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Music Research Guide

Librarian-selected resources for students of music.

Library Database Containing Scores

Types of Scores

From University of Minnesota

Manuscripts

  • Autograph as defined by Laurie Sampsel in Music Research: A Handbook, 3th ed. (p. 275): “a signed manuscript”; as defined by the Harvard Dictionary of Music, 4th ed. (p. 66): “A manuscript of a musical work written in its composer’s hand, as opposed to music in the hand of a copyist or printed music”
     
  • Holograph as defined by Sampsel, 3rd ed. (p. 279): “a manuscript in the hand of the composer or author”; subset of autograph; a holograph is ENTIRELY in its composer’s hand (no one, including editors or students, has made any markings on it)
     
  • Fair copy as defined by Sampsel, 3th ed. (p. 278): “a clean copy of a corrected draft of a work”

 

How to locate manuscripts

Encyclopedias

Music-specific encyclopedias will sometimes include information about the location of manuscript sources; try the following options and look at composers' works list for indicators of the location of manuscripts in archives and libraries:

Oxford Music Online
Search this authoritative collection for music research resources charting the diverse histories and cultures of music around the globe.
 

Tips for searching OMO

  • Use the search bar at the top of the screen to search for a relevant composer entry
  • Once you find a relevant entry, you can use the built-in navigation menus to jump to the Works List portion; works lists may be a complete list of a composer's oeuvre or selected works, and will often provide information about the dates of composition, premiere performances, and even the current locations of manuscript copies

Check the composer's thematic catalog

If a thematic catalog has been created for a composer, it will be shelved in the ML134 section of the Music Library; most of these are located in the reference section, but some may be included in the general collection. Want to find out if a thematic catalog exists for a specific composer? Try searching their name along with the keyword "Thematic catalogs" - for example, "Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750 -- Thematic catalogs" Thematic catalogs list information about individual pieces of music, including the location of existing manuscript sources, first editions, and other relevant details!

 

 

Facsimile

  • A facsimile, as defined by Laurie Sampsel in Music Research: A Handbook, 3th ed. (p. 278) is “an exact copy of the original” or “Facsimile edition: reproduction of an older work that is designed to be an exact copy of the original.”
     
  • A facsimile is an exact copy of an original manuscript or a very early edition. If a facsimile edition exists for the piece you’re interested in - which is not always the case - it’s helpful to look at it because you can see exactly what the composer wrote on the page.
     
  • A drawback of using facsimiles: It can be hard to read handwritten documents, so these may not be the best editions to cite in a research paper (unless the topic of the paper is the composer’s manuscript!).

Example of a facsimile:
 


Liszt, Franz. Klaviersonate H-moll: Faksimile nach dem Autograph im Besitz von Robert Owen Lehman Depositum in der Pierpont Morgan Library, New York. With a forward by Claudio Arrau and an introduction by Mária Eckhardt. Munich: G. Henle Verlag, 2015.

Tips for finding facsimiles

  • These items are shelved in the ML96, ML96.4, ML96.5 sections (remember: ML = books, not scores!) because technically, they’re books - their intention is to help with study of the sources not performance (but they’re still helpful for performers to look at to understand a composer’s intentions! Check out these call number ranges to browse..
     
  • Though ,any facsimile score publications are shelved together in the ML96-ML96.5 section of the score collections, scores that include facsimiles (most commonly as images in their introductory material) are scattered throughout the score collections.
     
  • Look for the subject "Music -- Manuscripts -- Facsimiles" and the name of a piece, a library, or a place as a keyword (British Library, Munich, etc.) in catalog records as you explore the Music Library's score holdings.
     

  • Try searching by publisher name: Some major publishers of facsimiles are Editions Minkoff, Fuzeau, Broude Brothers Performers’ Facsimiles
     

  • Searching for facsimiles of published materials (first editions, etc.)? Try a composer/title search and look for a note in the catalog record about the item being a reprint of the first edition; try a keyword search for the printer’s name (e.g. Petrucci and facsimile)
     

  • Try the German spelling of facsimile (“faksimile”) when starting your search, too!

Scholarly Editions

  • Scholarly editions include:
    • Collected set editions (found in the M2 sections)
    • Collected works editions (found in the M3 sections)
    • Urtext editions (shelved with performing editions in the general collection)
       
  • Important tip for all scholarly editions (Collected/Historical Sets/Monuments of Music, Collected/Complete Works, and Urtext): Always read the introduction and editors notes! Conventions for performance practice or ways of notating things could have changed between the time when it was published and when you’re working on the piece, or an Urtext edition might include a mistake because of the sloppy handwriting of a composer or copyist, or it may not take into account newly-researched sources for composers who revised their works frequently. Make sure you know how the editors handled (or didn’t handle) these things.

Scholarly Editions - Collected sets / historical sets / monuments of music - M2

  • Collected set as defined by Sampsel, 3th ed. (p. 276): “works of music by various composers brought together in a single publication, usually representing music history generally or a certain style period or genre specifically”
     
  • Historical set as defined by Sampsel, 3th ed. (p. 279): “collection of music by multiple composers intended to represent music history generally or a specific style period or genre”
     
  • Musical monument as defined by Sampsel, 3th ed. (p. 280): “edition of works by multiple composers representing the music of a region or country”
     
  • Both Collected Sets (M2s) and Collected Works (M3s) present pieces of music in their definitive form for scholarly purposes but because these materials are usually large in size and very expensive, they’re not practical for use in performance
     
  • Examples of collected sets include Latin music in British sources, c1485-c1610 or Polyphonic Music of the 14th Century, etc. They represent a collection of individual works grouped by time period, geographic region, or genre.

Tips for finding collected sets

  • Sometimes it hard to find individual pieces in M2 editions; this is because:
    • Their Libraries catalog records may not include the contents for each volume of these large sets
    • Individual volumes often don’t include tables of contents
    • These editions are frequently in German, French, or Italian
       

  • These are harder to locate and navigate since they feature the music of multiple composers so unlike collected works editions for individual composers, no one Grove entry will provide a quick index of their contents
     

  • A-R Editions Recent Researches publications, which bring together works by genre and time period, are excellent examples of these types of publications (e.g. Recent Researches in the Music of the Baroque Era)
     

  • Use the examples in Sampsel, pp. 103-105, the Grove entry for “Editions, Historical,” or talk to Jessica for help

Scholarly Editions - Collected / Complete Works - M3

  • Collected/complete works, as defined by Sampsel, 3th ed. (p. 276), are: “the works of a single composer compiled into a single publication”
     
  • Collected works editions capture a single composer’s entire output and include information about the sources (manuscript and early edition) for individual works
     

  • Some terminology that indicates that you’re looking at a collected/complete works edition:

    • Opera omnia

    • Tutte le opere

    • Oeuvres complètes

    • Gesamtausgabe

    • Sämtliche werke
       

  • Both Collected Sets (M2s) and Collected Works (M3s) present pieces of music in their definitive form for scholarly purposes but because these materials are usually large in size and very expensive, they’re not practical for use in performance
     
  • These editions are created by experts on a composer’s history and style, and they include text that explains which sources (like a manuscript, correspondence, and early editions of a piece) were used to create the collected works edition and why. These are called critical commentaries or critical reports.
     
  • Collected works editions are often in languages other than English, so a critical commentary may also be called a kritischer Bericht (Ger.) or commento critico (It.); a critical commentary/critical report/kritischer Bericht/commento critico might include:
    • General preface to the series and forward to the individual volume - very helpful for understanding the editor’s decisions
    • A list of abbreviations used in the critical commentary
    • Information about the sources:
      • Location
      • Dates
      • Physical description of sources (dimensions, numbers of pages, etc.)
    • List of readings/variants: This is where the editors have compared the sources and noted differences between them
    • Stemma: a flow chart-type diagram that shows the relationship between sources (which one was copied from which other one)
    • Facsimiles: some include images of pages from the important sources
    • Translations, literary sources, info on the performing forces
    • Notes that provide insight on the compositional process

Example of a collected works edition:
 


Liszt, Franz. Grosses Konzertsolo; Sonate; Fantasie und Fuge über das Thema B-A-C-H; Präludium und Fuge über das Motiv B-a-c-h. Edited by Antal Boronkay. Series 1, vol. 5 of Franz Liszt, Neue Ausgabe sämtlicher Werke, compiled by Zoltán Gárdonyi and István Szelényi. Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1983.

Tips for finding collected / complete works

  • Sometimes it hard to find individual pieces in M3 editions; this is because:
    • Their Libraries catalog records may not include the contents for each volume of these large sets
    • Individual volumes often don’t include tables of contents
    • These editions are frequently in German, French, or Italian
       

  • There may be more than one complete/collected works edition (an “old” and a “new”)

  • These editions may not include every piece, including those that were discovered after the edition’s publication or arrangements

  • Composers with smaller outputs might be included in an M2 edition instead of getting their own complete/collected works edition

  • Remember: Not all composers have a collected works edition (M3)! Some wrote works that are still protected by copyright, others have editions that are currently in progress, and some just don’t have one. Others, who have smaller outputs, might be included in an M2.

Look at the Oxford Music Online entry for the composer and scroll down to works; if they have a collected works edition (Or more than one. Or their music is included in an M2), it will be listed there. Some Grove works lists include information about exactly where the piece is located in the collected works edition. Some list only the series number, while others list the series, volume, and page!
 

  • Example of finding a score using a Oxford Music Online works list

    • If a collected works edition and a thematic catalog exist, the Grove works list will mirror how the edition and thematic catalog are set up

    • Uppercase Roman numerals = Series number

    • Lowercase Roman numerals = Volume number

    • Arabic numerals = Page number on which the score starts in that vol.

    • Example: I/ix, 1 = Series 1, Volume 9, page 1

    • Some editions have additional layers of complexity (the New Mozart Edition [Neue Mozart Ausgabe] is an example of a really complex one)

      • V: 3/2/i, 273 = Series 4, Workgroup 3, Part 2,Volume 1, page 273

      • V: 15/ii, 65 = Series 5, Workgroup 15, Volume 2, page 65

    • A workgroup is a subset under series which allows for more granular divisions; for example:

      • Series V (Series 5) in the New Mozart Edition is for concertos

      • Workgroup 15 is for piano concertos

    • Depending on the edition you’re working with, you may not see all the parts listed in these examples. The remaining elements will always be in the same order, though, so you’ll be able to pick out the Series and Volume number if you know the pattern!

Check the Catalog

  • Limit your search results to scores only (use the "Material Type" limiter after you see a list of results, or start your search by using Advanced Search and selecting "Scores" from the "Material Type" dropdown menu)

  • Search for:

    • Author: [the composer’s name]

    • Title: Works

    • Example:  Author/creator: Berlioz AND Title: Works

Browse the shelves

  • These scores are shelved alphabetically by composer last name

Scholarly Editions - Urtext

  • Urtext editions, as defined by The Harvard Dictionary of Music, 4th ed. (p. 936), are: “A text in its presumed original state, without subsequent alterations or additions by an editor; an edition purporting to present a work in such a state.”
     
  • As defined by Sampsel, 3th ed. (p. 284): “Urtext (Ger.): original text”; “Urtext edition: performing edition intended to be as close to the composer’s original as possible without editorial changes or additions”
     

  • Urtext editions are intended to reflect the composer’s final intention for the piece as accurately as possible. 
     

  • Urtext editions are scholarly: Sometimes the collected works edition and the urtext edition of a piece are the same and both created by leading scholars in the field; an Urtext edition is considered scholarly because the creator will include references to the sources they consulted and their own rationale for why they included some material and excluded others.
     

  • Important tip for all scholarly editions (Collected/Historical Sets/Monuments of Music, Collected/Complete Works, and Urtext): Always read the introduction and editors notes! Conventions for performance practice or ways of notating things could have changed between the time when it was published and when you’re working on the piece, or an Urtext edition might include a mistake because of the sloppy handwriting of a composer or copyist, or it may not take into account newly-researched sources for composers who revised their works frequently. Make sure you know how the editors handled (or didn’t handle) these things!
     

  • The smaller size and lower price tag of urtext editions usually means that they’re more practical for use in performance.
     

  • Urtext editions are usually created from the composer’s final manuscript or from the first published edition, and are free from editorial markings (i.e. anything that a later editor might want to add to shape the piece). 

Example of an Urtext edition:
 

Liszt, Franz. Sonate in h-Moll für Klavier. Edited by Michael Kube. Kassel: Bärenreiter, 2013.

Tips for finding Urtext Editions

  • Try adding the word “Urtext” to your search in the Libraries catalog (but remember that not every piece has an Urtext edition)
     

  • Do research on a publisher's website that usually put out Urtext editions.  For links to these and more publisher's catalogs, see the section below with its own heading for publishers.

    • Bärenreiter

    • Henle

    • Universal Editions

    • Wiener Editions

    • Salbert/Heugel

    • Ricordi

    • IMPORTANT: Note that not all scores published by these publishers are Urtext editions! Look at the introduction to the score, description in the Libraries catalog, or the publisher website to learn more. Also, if you notice editorial markings that aren’t the same as other editions (bowings, articulations, etc.), then it’s not an Urtext edition.

Performing Editions

  • Performing editions, as defined by Laurie Sampsel in Music Research: A Handbook, 3th ed. 3th ed. (p. 281), are: “score edited and published for the purpose of being used by performers”
     
  • These editions are intended to be used for performance, and are specifically created by an individual (often a performer themselves rather than a scholar) to meet the needs of performers.
     
  • They include editorial markings like fingerings and suggestions for how to interpret phrasing or expression markings, but these suggestions represent only one editor’s stylistic conception of the piece and may differ from another person’s interpretation.
     
  • Some editors might include extended writings on their thoughts about performance practice, but performing editions do not usually contain a critical commentary that explains the editor’s reasoning.
     
  • There are often a number of performing editions for a single piece (that may have been created by editors with varying levels of expertise), so each performer must evaluate all options before choosing the edition that they want to use themselves.

Examples of performing editions:



Liszt, Franz. Klaviersonate h-Moll. Edited by Ernst Herttrich, Marc-André Hamelin. Munich: G. Henle Verlag, 2016.


 


Liszt, Franz. Sonate en si mineur. Edited by Alfred Cortot. Paris: Editions Salabert, 1949.

Tips for locating Performance editions

  • These will likely be the majority of scores you’ll find in a search for scores
     
  • Not every piece has an Urtext edition! If you don't see the word "Urtext" in the title or the description of the item in the Libraries catalog record, and if there's no introduction indicating that the score is an Urtext edition, than it probably is not
     
  • Try searching by a particular editor’s name (if known)

Steps for Successful Keyword Searching for Scores

 

 

Advanced Tips for Finding Classical Scores and Audio Recordings

1. Always search in the keyword field, as you never know when the work you are searching might be in a larger collection.

2. Along with the composer name, use plurals for sonatas, symphonies, and other nondistinctive titles, even when searching for only one piece; also, don't include numerical distinctions like "no." or "op." If you are not sure of the numerical distinctions, search in Oxford Music Online by composer and locate their complete works. Examples:

  • Beethoven piano sonatas 5 (for Beethoven's Piano Sonata no. 5)
  • Haydn symphonies 101 (for Haydn's Symphony no. 101)
  • Chopin ballades 38 (for Chopin's Ballade in F major, op. 38)

Why? You'll usually miss some holdings when using the singular form and number designations can vary (for more on this, read about uniform titles below).

3. Use the original language for works with distinctive titles and drop all initial articles. Examples:

  • Matthauspassion for St. Matthew Passion
  • Zauberflöte (not Die Zauberflöte) for Magic Flute

4. If you can't find the work, or want more editions

  • Search for collections containing the piece—e.g., all sonatas by the composer.
  • If it's part of a larger work, look for the title of that work.
  • Find out if NEIU has the complete works of the composer.
  • Contact the music librarian for help. Finding scores can be tricky.

About Uniform Titles

Uniform titles provide consistent, standardized ways of identifying individual compositions and groups of compositions. This makes it possible to find works all scores and recordings of a work without having to look up every conceivable title the piece might have been called.  A library catalog record gives both the work's Title—meaning the title used by the publisher—and its Uniform Title.

Works with Distinctive Titles
If the work's title is distinctive, the uniform title consists of the original title (from the manuscript or first edition) in the original language. Examples of distinctive titles:

  • Daphnis et Chlöe
  • Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time)
  • Mer (for "La Mer": initial articles omitted)
  • Symphonie de Psaumes
  • Messiah
  • Wohltemperierte Klavier (Well Tempered Clavier)
  • Otello (Italian equivalent of Othello)
  • Zhar-ptitsa (The Firebird)

Works with Form or Genre Titles
If the composer's original title is simply a form name or genre (with or without key and number), the title is considered nondistinctive. The first word of the uniform title is the form or genre, and it's always in the plural except when the composer wrote only one sonata, nocturne, etc.Examples of form and genre terms used in uniform titles:

  • Quartets
  • Arias
  • Lieder
  • Sonatas
  • Songs
  • Nocturnes    
  • Suites
  • Motets
  • Pieces (Stücke in German)
  • Symphonies
  • Masses

The instrumentation, number (ordinal, opus, and or catalog number) and key are often added to the form name.

Collections of Works in the Same Medium
This type of uniform title is used when one recording or score consists of various types of pieces that are all for the same medium. Examples:

  • Choral music
  • Guitar music
  • Violin music
  • Vocal music

Complete Works of Individual Composers
The uniform title Works is used for a set of the complete works of a composer. Note that many editions of complete works are still in the process of being published—volume by volume. Look at the record to see which volumes are actually in the library's collection.

To locate physical music scores in the library catalog, use the search box on the NEIU Libraries Homepage

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