UO Libraries Home Page
Index for this guide:
Bibliographies and Discographies on Conductors
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Video Tapes on Conducting Journals
Finding Music in Print
Program Notes: Sources for Preparation
Related Resources for Orchestra Members and Conductors
Web Sites for Conductors
Copyright Resources
Other Resources for Musicians

Research Guides

THE CONDUCTOR'S RESOURCE GUIDE

REFERENCE SOURCES BY AND ABOUT CONDUCTORS

Bibliographies and Discographies on Conductors

    Cowden, Robert H.
    Concert and Opera Conductors: A Bibliography of Biographical Materials.
    New York: Greenwood Press, 1987.
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.B3C68 1987]

    Holmes, John L.
    Conductors: a Record Collector's Guide, including Compact Discs.
    London: V. Gollancz, 1988.
    [MUSIC ML105 .H65 1988]

    Holmes, John L.
    Conductors on Record.
    Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1982.
    [MUSIC ML105.H65]

Other Biographical Resources:

  • Search the UO Local Catalog under Subject for the Conductor's last name.

  • See also: Program Notes on this web site for more resources.

  • Browse the ML 422 section of the Music Services collection for books about conductors.

  • Browse MT85 & MT 88 on our shelves for books on conducting.

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Generic Music Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

    Randel, Don Michael, ed.
    The new Harvard dictionary of music
    Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1986.
    Rev. ed. of: Harvard dictionary of music.
    [MUSIC REF. ML100.N485 1986]

    Risatti, Howard.
    New Music Vocabulary: a Guide to Notational Signs for Contemporary Music Notation.
    Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1975.
    [MUSIC REF. ML431 .R6]

Musical Instrument Sources

    Sadie, Stanley, ed.
    The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments.
    London: Macmillan Press; NY: Grove's Dictionaries of Music, 1984.
    [MUSIC REF. ML102.I5N48 1984 v.1 - v.3

    Young, Philip T.
    The Look of Music.
    Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1980.
    [MUSIC ML462 .Y68

Video Tapes on Conducting:

JOURNALS

GENERAL MUSIC & CONDUCTING JOURNALS:

    The Instrumentalist
    [MUSIC ML 5 .I55]

    Journal of the Conductors' Guild.
    [MUSIC ML 457 .J7]

    Medical Problems of Performing Artists.
    [KNIGHT RC 963.6 .M42]

BAND & WIND ENSEMBLE JOURNALS

    BDGuide.
    [MUSIC MT 733 .B32]

    CBDNA Journal. [College Band Directors National Association Journal]
    [MUSIC ML 1299 .C64]

    Journal of Band Research.
    [MUSIC ML 1300 .J6]

    NACWPI Journal. [National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors]
    [MUSIC ML27.U5 N17]

    WINDS: The Journal of the British Association of Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles.
    [MUSIC ML 999 .W56 ]

CHORAL JOURNALS

ORCHESTRA JOURNALS

    American Symphony Orchestra League.
    Annual report .
    [MUSIC ML 27 .U5 A64]

    Symphony (Washington, D.C.)
    [MUSIC ML 1 .A7283]

Finding Music In Print

To determine the present price and availability of a piece of music, consult the music publishers' catalogs, in the Music Reference area, near the Music Index table.

If we don't have a particular music publisher's catalogs, the following resources list the current addresses and phone numbers for publishers:

Resources to Consult for a list of Repertoire include:

    BAND REFERENCE SOURCES

    Band Music Guide:alphabetical listing of titles and composers of all band music. 7th ed.
    Evanston, IL: Instrumentalist Co., 1978.
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.B23 B36 1978]

    Gore, Harold.
    Band Methods & Collections: An Annotated Guide.
    Lebanon, IN: Studio P/R, 1980.
    [MUSIC ML128.B23G6]

    Heller, George.
    Ensemble Music for Wind and Percussion Instruments: A Catalog.
    Washington, D.C.: MENC, 1970.
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.W5H4]

    Rehrig, William H.; edited by Paul Bierley.
    The heritage encyclopedia of band music : composers and their music. 2 v.
    Westerville, Ohio: Integrity Press, c1991.
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.B23 R44 1991 v.1 - v.3]

    Reynolds, H. Robert.
    Wind Ensemble Literature.
    Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Bands, 1975.
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.W5R4 1975]

    Voxman, Himie, and Lyle Merriman.
    Woodwind Ensemble Music Guide.
    Evanston, IL: The Instrumentalist Co., 1973
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.W5V7].

    Wallace, David, and Eugene Corporan.
    Wind Ensemble/Band Repertoire.
    Greeley, CO: University of Northern Colorado, School of Music, 1984.
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.B23W34 1984]

    Weerts, Richard K.
    Original Manuscript Music for Wind and Percussion Instruments.
    Washington, D.C.: MENC, 1973.
    [MUSIC ML132.C4 W4].

    CHORAL MUSIC RESOURCES

    See Music In Print- Choral Section

    ORCHESTRAL MUSIC RESOURCES

    American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
    ASCAP symphonic catalog. 3rd ed.
    New York : R. R. Bowker Co., 1977.
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.O5A55 1977].

    Broadcast Music, Inc.
    BMI symphonic catalogue: supplement number one.
    New York: Broadcast Music, c1978.
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.O5B76 1978].

    Daniels, David.
    Orchestral Music: A Handbook. 4th ed.
    Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2005.
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.O5 D3 2005]

    Farish, Margaret K.
    Orchestral music in print.
    Philadelphia: Musicdata, 1979.
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.O5 F33 + 1983 supplement + 1994 supplement]

    Manning, Lucy.
    Orchestral "Pops" Music: a handbook.
    Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2009.
    [MUSIC REF. ML128 .O5 M36 2009]

    Orchestral music in print. Master index 1994.
    Philadelphia : Musicdata, 1994.
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.O5 F3336 1994]

    The Free Library of Philadelphia.
    The Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music in the Free Library of Philadelphia: a Cumulative Catalog, 1929 - 1977.
    Boston: G.K.Hall, 1979.
    [MUSIC REF. ML136.P4 F68].

    Koshgarian, Richard
    American orchestral music : a performance catalog.
    Metuchen, N.J. : Scarecrow Press, 1992.
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.O5 K67 1992]

    Library of Congress. Music Division.
    Orchestral Music Catalogue: Scores in the Collection of the Library of Congress.
    New York: Da Capo Press, 1969.
    [MUSIC REF. ML136.U55 O7 1969]

    Music Educators' National Conference.
    Selective music lists-1978 : full orchestra, string orchestra.
    [MUSIC ML128.O5M78]

    Mueller, Kate Hevner
    Twenty-seven major American symphony orchestras; a history and analysis of their repertoires, seasons 1842-43 through 1969-70.
    Bloomington, Indiana University Studies; [distributed by Indiana University Press, 1973]
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.O5 M75]

    Orchestra music guide; a bibliography of music for orchestra, string orchestra, orchestra collections, and solos/ensembles accompanied by orchestra, string orchestra, or ensemble. 1st ed.
    Evanston, Ill. [c1966]
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.O5I58]

Program Notes: Sources for Preparation

I. Read about the composer in a music encyclopedia or dictionary

    Examples of Music Encyclopedias:

    Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Edited by Slonimsky, Nicolas.8th ed.
    New York: G. Schirmer, 1992.
    [MUSIC REF. ML105 .B16 1992]

    The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
    New York: Grove's Dictionaries of Music, 2001. 29 v.
    [Note: We also own the online version, which is searchable from the UO library's catalog by the title Grove Music Online]
    [MUSIC REF. ML100 .N48 2001]

    The Oxford Companion to Music.
    Oxford;NY: Oxford University Press, 2002.
    [MUSIC REF. ML 100 .O94 2002 and on the web for UO patrons]

II. Read a book about the composer:

III. Read the program notes from other concerts in the past:

Examples of some sources:

Band Programs:

    Smith, Norman, and Albert Stoutamire.
    Band Music Notes.
    San Diego: Kjos West, 1979.
    [MUSIC REF MT125.S6 1979]

    Smith, Norman.
    March Music Notes.
    Lake Charles, LA: Program Note Press, 1986.
    [MUSIC REF. ML105.S65 1986]

Symphonies:

    Downes, Edward.
    The New York Philharmonic Guide to the Symphony.
    [MUSIC REF MT 125 .D6]

    Hopkins, Anthony.
    The Concertgoer's Companion. 2 vols.
    [MUSIC REF MT 90 .H64 1984]

    Moore, Earl V.
    The Symphony and the Symphonic Poem: analytical and descriptive charts of the standard symphony repertory.
    [MUSIC REF. MT 125 .M7 1974], also
    [MUSIC MT 125 .M7 1974]

    Voorhees, Anna Tipton.
    Index to Symphonic Program Notes In Books.
    Kent, OH: School of Library Sciences, Kent State University, 1970.
    [MUSIC REF. ML 128 .O5 V6]

Operas

    Lubbock, Mark H.
    Complete Book of Light Opera.
    [MUSIC REF MT 95 .L85 1963]

    The Metropolitan Opera Stories of the Great Operas.
    [MUSIC REF MT 95 .M49 1984]

    Rieck, Waldemar.
    Opera Plots, an Index to the Stories of Operas, Operettas, etc., from the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Century.
    [MUSIC ML 128 .L4 R4]

    Studwell, William.
    Opera Plot Index: a guide to locating plots and descriptions of operas, operettas, and other works of the musical theater, and associated materials.
    [MUSIC REF ML 128 .O4 S8 1989]

Mixed Programs

    University of Oregon.
    Programs. (We have 1980 - present)
    [MUSIC ML42.E8 U5 ]

    Burkat's Program Notes site is slated to be up soon, at: http://www.burkat.com/

Music analysis resources that may be helpful:

    Diamond, Harold J
    Music analyses : an annotated guide to the literature.
    New York : Schirmer Books ; Toronto : Collier Macmillan Canada ; New York : Maxwell Macmillan International, c1991.
    [MUSIC ML128.A7 D5 1991]

    Wenk, Arthur B.
    Analyses of nineteenth-century music : 1940-1980. 2nd ed.
    Boston : Music Library Association, c1984.
    [MUSIC ML118.W43 1984]

    Wenk, Arthur B.
    Analyses of twentieth-century music, 1940-1970.
    Ann Arbor, Mich.: Music Library Association, 1975.
    [MUSIC ML118 .W46]

    Wenk, Arthur B.
    Analyses of twentieth-century music. Supplement. 2nd ed.
    Boston: Music Library Association, 1984.
    [MUSIC REF. ML118.W462 1984]

IV. Listen to a recording of the music (and read the program notes on the cover of the recording):

Discographies of Recordings by subject area include:

Band Discographies

    Rasmussen, Richard.
    Recorded Concert Band Music, 1950 - 1987: a Selected, Annotated Listing.
    Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1988.
    [MUSIC REF. ML156.4.B3 R4 1988]

    Smart, James Robert.
    The Sousa Band: a Discography.
    Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1970.
    [MUSIC REF. ML156.4.B3S6]

Choral Music Discographies:

    Blyth, Alan.
    Choral music on record.
    Cambridge [England]; New York: Cambridge University Press,
    [MUSIC REF.ML156.4.V7 C54 1991]

To find recordings in the Music Services' Douglass Room on the UO Local Catalog, type the composer's name as Author, then limit the search by Material Type = Music, Record, and let the computer find the recordings by that composer.

You can also look under the title of the piece, then limit by recordings.

To search for just the compact discs:

  • Start with the Call# tab on the UO Local Catalog.
  • Scroll down to the Non-LC Call #:
    You will receive a list of the 16000+ compact discs we own- you can then limit by author (composer) or title or subject heading.
  • If you want to browse our compact disc collection by genre (which doesn't include entries by instrument, see our genre web page at http://libweb.uoregon.edu/music/musgenres.html

  • Browse our CIRCULATING CD COLLECTION.
    The covers are available for browsing as you walk in to the Douglass Room. For recordings by specific performers, come browse our Performers section under their last names. These will be compilation albums of many different composers.

  • Check out our Audio Resources Online, at http://libweb.uoregon.edu/music/aso.html
    These databases provide streaming audio listening from 5 subscriptions, including the Database of Recorded American Music (DRAM) and Classical Music Library.
    Searches can be by instrument, composer, genre, performers, etc.
    (If you're having problems connecting off campus, see our Access to Electronic Resources site, at http://libweb.uoregon.edu/systems/proxy/

V. Read some reviews of the recordings or performances:

  • Search the Music Index for articles from 1979 to the present and look under the name of the composer, the name of the piece, and/or the name of the performers.

  • For other indexes that contain review of musical performances and recordings, see the UO Library's Catalog under Databases & Indexes

Related Resources for Orchestra Members

    Facing the maestro: a musician's guide to orchestral audition repertoire.
    Washington, D.C.: American Symphony Orchestra League, c1983.
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.O5F3 1983].

    Rabson, Carolyn.
    Orchestral excerpts: a comprehensive index.
    Berkeley, Calif.: Fallen Leaf Press, c1993.
    [MUSIC REF. ML128.O5 R2 1993]

    Also see the following web sites at the UO for Orchestral Excerpts:

  • Orchestral Excerpts for Brass Players

WEB SITES for CONDUCTORS

Band:

Choral:

Orchestral:

Organizations

Instrumental Resources:

Vocal Resources:

Copyright Resources:

Other Resources for Musicians

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Maintained by: Leslie Bennett, lbennett@uoregon.edu