UCLA Music Library

A Guide to Musical Program Notes and Analyses

Compiled and Annotated by Stephen M. Fry

• General Sources
• Chamber Music
• Choral Music
• Opera, Musical Comedy, and Ballet
• Orchestral Music
• Organ Music
• Piano Music
• Popular Music
• Indexes
• Analytical Music Guides

• Fuld, James J. The Book of World-Famous Music: Classical, Popular, and Folk. 3rd ed., rev. & enl. New York: Dover, 1985.

  Biographical, bibliographical, historical background, a bit of gossip and a thematic incipit for more than a thousand of the most well-known classical and popular songs and melodies. Ref ML 113 F956b 1985

• Tovey, Donald Francis. Concertos and Choral Works. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989 [orig. publ. 1935-39].

  Detailed analyses of classical concertos and choral works selected from the standard repertoire. Ref MT 90 T59 1989

• Tovey, Donald Francis. Symphonies and Other Orchestral Works. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989 [orig. publ. 1935-39].

  Detailed analyses of orchestra works selected from the standard repertoire. Ref MT 125 T69 1989

• Warburton, Annie Osborne. Analyses of Musical Classics. London: Longmans, 1975-80. 4 volumes.

  Detailed analyses of classic works from the standard musical repertoire. Ref MT 90 W199a

• Cobbett, Walter Willson. Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music. With supplementary material edited by Colin Mason. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1963. 3 volumes.

  A descriptive guide to works for 3 to 9 solo instruments and non-piano duets, with musical and historical analysis presented in an informal style. Ref ML 1100 C63c

• Newman, William S. The Sonata in the Baroque Era. 4th ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1983.
  _____. The Sonata in the Classic Era. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1983.
  _____. The Sonata Since Beethoven. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1983.

  This set, presenting a "history of the sonata idea," offers detailed descriptions and stylistic characteristics of piano and chamber sonatas. Ref ML 1156 N46s 1983

• Loft, Abraham. Violin and Keyboard: The Duo Repertoire. New York: Grossman, 1973. 2 volumes.

  Expansive and detailed information about the composers and descriptions and analyses of their works in this genre. Volume 1 surveys the 17th Century to Mozart, and volume 2 covers Beethoven to the present. Ref ML 1165 L827v

• Ulrich, Homer. Chamber Music: The Growth & Practice of an intimate Art. New York: Columbia University Press, 1948.

  Substantial analysis and background information about the best-known chamber music works, presented in the context of its development. Ref ML 1100 U45c

• Ulrich, Homer. A Survey of Choral Music. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1973.

  Background information on the best-known examples of the choral literature, with appendices describing the mass, Te Deum, Magnificat and other liturgical forms. ML 1500 U45s [stacks]

• Young, Percy M. The Choral Tradition: An Historical and Analytical Survey From the Sixteenth Century to the Present Day. Revised ed. New York: W.W. Norton 1981.

  Brief analyses of works representative of the traditional choral styles and genres. ML 1500 Y86c [stacks]

• Balanchine, George, and Francis Mason. 101 Stories of the Great Ballets. 1st ed. Garden City, NY: Dolphin Books, 1975.

  Basic plots and some background information about the standard ballets. Ref MT 95 B18o

• Gaenzl, Kurt, and Andrew Lamb. Gaenzl's Book of the Musical Theatre. New York: Schirmer Books, 1989.

  Basic performance information, casts of characters and detailed plot and action outlines for the standard musical theater productions in the U.S. and European countries. Ref MT 95 B18o

• Kobbe, Gustav. The Definitive Kobbe's Opera Handbook. Edited, revised and updated by the Earl of Harewood. New York: Putnam, 1987.

  A very complete guide to the standard opera repertoire, covering the form from its beginnings to the present. Includes historical background, dramatic and basic musical anayses, and detailed plot summaries. Ref MT 95 K79c 1987

• Lubbock, Mark Hugh. The Complete Book of Light Opera. With an American section by David Ewen. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1962.

  Dramatic and musical details of operettas, especially those of European countries. Includes a section covering American operettas. Ref MT 95 L96c

• Newman, Ernest. More Stories of Famous Operas. New York: Knopf, 1955.

  Basic plot summaries of the most often produced operas. MT 95 N46m [stacks]

• Biancolli, Louis Leopold, and Herbert F. Peyser. Masters of the Orchestra from Bach to Prokofieff. With contributions by Robert Bagar and Pitts Sanborn. New York: Greenwood Press, 1969.

  Historical background and some musical insights about the major works of 14 outstanding orchestral composers. ML 390 B566 1969 [stacks]

• Cross, Milton John, and David Ewen. The Milton Cross New Encyclopedia of the Great Composers and Their Music. Rev. and expanded. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1969. 2 volumes.

  Extensive biographical and analytical notes about the music of the best-known composers of the last 4 centuries. ML 385 C88e 1969 [stacks]

• Downes, Edward. The New York Philharmonic Guide to the Symphony. New York: Walker, 1976.

  Analyses of the standard orchestral works, covering a broad repertoire (not just symphonies) and including illustrations and thematic incipits. Ref MT 125 D748n

• Frankenstein, Alfred Victor. A Modern Guide to Symphonic Music. New York: Meredith Press, 1966.

  Detailed analyses of the great works in the standard repertoire, complete with thematic incipits. Ref MT 125 F853m

• Holoman, D. Kern. Evenings With the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concert Goers. New York: W.W. Norton, 1992.

  Part 1 offers descriptions of orchestral instruments, the inner workings of the orchestra, and essays on musical form , rhythm and tonality. Part 2 analyzes the great concert works. Ref MT 125 H62 1992

• Kramer, Jonathan D. Listen to the Music: A Self-Guided Tour Through the Orchestral Repertoire. New York: Schirmer Books, 1988.

  Detailed analyses of the standard orchestral repertoire based on the author's program notes written for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Ref MT 125 K72 1988

• Lukas, Victor. A Guide to Organ Music. Translated by Anne Wyburd from the 5th revised and enlarged edition. With Addenda by Lee Garrett Portland: Amadeus Press, 1989.

  Broadly comprehensive notes and analyses about the standard organ literature by European composers, with additional sections covering the 20th century, and American and British composers. Ref MT 140 L968r 1989

• Friskin, James and Irwin Freundlich. Music for the Piano, A Handbook of Concert and Teaching Material from 1580 to 1952. New York: Dover, 1973.

  Brief descriptions of the standard repertoire of music for piano solo, 4-hand piano music, and music for piano and orchestra. A reprint of the 1954 edition. Ref 128 P3F9 1973

• Hutchenson, Ernest. The Literature of the Piano: A Guide for the Amateur and Student. 3rd. edition, revised. London: Hutchinson, 1974.

  A broad and extensive source for analyses and beckground notes for the standard piano repertoire. MT 140 H971 1974

• Mattfield, Julius. Variety Music Cavalcade, 1620-1969. 3rd edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1971.

  Along with lists of the most popular songs of each year, this unique book describes the events that shaped the development of America, stimulating its popular music. Rock music is not well covered. Ref ML 128 V6M4 1971

• Murrells, Joseph. Million Selling Records From the 1900s to the 1980s: An Illustrated Directory. New York: Arco Publishing, 1984.

  The stories behind the greatest recorded hits, classical and popular from Caruso to Creedence Clearwater Revival. Ref ML 156.4 P6M88

• Diamond, Harold J. Music Analyses: An Annotated Guide to the Literature. New York: Schirmer Books, 1991.

  A comprehensive annotated index of journal articles, sections of books, theses and dissertations and other literature in English about the works of composers from all periods of music. It includes a list of biographies and other useful books about composers and their works. Ref ML 128 A7D5 1991

• Wenk, Arthur B. Analyses of Ninetheenth- and Twentieth-Century Music, 1940-1985. Boston: Music Library Association, 1987. (MLA Index and Bibliography Series, 25).

  The works of an enormous number of composers from all periods of music are indexed, despite the implications of the title. Ref ML 113 W45 1987

• Voorhees, Anna Tipton. Index to Symphonic Program Notes in Books. Kent, OH: Kent State University School of Library Science, 1970. (Keys to Music Bibliography,1)

  A guide to the standard anthologies and collections of program notes covering the often-performed orchestral works. Ref ML 128 O5V898

• Whitten, Lynn. A Classified, Annotated Bibliography of Articles Related to Choral Music in Five Major Periodicals Through 1980. Lawton, OK: American Choral Directors Association, 1982.

  An index to choral literature arranged by subject, including sections relating to the history and analysis of the music. Ref ML 1500 C62 1982

The books in these classes are descriptive or analytical guides to the various genres of music. For historical or critical studies of the works of a composer refer to a biographical study in class ML 410.

MT 90

General guides to musical works.

MT 92

Guides to the music of individual composers.

MT 95

General guides to operas and ballets.

MT 100

Guides of the operas of a particular composer.

MT 110

General guides to cantatas and oratorios.

MT 115

Guides to the cantatas and oratorios of a particular composer.

MT 125

General guides to orchestral music.

MT 130

Guides to the orchestral music of a particular composer.

MT 140

General guides to solo and ensemble music (e.g., music for solo piano, violin and piano, chamber music, etc.).

MT 145

Guides to solo and ensemble music of a particular composer.

ML 390

Books about many composers.

ML 410

Books about a particular composer and his music, arranged alphabetically by the composers name.

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Last update: 2/13/96