Western Libraries

Music - Resources by Instrument

Voice

Fr. chant, voix; Ger. Stimme; It. Voce

Repertoire

Browse the Music Library shelves for scores.

Call number ranges with descriptions

Solo Songs with Piano

Call numbers Description
M 1619 collections (more than one composer)
M 1620 collections of songs by a single composer
M 1621 single works by one composer
M 1621.3 single works with additional or obbligato instrument
M 1621.4 song cycles

Voice and guitar or lute

Call numbers Description
M 1623
collections of music for voice and guitar
M 1623.5 collections of music for voice and lute
M 1624 single works for voice and guitar
M 1634.5 single works for voice and lute

Sacred Songs with Piano or Organ

Call numbers Description
M 2110 collections (more than one composer)
M 2112 collections of songs by a single composer
M 2113 single works with additional or obbligato instrument
M 2113.4 sacred song cycles

Operas

Call numbers Description
M 1500 full score of operas
M 1503 piano-vocal scores of operas
M 1505 operatic excerpts (full scores)
M 1507-8 operatic excerpts (piano-vocal scores)

Oratorios and Cantatas

Call numbers Description
M 2000 full score of oratorios
M 2003 piano-vocal scores of oratorios
M 2020 full scores of scared cantatas
M 2023 piano-vocal scores of sacred cantatas
M 1613 full scores of secular cantatas
M 1614 piano-vocal scores of secular cantatas

Collective Titles

The library buys composers' songs in collections and enters them under "collective titles".

Collective Title Description
[Songs] ALL of a composer's songs
[Songs. Selections] SOME of a composer's songs
[Works] ALL of a composer's works (including songs)
[Works. Selections] SOME of a composer's works (including songs)

The following sources are useful in identifying appropriate repertoire (alone and in combination with other instruments):

Performance Practice

Historically-informed performance is an ongoing consideration for all performers. The following titles may prove useful:

Background and History

To find all of the books which deal with the history of singing in our library, use this Subject Heading:

For additional detailed and scholarly information on the history of singing consult:

Texts, Translations, and IPA

Many books are devoted to translations of texts set by a single composer. Most will be found at REF ML 54.6. Some of the more important ones are:

Opera Libretti

ML 48-50 is the classification for opera libretti, with ML 50 reserved for individual titles (‘cuttered’ by composer’s surname). The late Nico Castel’s publications are highly-regarded, and include full translations of entire opera libretti, with full IPA-transcriptions. The following titles may prove useful:

Periodicals

Western Libraries subscribes to the following relevant periodicals (AKA journals or magazines):

The following Subject searches in the library catalogue may provide useful results: