Answered By: Anthony Anderson
Last Updated: Jul 15, 2022     Views: 123

Scores can be difficult to find because composers use generic titles like "symphony" or "concerto", which are the names of the forms used to structure the music. Often, composers write multiple pieces of music with the same form, so we find Symphony No. 1, Symphony No. 2, etc.

To help in your search, librarians catalog this music with uniform titles, which bring together all editions and arrangements of the same piece under one name.

For example, the uniform title for an arrangement of Mozart's 13th symphony for guitar quartet is: Symphonies, K.112, F major; arr.

To find a piece in the USC Libraries Catalog with a generic title:

  1. Click on Advanced Search.
  2. Enter the composer's name (e.g., Mahler) as the Author/creator.
  3. Enter the form of the piece (symphonies) as the the title; always use the plural form--i.e., concertos not concerto.
  4. Enter "scores" or "scores and parts" as the subject
  5. Finally, enter any additional information - e.g., catalog number or instrument(s) for which the piece is arranged - as a Any field."        ---        Andrew Justice, USC Music Librarian

You can also select "Music Scores" from the drop down menu of the "Material Type" tab.

For more tips in finding music scores, consult our Music Research Guide

[Screenshot of the USC libraries advanced search box]

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