Research Guides (LibGuides): Singers' and Choral Directors' Bible: How to locate scores & recordings

Where to find scores ...

Scores (print)
Digital scores

Use the WorldCat Discover Box (found on the Butler Libraries homepage) to begin your search for print scores owned by Butler Libraries, PALNI (Private Academib Library Network of Indiana) Libraries and other WorldCat Libraries around the world.

You can select "Musical score" from "Format" limiter box on the left-hand side of the screen when you get the results from your initial search so that the results list only shows scores.

The scores owned by the Butler Libraries will have the following at the bottom of the brief record for the item:

To access scores NOT owned by the Butler University Libraries, you will need to make an interlibrary loan request. Click on the "Interlibrary Loan" tab/page on this LibGuide to access the ILL tutorial and register.

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The Butler Libraries use the Library of Congress Classification system. This is an alpha-numeric system of classification (meaning it uses both letters and numbers to describe the classification and location of an item).

Here are some useful basic LC classes for music:

M = Scores

M2 Historical, geographical, and other collections of music (i.e., Musical Monuments)

M3 Collected works of individual composers

M1500-2999 Vocal Music

M1500-1518 Operas and musicals

M1503 Vocal scores with piano accompaniment

M1505-1508.2 Excerpts

M1611-1624.8 Secular songs for one voice

M1619 General collections

M1620 Art songs (collections of one composer)

M1621 Art songs (single songs)

M1621.4 Song cycles

M1990-1998 Children songs

M1999-2199 Sacred vocal music

M2000-2007 Oratorios

M2010-2017.6 Masses

M2020-2036 Cantatas, choruses, etc.

M2102-2114.8 Sacred songs for one voice

MT = Musical Instruction and Study (scores or books)

MT820-949 Voice instruction

Online Music Anthology (A-R Editions) This link opens in a new window
A-R Editions' Online Music Anthology is extensive collection of examples designed expressly for music history courses. A-R's Online Music Anthology contains at least twice as many pieces as print anthologies, all newly engraved and available online.
Classical Scores Library This link opens in a new window
This five-volume collection encompasses all major classical musical genres and time periods from the Middle Ages to the 21st century and includes full, study, piano, and vocal scores.
Recent Researches in Music Online This link opens in a new window
Recent Researches in Music Online contains critical performing editions of music in seven series

IMSLP: International Music Score Library Project (Petrucci) IMSLP, also known as the International Music Score Library Project or Petrucci Music Library, was started in 2006 with the goal of freely providing music scores. It has expanded to provide scores, recordings, and analyses with an ultimate goal of gathering all public domain scores and music released to the public. On the main page, visitors may search for works by composer (or composer's nationality), genre, time period, or difficulty.
ChoralWiki / Choral Public Domain Library (CPDL)
CPDL was founded in December 1998, ported to ChoralWiki in August 2005,
and incorporated in May 2010 as a U.S.A. 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization. Here you will find free choral/vocal scores, texts, translations, and other useful information.
Harvard College Library. Online Resources for Music Scholars. Digitized Scores A great list of links to digitized scores!
New York Philharmonic Leon Levy Digital Archives The New York Philharmonic Leon Levy Digital Archives was launched in February 2011, and currently comprises more than 1.3 million pages, including almost 14,000 printed programs, marked conducting scores, business documents, and photographs. When completed, the online collection will contain every document in the New York Philharmonic Archives from 1842 through 1970, more than 3 million pages — including correspondence, marked scores and parts, contracts, and minutes from meetings of the Board of Directors — as well as all public documents from 1970 through today, including marketing materials, press releases, and annual reports. Current material available in the Digital Archives includes: 1,789 scores marked by Leonard Bernstein, Andre Kostelanetz, and others 16,198 music parts marked by Philharmonic musicians 13,882 printed programs 5,550 business and planning folders 16,517 photographs and images

Use the WorldCat Discover Box (found on the Butler Libraries homepage) to begin your search for compact discs and vinyl recordings owned by Butler Libraries, PALNI (Private Academib Library Network of Indiana) Libraries and other WorldCat Libraries around the world.

You can select "Music" (and "CD" or "LP") from "Format" limiter box on the left-hand side of the screen when you get the results from your initial search so that the results list only shows those recording formats.

The individual recordings owned by the Butler Libraries will have the following text at the bottom of the brief record for the item:

The jewel cases of Butler-owned CDs are in the music stacks on the 2nd floor of Irwin (northeast quadrant), filed immediately after the music reference collection. To check out a CD, retrieve the jewel case from the stacks and take it to the Information Commons service desk. The person at the desk will retrieve the appropriate CD and help you check it out.

Butler-owned vinyl recordings are located on the lower level of Irwin Library (southwest quadrant). These recordings do not check out and must be used in the nearby A-V carrels in the northwest corner of the same quadrant. Headsets are available for check-out at the service desk.

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The Butler Libraries classify both its compact discs (CDs) and vinyl recordings by accession number. We hope to re-class them in the next year or so to make them easier to browse. Until that time, if you are looking for a recording of a particular work, it's best to use the WorldCat Discovery Box on the Library homepage.

Naxos Music Library This link opens in a new window
This online collection of music includes the complete Naxos, Marco Polo, and Dacapo catalogues of over 85,000 tracks. Genres covered include Classical music, Jazz, World, Folk and Chinese music. The database also provides access to notes on the works being played as well as biographical information on composers or artists. [Subscription limits to 15 simultaneous users!]

Spotify
A great source for access to some basic performances; there is a FREE version for which you can sign up and a subscription version (which costs some $$). Just be aware that the variety (and sometimes the quality) of the performances is limited.
YouTube
This source offers some awesome clips but remember, they can go away (usually because of copyright restrictions) at a moment's notice!

If you don't find what you need available at Butler, request it through Interlibrary Loan!

Remember: Most libraries will not loan vinyl (33 1/3 rpm) recordings but many will loan CDs.

Singers' and Choral Directors' Bible

Useful terminology for singers ...

Where to find scores ...

Finding Recordings

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