Music Research Guide
Identify
Keywords:
- Before beginning
research, state the topic of the search concisely (in one sentence). An example
of a search statement which is expressed succinctly is:
What vocal warm-up
exercises are used for training high school singers in the United States?
- From this search statement
identify the main concepts of the search. In the above search statement, vocal
and warm-up exercises would represent the two main concepts of the search.
The concept of the high school grade level and United States geographic
area would enable the search to be narrowed even further.
- Brainstorm
a list of keyword synonyms for each concept identified above. Use these keywords
throughout a search to find variant terms used to describe the main concepts.
Different indexes may use different terminology to categorize the same concept.
(Remember, as the search progresses, some new keywords will be discovered to add
to the list and some keywords on the list in the beginning will be discarded if
found to be inappropriate.) Sample lists of keyword synonyms are shown below for
finding information on the topic vocal warm-up exercises for training high school
singers in the United States:
| Concept
1: vocal |
Concept
2: warm-up exercises |
Concept
3: United States |
Concept
4: high school |
|
voice
|
drill
|
USA
|
secondary
education
|
|
choral
|
practice
|
America
|
secondary
school
|
|
singing
|
lesson
|
US
|
grades
7-12
|
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Locate
Background Information:
- At the start of a
research project, consult specialized dictionaries or encyclopedias to obtain
a concise overview of a concept, school of thought, or a particular person's
contribution to the dramatic and theater arts. Music
Sources contains a list of specialized dictionaries and encyclopedias
available in Owens Library applicable to music research assignments. The
Oxford Music Online is an especially good source for beginning historical
research on Western musical traditions and musicians as well as research
on music theory, musical instruments and the national musical traditions
of most countries.
- If
information is needed on a time period, an ethnic group, or the history of a particular
nation, link to the Nations,
Ethnic Groups, and Time Periods section of the Selected Drama and Theater
Sources page.
- If
information is needed on visual arts or world culture, link to the Art
History and World Culture section of the Selected Drama and Theater
Sources page.
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Search
the Library Catalog:
Subject headings and
subdivisions are categories used in the
Library Catalog to classify the content of books and other materials
referred to. A subject search
can be narrowly focused and, if it is successful, produce relevant results.
Click here
for a sample of subject headings related to music. Music subjects often have
several subdivisions. Typically music subject headings are structured as shown
below:
music
-- Geographic location -- Event, Time Period or Subdivision of Topic
Sources
about music in specific countries are available in the Library Catalog under
subjects like those shown below. When entering subject headings in the library
catalog search form leave off all punctuation and capital letters. For the subject
heading Music -- United States -- 20th century enter music united states 20th century:
Music -- France -- 19th Century
Folk Music -- Ireland -- History and Criticism
Specific
types or genres of music may be listed under a separate subject heading or subdivision
like the examples shown below:
Blues (music) -- History and Criticism
Gospel (music) -- Discography
Concertos (piano) -- Scores
Many musicians and composers have subject headings which refer to books or other items
with biographical information and critical evaluations of their work. Author subject
headings appear like the examples shown below. When entering author subject headings
in the library catalog search form leave off all punctuation and capital letters.
For the subject heading of the musician and composer Duke Ellington enter
ellington duke:
Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974.
Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827 -- Bibliography.
(The subdivision Bibliography locates items with information that list the composer's
own work and also critical evaluations of the composer's work.)
Ellington,
Duke, 1899-1974 -- Criticism and interpretation.
(The
subdivision Criticism and interpretation locates items with information
that critically evaluates the work of the main subject.)
Sources about music topics may
also be retrieved by using a keyword
search. With keyword searching, search terms can be combined with
the operators and, or, not. A sample keyword search is
shown below:
ital* and music* and hist*
Read tips for subject, keyword
and Boolean searching in the Frequently
Asked Questions section of the Library Catalog.
Truncation allows users to stem
words or retrieve root words with several endings. The truncation symbol in
the Library Catalog
below will locate records
in the Library Catalog
that include the words instrument, instruments, instrumentalist, or instrumentation.
Keyword
searches may include nesting. The nested terms within the parentheses are usually
combined with an or:
German* and (symphon* or concerto*
or orchestra*) and hist*
Qualifying
a search allows users to look for information in a specific field of a record
such as the author, title, subject or note field. The search shown below locates
the words criticism and interpretation in the su (subject) field only of records
about the play, Tempest. The quotations around the word and between criticism
and interpretation indicates to the library catalog search engine to treat
and as a keyword and not a connecting word.
su criticism "and" interpretation
and Beethoven and symphon*
For advice on how to conduct other
types of searches such as how to find videos, the call number and location
of periodicals available in Owens Library, or music scores, check the Frequently
Asked Questions page of the Library Catalog.
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Other
Library Catalogs:
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Find
Music Articles:
Use
periodical indexes to locate article citations and article summaries on music
topics. Gale and EBSCOhost available on Owens Library's Search
for Articles page provide selected online full-text articles as well as
article citations and summaries.
- A concise list of
indexes appropriate for music research is available on the Find
the Database You Need.
- For a description
of indexes appropriate for music research available in Owens Library check
the Find Music Articles section
of the Music Sources page.
- Be sure to use the
keyword synonyms formulated at the beginning of the search and refined during
the library catalog search to use as search terms in the periodical indexes.
- Genres of music, famous
music personalities, and countries or events that relate to music may be
referred to by variant terms. African American musicians, Afro-American
musicians, black musicians or Negro musicians are all
terms that could be used to find articles about American musicians of African
descent.
- Different indexes
may use different terms to describe the same concept. For example, the Library
Catalog uses the subject
heading Music -- Mexico to categorize materials about music in the
country of Mexico. The International Index to Music Periodicals
uses the subject heading Mexican Music to describe the same category.
And Gale uses the subject heading Music, Mexican.
- Use more specific
terms for broad concepts to restrict the focus of a search if too many unwanted
results are found. For instance, to find articles about keyboard instruments
use terms like organ, harpsichord, or piano instead of a general term like
instrument or instrumental.
- The
truncation symbol for Gale and EBSCOhost is an asterisk (*).
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Use
Print Sources:
- Use the bibliography
entitled Music Sources to locate print and
electronic music sources available in Owens Library.
- Search for music topics in
the Library Catalog
to find books and other materials available in Owens Library. Read Library
Catalog Search Tips listed above to learn how to focus search strategy
for music topics.
- Use
the bibliographies (lists of references) in books, journal articles, Web documents
or other sources to identify related information about music topics. Sources not
available in Owens Library may be borrowed through Interlibrary
Loan.
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Select
and Evaluate WWW Resources:
- Oxford Music Online
is a new gateway that offers users the ability, for the first time ever, to access and cross-search the vast resources of Oxford's music reference in one location. The cornerstone of Oxford Music Online, Grove Music Online, has been completely redesigned with a number of functional enhancements and new content.
- Use the Music
WWW Resources page to locate Internet resources recommended by Owens
Library information professionals.
- Use the Searching
Tips & Tricks page to learn how to enter focused, efficient searches
in search engines recommended by Owens Library information professionals.
- Evaluate music Web
sites found with search engines using the criteria suggested on the Evaluating
Web Sites page.
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