The New England Chapter of the Music Library Association

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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)
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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)
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How Music Song Reference Differs

• Many songs are found in collections and will not
  appear under their title in library catalogs
• Format is a large concern

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The Music Reference Interview

• Focusing the inquiry in music includes
• Format
• Score
• Recording
• Does the patron need the words (lyrics) only?
• Are they looking for background information?

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Common Formats

• Recordings
• Compact Discs
• Cassettes
• LPs

• Scores
• Full scores
• Piano vocal scores
• Fake books

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Example of a Full Score
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Example of a piano-vocal score
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Example of a fake book
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Questions to Ask

• 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?

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Finding Songs Why Are They So Hard?

• Lack of contents notes in catalog records
• Songs may be part of a larger work like an opera
  or a musical
• Languages

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A Sample Catalog Record Lacking Content Notes
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Example of a record with contents notes. These
notes are keyword searchable.
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Finding Song Scores Essential Print Resources

• Verification Sources
• Use to verify title, composer, date information.
  
• Especially useful if you have only partial
  information
• 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

• Aid in verification
• Searchable lyrics
• Digitized copies of songs that may be printable
• Many institutions compile lists of recommended
  sites

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Example www.bu.edu/library/music/sheetmusic
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Charles H. Templeton Sheet Music Collection
http//library.msstate.edu/ragtime/main.html

• 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.

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Charles H. Templeton Sheet Music Collection
Search Screen
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Charles H. Templeton Sheet Music Collection
Digital Images of Sheet Music
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Finding Music Lyrics on the Internet

• 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.

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www.Leoslyrics.com
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Phrase search for my hands are shaky
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What album contains that song?
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193 albums have the song All Shook Up Use
advanced search to limit to a specific performer
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Contact InformationNEMLA http//www.wesleyan.ed
u/nemla/