Music

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Collection overview

A comprehensive collection of books on music, scores and periodicals, capable of supporting most aspects of music studies with material from the 15th century to the present day.

It covers primarily the music of Europe and the Americas (North and South) from earliest times to the present with smaller sections on the music of Africa and Asia, ethnomusicology, popular music and various forms of dance. 

The scores collection is especially strong in collected editions and historical sets in addition to the substantial holdings of individual loanable works. 

The collection as a whole is also noted for its strong foreign language component, particularly French, German, Italian and Spanish.

See our latest book acquisitions and our latest score acquisitions

A subject guide to the Music collection can be downloaded here.

Collection location

• The Music Library is located in two separate sections on the 4th floor South Block . All scores and folio size books are in the Middlesex South Library Reading Room. Regular size books (octavos) are in the Goldsmiths' Reading Room.
• The collection is arranged into 5 sections each according to the Dewey Decimal classification system. Each section is assigned a different code on the online catalogue:
  • Books have the code MUSIC 4th floor ML
    
  • Folio books have the code MUSIC 4th floor ML fol.
    
  • Scores have the code MUSIC SCORES ML M
    
  • Miniature scores have the code MUSIC MIN SCORES ML mM
    
  • Oversize/Extra Large scores have the code MUSIC 4th floor OVERSIZE
• Rapid Reference materials (including Grove's and language dictionaries) can be found at the front of the Middlesex South Reading Room, followed by the folio Book sequence and then the scores. The score sequence continues in the Gallery and is followed by the Miniature scores.
• Folio books which are indicated by the prefix ‘f’ or ‘folio’ before the Dewey classmark line the Reading Room with the sequence starting at the door.
• All periodicals except for the most recent issues are shelved in the Tower and display the location Stack Service. Readers will need to click on the 'Request' icon on the right side of the Classic Catalogue for a specific title to be fetched. Most recent unbound issues are held in the Periodicals Reading Room on the 4th floor South Block. They can be searched quickly using the keyword musicjl. For more information on finding journals, see our journals resources page
• Some facsimiles and older editions on the catalogue say 'Music Library Locked Cupboard' or 'Music Library Office.' In these instances contact the Music Librarian: colin.homiski@london.ac.uk
• A guide to the Dewey Decimal classification used in the Music Library can be downloaded here.

Related collections

Special Collections – especially the Littleton collection of early printed music and treatises on music, the Sir George Elvey collection, the Tudor Church Music collection and the George collection of piano music. There is a significant collection of archives on music

Sound Recordings

The Library has over 12,000 LP sound recordings covering all periods of music however very few are on the online catalogue. If you have a specific request or for more information please contact the Music Librarian.

Classmarks for Music

Aesthetics: 780.1

Analysis: 781

Ballet: 792.8

Bibliographies: 016.78 - 016.7933

Biographies (composers, conductors, performers): 780.92

Congress and Society Conference Proceedings: 780.63

Dance: 793.3

Dictionaries: 780.3 - 780.393

Education and Pedagogy: 780.7

Essays: 780.4

Ethnomusicology: 781.7

Film music: 782.85

General theory: 781

History of music in different countries: 780.93 - 780.99

Instruments and instrumental music, general: 785

Jazz: 785.8

Keyboard instruments, general: 786

Music therapy: 781.1

Opera: 782

Popular music (including country, blues, hip-hop): 784.5-784.55

Records and recording: 789.9

Rock (instrumental): 785.9

Sacred music, general: 783

Secular vocal music, general: 784

Stringed instruments, general: 787

Theory: 781

Timpani, percussion, mechanical instruments: 789

Wind instruments: 788

Other libraries

For more information about Music holdings in other academic libraries in the London area, please consult the Cecilia catalogue which maps music resources in the UK and Ireland – www.cecilia-uk.org/html.. For elsewhere in the UK, consult the Consortium of University and Research Libraries catalogue: www.copac.ac.uk

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