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Music

Use this guide to find sources for your music papers and assignments.

Start Your Search with OneSearch

OneSearch is a good place to start your research. Use this search box to find books, peer-reviewed articles, videos, and more. After you search, you can use filters to narrow your search.
OneSearch

Try the new AI-powered OneSearch Research Assistant

Find Scores in OneSearch

  • Perform a keyword search in OneSearch on your topic.
    • Choose keywords that describe the composer or work title that you are looking for
    • Consider how common your keyword(s) are to other composers or works and be more specific if necessary (e.g. search johann sebastian bach instead of bach)
    • Consider alternate names or titles as search terms
  • Use the filters on the left to limit your search:
    • Under Resource Type, select Score
    • Under Collection, select "Music Score Collection"

Using Keywords for Music

The words you use to search make a difference when searching in library databases. Use these tips to help you find sources more quickly:

  • Search for a composer's name combined with a specific piece of music or theme. For example:
    • Beethoven AND early life
    • Beethoven AND piano concertos
    • Beethoven AND hearing loss
  • Search for a piece of music combined with a theme or historical importance. For example:
    • Gershwin AND Rhapsody in Blue AND jazz
  • Getting too many results? Add another search term.
  • Not finding enough? Remove or change your search terms.

If you're still stuck, try using the tutorial below: 

 

Dig Deeper in Specialized Databases

Library databases each contain and search different resources and are more focused than OneSearch. Use these databases to find sources for your assignments. Not sure which one to use? Ask a librarian and we'll be happy to help you choose the right one!

Related Course Guides

Looking for something else? Check out these related guides for more resources:

  • Music History
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