyboard string instruments
.3 Training in and performance on keyboard string instruments
.4 Music for keyboard string instruments
.5 Organ and its music
.6 Organ
.7 Training in and performance on organ
.8 Music for organ
.9 Other keyboard instruments and their music
787 String Instruments And Their Music
.1 Violin
.2 Viola
.3 Violoncello
.4 Other bowed string instruments
.5 Harp
.6 Guitar, mandolin, lute
.7 Banjo
.8 Zither
.9 Other plectral instruments
788 Wind Instruments And Their Music
.1 Trumpet, cornet, bugle
.2 Trombone
.4 Horns and other brass
.5 Flute group
.6 Single-reed instruments
.7 Oboe and English horn
.8 Bassoon and heckelphone
.9 Other reed instruments
789 Percussion, Mechanical, Electrical Instruments
.1 Membranophones
.2 Cymbals
.3 Triangle
.4 Anvil, castanets, gong, maracas, rattle
.5 Bells, carillons, chimes
.6 Other percussion instruments of definate pitch
.7 Mechnical instruments and devices
.8 Music box
.9 Electronic musical instruments and music recording
FINDING GUIDES FOR MUSIC MATERIALS
Books
Search the Shorter library catalog to locate books about music related subjects. Books in the library’s regular circulating collection may be checked out for four weeks. Reference books (books with a call number preceded by a capital ‘R’ are for in-library use only. They may not be checked out of the library.
Articles
Articles appearing in periodicals (magazines and journals) may be accessed by searching a number of online databases. For articles about music, please search the following online periodical databases:
JSTOR
Academic Search Complete
Music Index
Proquest Central
Research Library (ProQuest)
Music Scores
Music scores are shelved in the music scores section of the Music Library. They are arranged first by broad category (see below) and then alphabetically by composer’s last name.
| Chamber | Choral | Choral Collection | Instrumental |
| Musical | Opera | Orchestral | Organ |
| Organ Collection | Organ Pedagogy | Piano | Piano Collection |
| Piano Duets | Piano Pedagogy | Vocal | Vocal Collection |
Sound Recordings
Compact discs and cassette tapes are shelved on the main floor of the library and may be requested at the circulation desk.
A small collection of 12 inch vinyl discs is shelved in the Music Library. This small collection consists of solo vocal song literature and solo piano literature. These recordings are arranged in call number order.
A larger and more comprehensive collection of 12 inch vinyl discs is shelved on the bottom floor of the library (Livingston side). These are also arranged in call number order.
Compact discs may be checked out for one week. 12 inch vinyl disks and cassette tapes are for in-library use only. They may not be checked out of the library.
DVD’s
DVD’s are shelved on the main floor of the library and may be requested at the circulation desk. DVD’s may be checked out for one week.
Reserve Materials
Materials placed on reserve by faculty are located at the circulation desk on the main floor of the library. When asking for reserve material, please know the faculty members name, course number, and the title of the item you are requesting.
Uniform Titles
It is very important to understand the concept of “uniform titles” before searching the Shorter online catalog for sound recordings and music scores.
A “uniform title” provides the means for bringing together all catalog entries of a specific work when various versions (e.g., editions, languages, arrangements) of that specific work have appeared under various titles.
Uniform titles fall roughly into three categories:
Those with distinctive titles.
Generally speaking, the basis of a uniform title for a musical work that has a distinctive title is the composer’s original title in the language in which it was first published.Those in which the title is a musical form.
If the title of a composer’s work includes the name of a type of composition (e.g., sonata, symphony, rondo, concerto, quartet, suite, etc.) then the English language form of the name of the composition is used for the uniform title. There are some exceptions to this rule however.“Collected works” uniform titles.
For music scores and sound recordings which contain several like works by a composer (e.g., several sonatas, or several concertos, or all organ music) a uniform title will be devised to describe the entire group.
Examples of these three types of uniform titles are found below.
Distinctive uniform title
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750.
[Oster-Oratorium]
Bach’s Easter oratorio.
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750.
[Oster-Oratorium]
Easter oratorio.
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750.
[Oster-Oratorium]
Oratorio de Paques, BWV 249.
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750.
[Oster-Oratorium]
Shorter College Chorale performs Bach’s Easter Oratorio.
Note that Bach’s “Oster-Oratorium” appears under several different titles. In order to gather the same work into one place in the catalog, the uniform title “Oster-Oratorium” is applied to each catalog entry.
Musical form uniform title
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750.
[Concertos, violin, string orchestra, BWV 1042]
Concerto no. 2 in E major.
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750.
[Concertos, violin, string orchestra, BWV 1042]
The E major violin and string orchestra concerto.
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750.
[Concertos, violin, string orchestra, BWV 1042]
Itzak Perlman plays Bach’s E minor concerto for violin and string orchestra.
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750.
[Concertos, violin, string orchestra, BWV 1042]
Violin and string orchestra concerto no. 2.
Again, note that this concerto by Bach appears under several different titles. In order to gather the same work into one place in the catalog, the uniform title “Concertos, violin, string orchestra, BWV 1042” is applied to each catalog entry.
Collected works uniform title
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1770.
[Organ music. Selections]
E. Power Biggs plays Bach’s greatest hits.
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1770.
[Organ music. Selections]
Selected organ music of J.S. Bach.
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1770.
[Organ music. Selections]
Unvollendete Orgelwerke.
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1770.
[Organ music. Selections]
Bach’s selected organ music played on the mighty Holtkamp.
Selections of Bach’s organ music appears under several different titles. In order to gather similar entries into one place in the catalog, the uniform title “Organ music. Selections” is applied to each catalog entry.
Please feel free to ask the music librarian for additional help in understanding uniform titles or for searching the online catalog.