Searching for Performance Arts Materials using OneSearch

• Any field search
• Title search
• Author/Creator search
• Subject search -- topic terms
• Subject search -- music medium of performance terms
• Call number search -- exact item
• Browse by call number
• Library of Congress Classification for Music

• Think about search term(s) that describe the item(s) you seek.
   
• Keep your searches simple. In Any field searches, fewer specific search terms lead to optimal searches.
• Keep these tips in mind:
  • General
    • Omit capital letters.
    • In titles, omit initial articles in any language.
      (English: a, an, the; German: der, die, das, ein, eine; Romance languages: la, le, lo, los, un, una, une, uno, etc.).
    • Combine different search elements in one search field.
      • Include name, title, and format words whenever possible.
      • Avoid searches using multiple search fields (i.e. more than one or two search boxes), if possible.
• Music works -- especially works with generic titles
  • When searching for music scores or recordings, read about how music is described in an online library catalog.
  • Give genres in plural (e.g. sonatas, symphonies)
  • Give titles in "catalog" (reverse) order (e.g. sonatas violin piano)
  • Include any available numbering (e.g. sonatas violin piano op 12)
    You may look numberings up in a thematic catalog (see the CCM Library guide to thematic catalogs) or a music dictionary (see composer work-lists in Oxford Music Online).
  • Combine different search elements in one search field.

beethoven sonatas violin piano 12 parts

sibelius tapiola karajan

mozart figaro vocal score

> Tips: 

• If a search doesn't lead to expected search results, tweak your search results using the facets to the left.
  • If your search results are too numerous for your purposes, make the facets more specific.
  • If your search results are not numerous and useful enough for your purposes, make the facets less specific.
  • Learn more about the facets on the Refine search using facets page.

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The Title Search is most useful when you have a long distinctive phrase. This is more common with book titles, journal titles, and titles of items published as collections, sets, or series (i.e. Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concert programs).

• oxford history of western music
• polyphonic music of the fourteenth century

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The Author/Creator Search is used to find any category of person or group of people. For example, authors/creators (including composers, performers, ensembles, etc.), conferences, institutions.
 

> Tips: 

• In OneSearch, the order of names doesn't affect the search results (e.g. shakespeare william OR william shakespeare).
• When searching for an author/creator with a large output, it will help to also include a keyword related to what you want to find. We do not recommend searching for everything in the library by Bach or Beethoven and then looking page by page hoping to see that piece you need.

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The Subject Search is primarily used to find materials about a topic. This is critically different from many other searches you do.

For example, in an Author/Creator search, you look for works by that creator.

E.g. Searching for leonard bernstein in an Author/Creator search yields results that include music written by and performed by Bernstein.

But to find resources (e.g. books, documentaries, dissertations, etc.) about Bernstein, search leonard bernstein using a SUBJECT search.

Similarly, in a Title search, you might look for works with titles containing a generic genre or form, such as sonata, signifying that the work is in that genre or form.

E.g. Searching for sonata in a Title search yields results that are sonatas.

But to find resources about sonatas, search using a SUBJECT search.

> Tips:

• The terms used in the SUBJECT index are from the list created by the Library of Congress. The list uses controlled vocabulary determined by the Library of Congress
• Library of Congress subject headings follow certain patterns that appear in the same order: Topic - Place - Time. E.g. here are subject terms used for a book on French Baroque Opera: Opera -- France -- 17th century
• Genre as a topic is usually given in the singular form. E.g. Opera not Operas, Sonata not Sonatas
• French (German, etc) always means the language French, not anything from the country France; this allows you to distinguish between language and geography: E.g. Folk songs, French -- Canada
• Musical history is defined by time periods not style terms: E.g. "17th century," not "baroque," "18th century," not "classical"
   
• **If a subject term you search on does not yield useful search results, try going to a catalog record for any resources that you do find useful and click on any of their subject headings to find other resources on similar topics.

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There is a second use of the SUBJECT index in the Library Catalog: searching on medium of performance terms for music.

For example, in this catalog record for the Beethoven Clarinet trio, op. 11 , notice the subject heading:

Trios (Piano, clarinet, cello) -- Scores and parts

This is a medium of performance subject heading.

The link can be followed as a link to find other scores/parts for piano, clarinet, and cello in the CCM Library.

If you shorten the search to Trios (piano clarinet cello), the search results include everything at the CCM Library (physical scores and recordings) for that combination.

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The Call Number search can be useful in certain situations. For example, if you have a particular resource in mind and already know the exact call number, you can search that call number to view the resource's item record.

Search for the call number in the "UC Libraries Catalog" as a "Call Number search." This search will bring up the item associated with that call number, and you can click into the item record to see availability and bibliographic information for that item.

For example, your class might have materials on reserve with the call numbers listed in the syllabus. Imagine you want to use one of the books but want to check the catalog to see if it's currently available. You would conduct this "Call Number search" using the call number listed in your syllabus.

Sampsel, Laurie J. Music Research: A Handbook. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. MUS ML113 .S28 2013

The search results show the items associated with that call number. You can find the 2013 edition that is on reserve for your class and see that it is available. You can click into the item records to see more information about the availability and loan period. Many item records also include a section called "Virtual Browse," which displays items with similar call numbers that would be located nearby on the shelf. Hovering over the images will display the call numbers and additional information. Item records for items on class reserve will also display the other items on reserve for the same course.

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If you don't have a specific item in mind but want to explore the items held in a specific area, you can try a "Browse Search" and browse by call number to see materials in a given call number range. (Note: This kind of search can be similar to browsing the shelves, but the search results may not be listed in the exact order in which they would appear on the shelf.)

To browse by call number, select the three dots at the right end of the red menu bar across the top of the OneSearch advanced search screen. Clicking the three dots brings up more menu options, and "Browse Search" will appear at the bottom right of the expanded menu. Select "Browse Search" to access the new browse search screen.

The Browse Search defaults to "Browse by Title," so click the drop-down box to select "Browse by Library of Congress call numbers."

Now you can search by call number to browse all the materials held in that call number range in the CCM Library. 

Use the outline of the Library of Congress Classification for Music to help you determine which call number you should enter in order to browse the records of the materials you seek. For example, if you want to view all of the piano sonatas held in the CCM Library, you can search "M23." If you want to view all of the opera/musical vocal scores, you can search "M1503." If you want to see all of the symphonies by composers with a last name beginning with B, you can search "M1001.b." The symphonies are cataloged alphabetically by composer last name, so as you scroll through the records using the up and down arrows at the bottom right of the screen, you will see the Bachs near the beginning, followed by Beethoven, Borodin, Brahms, and Bruckner.

>TIP: The numbers that follow the B in the call number "M1001.b.." are numerical representations of the second and third letters of the name. So if you wanted to browse only the symphonies written by Beethoven, you could search "M1001.b44" (b44 = BEEthoven). The symphonies by Brahms are represented by the call number "M1001.b72" (b72 = BRAhms), and the symphonies by Bruckner are represented by the call number "M1001.b79" (b79 = BRUckner).

You can also search for miniature scores by using the prefix "MS" instead of "M" (MS is not part of the official Library of Congress classification system, but the CCM Library uses it to distinguish miniature scores from full-size scores in our collection). So searching "M1001.b79" will display the records for full-sized Bruckner symphony scores, and searching "MS1001.b79" will display the records for the Bruckner symphony miniature scores.

The Browse Search works for other resources as well. For example, music biographies are classified under the call number "ML410" followed by letters and numbers representing the subject of the biography. Dance biographies are classified under the call number "GV1785." If you want to browse the biographies for musical figures with a last name beginning with C, you can search "ML410.c."
As you scroll through the search results, you'll see that they are organized alphabetically by the subject, not the author, so you'll see biographies of Francesca Caccini and John Cage near the beginning, followed by Tchaikovsky (classified by the transliteration beginning with "cha"), followed by Chopin, Copland, etc.

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