Transcript document
Library Resources for Voice Students
@ Rickman Library
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQlmX
U1zqfc
Need to find information
about song cycles, operas,
lieder, composers, libretti,
characters, roles, IPA, scores,
synopses, recordings,
program notes, etc.?
Confused?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpqv0lfX14
Voice Notebook: Components You Need
• Song Title
• Song Words
– English translation
--IPA translation
• Recording & identifying information
• Score of the Work & identifying information
• Composer of Work: Full Name & Dates
• Librettist: Full Name (if applicable)
• Summary of the Song
• Summary/Synopsis of the Parent Work (e.g. opera, oratorio,
etc.) (IF applicable)
• Summary of the Character (if applicable)
Getting Organized
1. Information about the work's historical
context and the circumstances surrounding
its composition
2. Description of the work itself
3. Some very brief details about the composer
that relate directly to the work
Questions to ask
• Why did the composer write this work?
• When did he/she write this work?
• How did he/she write this work (in a concentration camp, in
prison, as part of a job or commission, under pressure from
someone)?
• Have any interesting or historical recordings been made?
• Did the work spark any sort of outrage, protest, or get any
other notable response?
• What form/musical structure is being used in this piece or
movement? (e.g. sonata, ABA form, etc.)
• Is there any terminology or lingo that needs to be explained?
(e.g. definition of passacaglia or scherzo)
Writing Program Notes: Dos and Don’ts
DON’T
DO
Write general or vague
statements about well-known
composers or events
Write specific examples that
pertain to the music you are
singing
Go on and on about how the
piece makes you feel when you
sing it
Write about what emotion you
think the composer intended
the singer to express, and
support it with a specific
example.
Pull random, un-cited
information from the web
Use quality sources to find
information and use random
googling as a last resort.
Use space-filler, fluffy
information
Use specific information that
will enlighten and inform
FINDING THE SCORE OF THE SONG
• Look in SWUcat
• Look in PASCALCAT
• CPDL.org
• IMSLP.org
• http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/variations/scores/
• Worldcat.org
• Interlibrary Loan
*Make sure you choose an edition in the
correct language!
Finding the English Translation
• The Aria Database –
http://www.aria-database.com
• Foreign language dictionaries are in
the REF 400s (don’t use online translators—
they will lead you astray!)
• Random Googling (but be careful!)
Transcribing it into IPA
(international phonetics alphabet)
IPA Manual – REF 783.0014 W154
(in the reference section)
Your diction book
http://ipa.typeit.org/
Composer Dates and Other Information
• New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians – Ref 780.3 G919 2001
• Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians – Ref 780.922 B177 2001
• The New Grove Dictionary of Opera – Ref 782.103 N43
• Wikipedia, Allmusic.com, etc. (CROSS CHECK THEM!)
• Websites (Composer’s Personal Websites, Professional Societies,
Naxos.com, www.eb.com)
• Composer Biographies
Information about the Poet or Librettist
The Aria Database
http://www.ariadatabase.com
Naxos Education:
Opera Synopses and Libretti
http://www.naxos.com/educ
ation/brief_history.asp
Index to Poetry in Music
REF 782.42 B728
World Poets
REF 809.1003 W893
New Grove Dictionary of
Music and Musicians
REF 780.3 G919 2001
Finding the Synopsis
• New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
• The Aria Database – http://www.aria-database.com
• Naxos Education—Opera Synopses and Libretti
http://www.naxos.com/education/brief_history.asp
• Opera Glass – http://opera.stanford.edu/
• The New Penguin Opera Guide – Ref 782.103 N42
• Oxford Dictionary of Opera – Ref 782.103 W25
• Program Notes/Liner Notes
Character Name and Information
• The Aria Database – http://www.aria-database.com
• Naxos Education—Opera Synopses and Libretti
http://www.naxos.com/education/brief_history.asp
• New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
• Who’s Who in Opera: A Guide to Opera Characters
REF 782.10269 B667
Image courtesy of San Francisco Sentinel
Finding information about an song or aria
Any of the sources on the previous slide MAY have information about
your song
MAYBE NOT. So then what?
• Program notes/Liner notes are the BEST source
of information
• Your brain!
RECORDINGS
Information about the Recording
• Liner notes of the actual recording
• Classical Music Library liner notes
HOW TO FIND A RECORDING
• Look in SWUcat/PASCALcat
• Look in Classical Music Library
• YouTube (Be careful!)
Not there? Look on Worldcat.org and fill out an ILL form
A Note About Websites and Online Sources
GOOGLE IS GREAT!
HOWEVER
YOU MUST BE CAREFUL WHAT WEBSITES YOU GET INFORMATION FROM!
PLEASE THINK ABOUT WHO WROTE THE INFORMATION BEFORE YOU USE
WEBSITES TO OBTAIN SCHOLARLY INFORMATION
An example:
http://www.mozartproject.org/ vs.
http://www.mozart.biz/ vs.
http://answers.ask.com/Entertainment/Movie
s/how_did_mozart_die