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These guides are designed for use as research starting points and/or browsing tools. They generally include: call numbers for shelf browsing, common subject headings for the library catalog (Search@UW), selected bibliographies of literature and repertoire, current periodicals and internet resources.
If you're searching for a specific work, you may expect finding it online or in the library will be a piece of cake. But music titles are tricky. "The Magic Flute" might be listed under it's English translation, the German original (Die Zauberflote) or another language. "Symphony no. 2" might turn up results by a hundred different composers, while missing a French edition of the one you want. And music is often published in collections that further complicate things. Here are a few tips for finding scores and recordings of specific works:
1. Figure out the "uniform title."
2. Check the Grove entry.
3. Use the filters.
If you're looking for the works of a specific composer, you'll want to make sure you're using the correct form of the name. Like the titles, libraries used a standardized form of names to help bring things together and to differentiate people with the same first and last name. You can use the "author" search to do a first search. Once you find an item by the right composer, check the "author" line of the record for the official form of their name-- you can even click on that to find other works by the same person, though it might leave out items in larger collections.
Scores in the library are organized by performing forces-- ensemble type and size are the primary organizing criteria, then scores are grouped by composer. The "virtual browse" feature in Search@UW allows you to browse the shelves online, too.
