Transcript Name That Tune - The New England Chapter of the Music Library

The New England Chapter of the Music Library Association
Name That Tune:
Music Services
and the Public Library
Sponsored by the
New England Music Library Association (NEMLA)
The New England Chapter of the Music Library Association
Music Reference:
Songs
Presented by
Erin L. Mayhood
Assistant Head, Music Library, Boston University
April 13th, 2005
Sponsored by the
New England Music Library Association (NEMLA)
How Music Song Reference Differs
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Many songs are found in collections and will not
appear under their title in library catalogs
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Format is a large concern
The Music Reference Interview
Focusing the inquiry in music includes:
 Format
Score
 Recording
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Does the patron need the words (lyrics) only?
Are they looking for background information?
Common Formats
Recordings
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Compact Discs
Cassettes
LP’s
Scores
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Full scores
Piano vocal scores
Fake books
Example of a Full Score:
Example of a piano-vocal score:
Example of a fake book:
Questions to Ask:
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What is the title of the song?
Who wrote the song?
Do you know the first line or any of the lyrics?
What decade is this song from?
Who recorded the song?
What style of music is it?
Where did you hear this song?
Finding Songs: Why Are They So
Hard?
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Lack of contents notes in catalog records
Songs may be part of a larger work like an opera
or a musical
Languages
A Sample Catalog Record Lacking Content Notes
Example of a record with contents notes.
These notes are keyword searchable.
Finding Song Scores – Essential
Print Resources
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Verification Sources
Use to verify title, composer, date information.
 Especially useful if you have only partial information
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Song Indexes
Use to determine the titles of collections or
anthologies that include your song.
 General or genre specific
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Sheet Music Resources on the Internet
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Aid in verification
Searchable lyrics
Digitized copies of songs that may be printable
Many institutions compile lists of recommended
sites
Example:
www.bu.edu/library/music/sheetmusic
Charles H. Templeton Sheet Music
Collection
http://library.msstate.edu/ragtime/main.html
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Contains images of over 22,000 pieces of
sheet music from late nineteenth and early
twentieth century America
Covers many genres, from the ragtime of
Scott Joplin, the Dixieland of W. C. Handy,
the smooth ballads of Irving Berlin, the
stirring patriotic anthems of John Phillips
Sousa and George M. Cohan to the early
roots of big band.
Charles H. Templeton Sheet Music Collection Search Screen
Charles H. Templeton Sheet Music
Collection – Digital Images of Sheet Music
Finding Music Lyrics on the Internet
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Many lyric sites on the internet
Beware of sites with extensive pop ups
Sites often specialize in a particular genre
Many libraries maintain lists of selected sites.
www.Leoslyrics.com
Phrase search for “my hands are
shaky”
What album contains that song?
193 albums have the song “All Shook
Up” – Use advanced search to limit
to a specific performer
Contact Information
NEMLA: http://www.wesleyan.edu/nemla/