Home - UNIV103 Music - Program Notes - LibGuides at Millersville University of Pennsylvania

Getting started

These resources are useful starting points for researching topics related to music. They include information on composers, specific works, musical genres, instruments, etc.

Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
Includes Grove Music Online, the Oxford Companion to Music, the Oxford Dictionary of Music, and the Encyclopedia of Popular Music.
Biography Reference Bank This link opens in a new window
Contains biographical full text articles, page images and abstracts from today’s leading magazines and journals—providing the most current coverage of an individual’s life and work.
Biography Reference Source This link opens in a new window
A collection of more than 461,000 full-text biographies. Find biographies of interest by searching or browsing 30+ genre categories, including actors, authors, composers, explorers, figures relevant to U.S. & world history, inventors, musicians, Presidents of the United States, current world leaders and many others.

Find books

EBSCOHost ebooks This link opens in a new window
700,000+ ebooks on all topics.
Millersville University Library Catalog This link opens in a new window
Use the library catalog to find books, eBooks, and other resources in Millersville's collection

Find information about the composer and historical context

Use the Getting Started Links, PLUS....

Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Use Academic Search Complete to find articles on all types of composers and performers. You can also limit your search to periodical titles such as Rolling Stone magazine.
Cambridge Histories This link opens in a new window
Electronic books in history, literature, music, philosophy, religion, theatre, and other areas of the humanities.
http://universitypublishingonline.org/cambridge/histories/
JSTOR Journal Archive This link opens in a new window
A full-text archive of over 1,000 of the best scholarly journals in the social sciences, humanities, mathematics, life sciences, etc. Full-text is available from the first issue, but does not include the most recent 2-5 years.
Music Index This link opens in a new window
Music Index is a comprehensive guide to music periodicals, especially scholarly journal articles. Includes both full-text materials and links to items that can be requested from other libraries.
Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window

Special Music Collections
Discover hidden gems of scores, playbills and more in the Millersville Archives & Special Collections

Program Notes: Part 1

“Program notes should briefly recount the circumstances of composition and first performance of the work, its scoring, and, if useful, its publication...Try to suggest to audience members two or three particular things to listen for, in an attempt to engage their ears” (Kern, 2008, 81-82). Holoman, D. Kern, Writing about Music: A Style Sheet. CA: University of California Press, 2008.

Part 1: Piece identification

Complete title with appropriate keys, numbers, opus numbers, and catalog numbers
Date of composition (if known)
Composer's full name, birth- death dates
Movements or song titles to be performed
Your name and instrument
Your accompanist's name and instrument, if needed

Program Notes, Parts 2-4

Part 2: Biographical and historical information

When/where did the composer live?
What events in his/her life may have influenced the composition?
What was happening in surrounding environment (significant historical events) that may have impacted him/her?
Is this a well-known or little-known piece by the composer? Why?/Why not?

Part 3: Musical analysis and interpretation

What are key musical elements of the piece? This may include elements such as form, rhythm, melody, harmony and accompaniment.
What do you hope to express to the audience through your interpretation? What should the audience listen for?

Part 4: Translation of any foreign language text

Find information at music websites

Aria Database
Provides information and translations for arias and aria texts not restricted by copyright
The Guardian Guide to Contemporary Classical Music
Tom Service's weekly guide to contemporary classical music, at The Guardian.
Guitar Foundation of America
America's leading classical guitar organization.
International Jazz Festivals Organization
Provides information about 16 leading jazz festivals worldwide.
Percussive Arts Society
The Percussive Arts Society website contains valuable information about every area of percussion--from composition to performance to education.
Rolling Stone
Movies, Music, TV, Politics, Country, and more

Subject Librarian

Tatiana Pashkova-Balkenhol

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Contact:

McNairy 202

717-871-4078

Subjects: Music, Social Work, Statistics

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Find newspaper articles

Newspaper Source This link opens in a new window
Access the full-text for more than 400 newspapers and other sources. Includes: USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Times (London); plus transcripts from CNN, National Public Radio, CBS News, Fox News, CNBC, etc.
Philadelphia Inquirer ( 1860 - 2001 ) This link opens in a new window

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