Music

The Fulton Library has thousands of scores, music recordings, and other resources for your music needs. This guide is designed to help students use these resources effectively.

Be aware of complications that can make finding music research difficult. There may not be research articles on a specific piece by a specific composer. In order to find articles or books, widen your searches by asking the following questions:

• What is the composer known for?
• What is a "quintessential" piece of theirs? How does it differ from other pieces?
• What are some of the main themes of your piece?
• What movement or genre does this piece fit into?
• Is this piece typical or atypical for that movement or genre?
• How does it support or challenge the movement or genre?
• What is the subject matter?
• What symbols or motifs are present?

It also helps to be aware of several complications that can make finding music difficult:

• Language variations: Chaconne (French) vs Ciaccona (Italian) vs Chacona (Spanish) could all possibly refer to Bach’s Chaconne from his Partita No. 2.
• Abbreviations: It is best to leave out words in your search that are commonly abbreviated. For example: n./no./number/numbers or op./opus should be left out.
• Nicknames/naming differences: Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor is also popularly called his Moonlight Sonata. Some renditions will have one name or the other, but not both.
• Spelling variations: Some composers and pieces have spelling variations, such as Rachmaninov vs Rachmaninoff. 

The following databases are frequently used for music research. OneSearch (below) also works well, since it combines many databases plus the library's book and media collections. Explore the other pages of this guide to find additional resources for your research, including scores and sound recording databases.

OneSearch and ProQuest are the Fulton Library's main databases. They allow you to search the library's articles, books, streaming media, and more. OneSearch and ProQuest include resources on almost every topic, making it a great place to start your research!

To use either of these databases, go to the UVU Fulton Library Homepage link below. Use the tabs in the search box to navigate between OneSearch and ProQuest. Enter search terms into the box, then hit enter or click the magnifying glass. 

We recommend using both databases because, while there is some overlap between the two, each database features a lot of unique content.

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