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University of Oregon Libraries
University of Oregon Libraries
Index for this guide:

Our Library's Catalog
Other Libraries' Catalogs
Periodical Resources
Indexes to Articles
Copyright Information
Music Publishers Information
Resources of Music Services
Listservs for Composers
Composition Web Resources
Oregon Resources on the Web

Research Guides


Resources for Music Composition Students

Our Library's Catalogs

The UO Library's Catalog:

This is our on-line computer catalog, as well as being a gateway to other resources, including subject indexes, other libraries' catalogs, and research information.

The UO Library's Catalog includes all of the library's musical scores and recordings. For books, films, etc. purchased and cataloged before 1975, consult the card catalogs on the second floor of the Knight Library.

Access to our catalogs are by Author, Title, Keyword, Call Number and Subject. If you are looking for specific song titles, see "How to Find Individual Songs in Recordings or Sheet Music" at http://libweb.uoregon.edu/music/
researchguides/songs.html.

Subject headings:

    The following subject headings may be of use in searching for books and resources on composing:

    Composition (Music)

      Chance Composition
      Counterpoint
      Ground Bass
      Harmony
      Instrumentation And Orchestration
      Melody
      Musical Accompaniment
      Musical Form
      Musicals Writing And Publishing
      Popular Music Writing And Publishing
      Twelve-Tone System
      Transposition (Music)

Other Libraries' Catalogs:

    The following lists some of the important music libraries' catalogs, providing access to scores for study. They are arranged in the order of accessiblity for you as a UO community member.

    SUMMIT

    This database is available by choosing U on the The UO Library Catalog's non-web catalog, or choosing the SUMMIT button in the web version of the UO Library's catalog.

    SUMMIT is a database combining the collections of 31+ member libraries into a single online catalog. The member libraries include Oregon and Washington state universities, as well as numerous private universities in Washington & Oregon.

    Another member of SUMMIT is the Center for Research Libraries, whose catalog provides unique resources for research. It uses the same search capabilities as the UO Library's catalog.

    One of the nice advantages of SUMMIT is that you can request an item from another institution in the consortium, even if our copy is checked out, and you should receive it in about three working days.

    WorldCat: This database provides access to over 6 million books, journals, maps, musical scores, manuscripts, recordings, etc., held by libraries from around the world. Searching capabilities include access by individual songs, as well as by performer, composer, lyricist, and publisher. Material identified in Worldcat which is not owned by the UO Library may be requested through interlibrary loan if you are a UO library card holder. In general, recordings can't be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan.

    Limitations: As libraries become members, their older databases may or may not be added to the WorldCat.

    WorldCat is especially good for searching items within a collection, if the catalogers have included that information in the contents notes.

    You can order ILL through the system by clicking on the ILL button and filling out the order form.

    The following are web sites for Other Universities' Music Libraries.

While you don't have direct Interlibrary Loan capabilities, these do provide you with more searching possibilities for obscure scores. A larger selection of library catalogs is available through UO Library's web catalog, under Other Catalogs.

    Music Information Centers are also excellent sources for information about the music of specific countries. As an example of the services they offer, see:

    Canadian Music Centre at http://www.musiccentre.ca/

    Norwegian Music Information Centre at http://www.notam.uio.no/nmi/index.html

    The American Music Center at http://www.amc.net/

    Centre Pompidou at http://www.centrepompidou.fr/Pompidou/Accueil.nsf/tunnel?OpenForm

    One source not on the web, but in the UO Library's Music Reference collection is The Japan Federation of Composers' Catalogue of Publications. This resource lists scores published by composers, with a biographical sketch of each composer at the beginning, for every year, since 1972. The call number of this resource is ML 390 .N615. A similarly-entitled resource, Works by Japanese Composers, is also published by the Japan Federation of Composers, and is located at ML 120 .J3 W67. Both of these publications are in Japanese as well as English.

Periodical Resources for Composition

    Note: To find out whether we also have an online copy of these journals, search the Journal Title in the Advanced catalog search, off the main UO Library web site. You will find the Journal search box in the middle of the screen. When you type in the title, the catalog should display the journal's entry, with a FindText button at the top right hand side. If you click on this button, the Library's access to various versions of this resource will be displayed.

    Balungan : a publication of the American Gamelan Institute. [MUSIC ML 1 .B34]

    Computer Music Journal [MUSIC ML 1 .C857]

    The Cue Sheet /Film Music [MUSIC ML 2074 .C83]

    Ex-Tempore [MUSIC ML 1 .E88]

    IMA Bulletin (Int'l Midi Asso.)(1991-1993 only) [MUSIC ML 1380 .I42]

    Leonardo music journal : LMJ : journal of the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology.
    [MUSIC ML197 .L37]
    Recordings to accompany this journal are available in the Douglass Listening Room's Circulating Collection at COMPACT DISC CX2366.

    The Music forum. (Ceased in 1987) [MUSIC ML1 .M85]

    Organised Sound: An International Journal of Music Technology. [MUSIC ML1379 .O74]

    Perspectives of New Music [MUSIC ML 1 .P109]

    Theory and practice [MUSIC ML 1 .T24]

Indexes to Articles on Composition

    Use the following resources to find articles about composition:

  • The Music Index: Available from 1949 to the present in print form; also available on the web (for 1979 - to the present)

  • RILM:Available through the UO Library's web site in Databases & Indexes- and in the Music Reference section in paper form from 1966 to the present.

  • Arts & Humanities Citation Index: Searchable from the UO Library's catalog under the Database & Indexes section. Allows you to search by cited source to find out who they cited, and who cited them.

Copyright Information for Composers

Music Publishers' Information Sites

  • Pepper Music Network The Pepper Network offers an online, electronic version of Pepper and European American Music catalogs. The URL=http://www.jwpepper.com

  • Music Publishers Association is available at http://www.mpa.org/

  • A small sample of music publishers' sites is at
    http://libweb.uoregon.edu/music/coldev.html#Music

  • ASCAP (one of the music publishing rights agencies) is on the web at http://www.ascap.com/

  • BMI (the other rights agency) is available at http://bmi.com/

    • For paper copies of publishers' catalogues, see the Music Index table in the Music Reference area, where there are files of catalogues for music and recordings.

Resources of the Music Services Department & the Douglass Listening Room

    Along with the many recordings owned by the UO's Knight Library, we have an annotated copy of the listening list for doctoral composition/theory students that includes score call numbers as well. This list is available on the web at:
    http://libweb.uoregon.edu/music/Discographies/
    composerslist/complist.html

    Also of interest to composers is the BBC Sound Effects Library, which is a 60-volume compact disc collection allowing sampling. The call number of this set is Compact Disc CX1804 and there is a detailed index with the set.

    And finally, new to the University of Oregon, is the Database of Recorded American Music (DRAM), which is an online database of the archives of the New World Records, Composers Recordings, Inc., and other composer-based labels.
    To access this resource (which is limited to UO faculty and students), click on the Videos & Music site, in the UO Library's web site on the left-hand side of the page, and scroll down to Audio Resources Online. There you will find connections to DRAM and to the Smithsonian Global Sound resource.

    Other resources on the web, compiled by the Music Services staff, include:

    Listservs for Composers

    Listservs provide another outlet for discussion on various topics. They are a way of establishing an "invisible college" to people in your subject areas.

    Some examples of Listservs for composers include:

    • International League of Women Composers
      ilwc@acuvax.acu.edu
      Send subscribe message (w/your name and e-mail address) to: Listserv@acuvax.acu.edu.
    • FINALE Users Group
      listserv@shsu.edu

    • SCORE Users Group Forum Address: maiser@ace.acadiau.ca

    • Electronic Music Discussion List: EMUS-L Address: EMUSIC-L@AUVM

    Specific Composers' Listservs (A very small sampling!):

    • SILENCE John Cage Mailing List Address: majordomo@bga.com

    • AWILDER Alec Wilder's Life & Work Address: AWILDER@cressida.cs.trinity.edu

     

    Composition-Specific Web Sites include:

    • Ancient Future.
      Among other things, the site offers information about educational material on world music, especially rhythm training. Of special interest are the site's online MIDI groove tracks of the music of Africa, Bali and India. It is available on the web at http://www.ancient-future.com

    Oregon Resources on the Web