1. Keyword Searching is your friend! Beginning with a keyword search is almost always the most efficient means of beginning any research project, and particularly for finding music materials, even if you know the title! Enter only those terms that are distinctive.

Example: You want to look up Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.

Try doing a keyword search: Stravinsky AND Rite

A results list will appear on the screen. By clicking on the title in a results list, you can find out more about the item in question, such as whether or not it is already checked out, the publisher, and the format, whether it is a book, score, or sound recording.

You will also see the link: Vesna Sviashchennaia

This is the Uniform Title, or the title of the work in the original language. Clicking on this title will lead you to more manifestations of the work.

2. Generic titles:are rampant in music materials! Symphonies, sonatas, overtures, quartets, suites, concertos! And there are many more!

Important tip!!!! For generic titles, enter the plural form of the title (in English) in your keyword search, even if you only want ONE particular symphony, or sonata, etc. (There’s a long and complicated explanation for why this works. If you’re really interested and have at least an hour, I’d be happy to explain it to you.) You can add other identifying elements, such as number or key, to your keyword search to narrow your results.

Example:

If you want to look up Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C major, op. 545,

try entering the keyword search: Wolfgang AND Mozart AND Piano AND Sonatas.

THEN, press the "limit" button to include only the format that you need such as "printed scores" or "sound record".

You can also try the keyword search: Mozart AND sonatas AND 545

Realize that this search will necessarily not pick up collections of Mozart’s sonatas.

3. MOST IMPORTANT!!! DON’T GIVE UP!!! If you cannot find what you need, please ask!

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-Anne Harlow
5/31/2002
aharlow@temple.edu}