Music

Using a KEYWORD search, enter as much information as you have - for example, composer's name, title, opus number, thematic catalog number (e.g., the Köchel number for works by Mozart or the RV number for Vivaldi), key, instrumentation, and genre. Use the menus on the left side of the results list to limit your search to the FORMAT (musical scores, music, videos) you want. 

Some tips:

• Often, just the composer's name and the opus number, if known, will suffice. For example, to find Brahms' first violin sonata, (opus 78), type in KEYWORD search: brahms 78 and limit to "musical score."
• A less specific search may yield additional results if the piece is included in a larger collection. For example, expand your search for the opus 78 sonata by typing the KEYWORD search brahms violin sonatas (look at the entry for "Three sonatas for violin and piano")
• Truncate genre terms with an asterisk (*) so that Worldcat will search both singular and plural forms. Examples: sonata*, concerto*, symphon*, string quartet*.
• The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians can be very helpful in tracking down opus or thematic-catalog numbers. New Grove is shelved in the Fine Arts Library reference area and is also available online for UNM Main Campus computer accounts as part of the Oxford Music Online suite.
• The Fine Arts and Design Library owns complete-works sets for many major composers, but individual titles within these sets are not always listed in Worldcat. To find out whether we have a particular composer's complete works, search LC call number M3 and limit by author. New Grove can help you locate a specific piece within a composer's complete works.

The most important thing to remember: be flexible! Try different strategies if you first search isn't successful.

And even more important: Remember that library staff are here to help! Ask at the Reference Desk, or contact me, for any assistance you may need in finding that piece of music.