Finding Songs in ZSR Library's Catalog
See "Short works" on the following page:
Texts and Translations
The texts of many art songs have been published separately in collections designed to aid study.
Some examples:
Schubert's complete song texts: with International Phonetic Alphabet transcriptions, word-for-word translations, and commentary.
Masters of the Italian art song: word-by-word and poetic translations of ... songs for voice and piano.
Word-by-word translations of songs and arias.
Singer's Debussy.
Finding them in the Library
Search these and similar collections in the Library's catalog using this subject term:
- Songs -- Texts.
You'll also find them shelved under the call number ML54.6.
Websites
Diction
Guides to the diction of foreign languages have been published for singers.
Some examples:
A Handbook of diction for singers: Italian, German, French.
Phonetic readings of Brahms Lieder.
Singing early music: the pronunciation of European languages in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance
Russian songs and arias: phonetic readings, word-by-word translations, and a concise guide to Russian diction.
Finding them in the Library
Search these and other diction guides in the Library's catalog using this subject term:
- Singing -- Diction.
You can also find them shelved under the call numbers MT883 and MT872.
The International Phonetic Alphabet
Developed by linquists, the IPA has symbols representing all known sounds of spoken language (distinguishing, for example, between long and short "a").
Singers and actors use the IPA as a diction aid.
Some IPA guides:
International Phonetic Alphabet for singers: a manual for English and foreign language diction.
Guides to the Repertoire
Bibliographies of songs can help you select suitable repertoire for study, or for programming a recital. Many are annotated with information such as range, level of difficulty, tempo, and advice on performance and interpretation.
Some examples:
Goleeke, Tom. Literature for voice: an index of songs in collections and source book for teachers of singing.
Doscher, Barbara. From studio to stage: repertoire for the voice.
Espina, Noni. Repertoire for the solo voice.
Villamil, Victoria Etnier. A singer's guide to the American art song, 1870-1980.
Stewart-Green, Miriam. Women composers: a checklist of works for the solo voice.
Brusse, Corre Berry. Vocal chamber duets: an annotated bibliography.
Clfton, Keith. Recent American art song: a guide.
Finding them in the Library
Search these and similar resources in the Library's catalog using the following subject terms:
- Vocal music -- Bibliography.
- Songs -- Bibliography.
- Songs -- Indexes.
You can also find most of them shelved under the call numbers ML128 S3 and ML128 V7. (Check both the Reference room and the main stacks (shelves).)
Literary authors set to music
If you're researching a particular poet, etc., whose work has been set to music, try the following strategies:
- Identify musical settings of his/her works by searching the Library's catalog or WorldCat using the following subject heading:
[Author's name] -- Musical settings.
- Consult reference sources in literature for further background on the author.
- Consult biographies and other critical works on the composer. In the book's index, the literary author's name is likely to appear , leading you to discussion of the composer's relationship with the author.
- Search online databases for articles in music journals that treat the composer's relationship with the author. Many databases, in their "advanced search," allow you to limit your search to journals in a particular subject area (like music) or to a specific journal. Select one of these options, and enter the literary author's last name as a title keyword or as a subject or descriptor.
Bibliographies of musical settings
There are bibliographies, catalogs, and indexes that collect literary works in general categories, and identify musical settings that have been done.
Some examples:
Musical setttings of American poetry.
Musical settings of early and mid-Victorian literature: a catalogue.
Index to poetry in music: a guide to the poetry set as solo songs by 125 major song composers.
Finding them in the Library
These and similar bibliographies can be searched in the Library's catalog using the following subject term:
- [Literary genre] -- Musical settings -- Bibliography.
Example: English poetry -- Musical settings -- Bibliography.
You can also find most of them shelved under the call number ML128 V7. (Check both the Reference room and the main stacks (shelves).)
Career Guides
These can be searched in the Library's catalog using the following subject terms:
- Auditions.
- Singing -- Vocational guidance.
- Opera -- Vocational guidance.
- Music -- Vocational guidance.
Examples:
Greene, Don. Audition success.
Baskerville, David. Music business handbook & career guide.
Hines, Jerome. The four voices of man.
Miller, Richard. On the art of singing.
Periodical: Classical singer.
If you're a voice major, chances are you'll spend a large part of your professional career teaching. The National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) provides support in this area.
