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Music : Composition

 

This guide suggests resources and strategies for research on music composition.

Contents of this research guide

Background Information  |    Find Articles  |  Find Books  |  Criticism & Reviews  |  People  |  Organizations  |  Web Resources  |  Additional Resources

 

 

Background Information (Overview Sources)

Encyclopedias and other reference works are an excellent place to start a research project or simply learn more about a particular topic.  They provide topic summaries, context, and bibliographies for further reading.

Baker, Mickey. Mickey baker’s complete handbook for the music arranger. Q 781.64 B175c

Boccagna, David L. Musical terminology: a practical compendium in four languages. R 780.3 B63m

Citron, Stephen. Song writing: a complete guide to the craft. 782.4216413 C4984s

Jones, George Thaddeus. Musical composition: a manual for training the young composer 781.61 J716m

Liggett, Max. The complete handbook of songwriting: an insider’s guide to making it in the music industry 782.4202373 L626c2

Pincus, Lee. The songwriter’s success manual. 784.028 P652s2

Randel, Don Michael. (ed) The Harvard concise dictionary of music and musicians. R 780.3 H2612

Stiller, Andrew. Handbook of instrumentation. Q 781.64 St54h

Wagner, Joseph Frederick. Orchestration: a practical handbook. 781.6 W125o
 
 

 

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Find Articles

Search indexes, abstracts, and databases to find journal, magazine, and newspaper articles.  For a complete list of Kent Library's online indexes and databases, see the Find: articles page (http://library.semo.edu/find/articles.asp).

To find historical/source materials, use the following print sources:
Music Index (for materials before 1979)
Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature
 

To find recent articles and scholarly/peer-reviewed articles use the following online databases:

Academic Search Premiere
Eric
Grove Music Online
Music Index

Oxford Reference Online
Proquest Research Library
Wilson Omnifile

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Find General Collection Books

Use the Kent Library Catalog (http://library.semo.edu/find/books.html) to find books, periodicals (journals, magazines, & newspapers), videos, government documents and other materials.

Keyword searches allow you to use your own words as search terms.
Subject heading searches use Library of Congress subject headings. Printed volumes of these headings are located near the Reference Desk on the main floor.
 

Music (may be subdivided as in: Music—United States—20th Century)

Composers

Composition (Music)

Instrumentation and Orchestration

 

Browse the shelves by call number.  Use the Dewey Decimal chart (http://library.semo.edu/learn/guides/dewey100.shtml) to get you in the right subject areas.

Some examples of available titles:

 

Baker, David. Arranging & composing for the small ensemble: jazz, r&b,jazz-rock

785.42028 B172a

 

Berlioz, Hector. Treatise on instrumentation; enl. And rev. by Richard strauss;incuding Berlioz’ essay on conducting. Q 781.64 B455t

 

Blatter, Alfred. Instrumentation and orchestration. 781.37 B613i2

 

Braheny, John. The craft and business of song writing. 784.028 B73c

 

Davis, Sheila. The craft of lyric writing. 784.50028 D297c

 

Delamont, Gordon. Modern arranging technique; a comprehensive approach to arranging and orchestration for the contemporary stage band, dance band, and studio orchestra.

785.284        D373m

 

Engle, Robert. Taking note of music: beginning theory and songwriting. 781 En35t

 

Garcia, Russell. The professional arranger composer. 781.64 G165p

 

Jacob, Gordon. The elements of orchestration. 785.0284 J15e

 

Keane, David. Tape music composition. 789.99 K197t

 

Ott, Leonard. Orchestration and orchestral style of major symphonic works: analytical perspectives 784.2 Ot8o

 

Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolay. Principles of orchestration, with musical examples drawn from his own works. 781.632 R469p

 

Skiles, Martin. Music scoring for TV & motion pictures. 782.85 Sk33m

 

Weissman, Dick. Creating melodies: a songwriter’s guide to understanding, writing, and polishing melodies. 782.4216413 C86w

 

 

 


 

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Criticism & Reviews

High Fidelity -- Periodicals (1980-1986)
High Fidelity and Musical America -- Periodicals (1970-1980)
High Fidelity Incorporating Musical America -- Periodicals (1965-1969)
Musical America  -- Periodicals (1987-1992) and online in Proquest Research Library (1988-1992)

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People

Learn about important people, such as authors, researchers & historical figures related to this topic or field.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Thirty-four biographies of Canadian composers. 780.922 C16t

Hasse, John Edward. Beyond category: the life and genius of duke Ellington. 781.65092 El56ha

Hughes, Rupert. American composers. 927.8 H874

Jones, F. O. A handbook of american music and musicians. 780.3 J715h

Peyser, Joan. The memory of all that: the life of george Gershwin. 780.92 G323p

Pratt, Waldo. The new encyclopedia of music and musicians. 780.3 P889

Slonimsky, Nicholas. Baker’s dictionary of musicians. R 780.922 B177b

Swafford, Jean. Johannes brahms: a biography. 780.92 B73s

Tick, Judith. Ruth crawford seeger: a composer’s search for american music. 780.92 Se327t

White, John I. Git along little doggies: songs and songmakers of the american west. 784.4978 W584g

 

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Organizations

Professional organizations and/or societies often provide very useful topic related information.

Representative listings below.  For a more comprehensive listing, consult the Encyclopedia of Associations (R Ref Desk 061 G131e)

American Music Center (http://dir.yahoo.com/.../Organizations/American_Music_Center_The)

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (http://dir.yahoo.com/.../ProfessionalAmerican_Society_of_Composers_Authors_and_Publishers_ASCAP)

American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers (ASMAC) (http://www.asmac.org)

Association of Irish Composers (http://www.composeres.ie)

Center for the Promotion of Contemporary Composers (http://www.under.org.cpcc)

Composers Collaborative (http://www.composerscollab.org)

International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM) (http://www.iawm.org)

Meet the Composer (http://www. meetthecomposers.org)

New Consonant Music Composeres (http://www.avk.org/ncm.index.html)

Society of Composers & Lyricists (http://www.filmscore.org)

Young Composers Guild (http://www.athenet.net/~wslow/ycg_index.html)


 

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Web Resources

 

Baroque Music Page

(http://baroquemusic.org)

 

Classical Composer Biographies

(http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk~mn200/music/composers.html)

 

Classical Net

(http://www.classicalnet)

 

Essentials of Music

(http://www.essentialsof music.com)

 

Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical Era Music: Composers

(http://plato.acadiau.ca/courses/music/callon/2233/composer.htm)

 

Women Composers : Music Through the Ages

(http://dx.doi.org)

 

For a list of Web searching tools, see the Find: web resources page (http://library.semo.edu/find/webpages.html).

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Additional Resources

Classical music archives -- collection of public domain MIDI files that can be imported into notation programs

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page developed by Information Services/ BL
05/06