Basic resources for musical theatre research: Searching and browsing, streaming performance, online music and scores, new acquisitions, reference resources.
Related Research Guides:
Drama Research Guide
Foundations of Drama II: 20th Century Productions
Music Research Guide
The Edward B. Marks Music Co. Collection on George M. Cohan
"The Museum of the City of New York is pleased to announce that over 400 scripts, scores, and sheet music by George M. Cohan (1878-1942) are now freely available online through the Museum’s Collections Portal". More to come.
Go to these call number areas in Hunt Library on the 4th Floor in the oversized books section:
M1500-1508 (HUNT OVRSZQ-4)
M Music
M1.A5 - M3.3 Collections
M3-3.3 Collected works of individual composers
M5-1480 Instrumental music
M6-175.5 One solo instrument
M176 Motion picture music
M177-990 Two or more solo instruments
M1000-1075 Orchestra
M1100-1160 String orchestra
M1200-1270 Band
M1495-2199 Vocal music
M1500-1508 Operas and musicals
M1528-1529.5 Two or more solo voices
M1611-1624.8 One solo voice
M1999-2199 Sacred vocal music
ML Literature on music
ML159-3785 History and criticism
ML410 Composer biographies
ML3790-3792 Music trade
ML3795 Music as a profession
ML3800-3923 Philosophical and societal aspects of music. Physics and acoustics of
music. Physiological aspects of music
Music Instruction and study
MT5.5-7 Music theory
MT9-15 Printed pedagogical aids
MT35-39 Notation
MT40-67 Composition. Elements and techniques of music
MT70-74 Instrumentation and orchestration
MT85 Conducting. Score reading and playing
MT90-146 Analysis and appreciation of musical works
MT820-915 Singing and vocal technique
Search in Cameo by specific song name, production name or a person's name (lyricist, composter, director etc.) if known.
To limit your search to music score
Use Cameo Advanced Search; perform a search, and then indicate
Score as the "Resource Type"
To limit your search to libretto
Use the term libretto as one of your search terms.
To limit your search to audio or video recordings
Use Cameo Advanced Search; perform a search and then
indicate one of the "Resource Type" categories such as:
To browse Cameo in general for musicals
try these search terms as part of your search query... or limit to other criteria in Cameo Advanced Search:
Blumenfeld, Robert. Blumenfeld's Dictionary of Musical Theater 0pera, 0peretta, Musical Comedy
HUNT FA-REF-4 ML102 .M875 B58 2010
Ganzl, Kurt. The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre. New York: NY: Schirmer Books, 2001.
HUNT-FA-REF-4 ML102 .M88 G3 2001. 3 volumes.
Greenfield, Thomas A. ed. Broadway: An Encyclopedia of Theater and American Culture. Santa Barbara; Denver; London, Greenwood ABC Clio, 2010.
HUNT FA-REF-4 PN2277 .N5 B62 2 volumes
Hischak, Thomas. Broadway Plays and Musicals: Descriptions and Essential Facts of more than 14,000 shows...
HUNT FA-REF-4 PN2277 .N5 H573 2009
Dietz, Dan. Off Broadway Musicals, 1910-2007 :casts, credits, songs, critical reception and performance data...
HUNT-FA-REF-4ML1711.8 .N3 D54 2010
Internet Broadway Database (IBDB)
Use this in conjunction with other research resources
The New York Times Book of Broadway : on the aisle for the unforgettable plays of the last century
HUNT FA-REF-4 PN2277 .N5 N45 2001
Norton, Richard C. A Chronology of American Musical Theater.
HUNT FA-REF-4 ML1711 .8.N3 N67 2002 (3 volumes)
Oxford Handbooks Online: Music
Scholarly review essays evaluating current thinking on a field or topic.
Oxford Music Online
Includes The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians (2001), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (1992), The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2002), The Oxford Companion to Music (2002) and The Oxford Dictionary of Music (2006).
Theatre World, 1945-2013
Definitive annual record of American theatre. Includes Broadway,Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and regional theatre, theatrical awards, obituaries, biographies, awards.
HUNT FA-REF-4 PN2277 .N5 A17
American Song
Streaming music from Americans of diverse origins and all walks of life, from America’s past and present.
Classical Music in Video
Streaming video of classical music performances by leading orchestras, chamber music, oratorio, and solo performances, along with masterclasses and interviews with master teachers from around the world.
Classical Music Library
Streaming audio with a supplementary reference database, enabling patrons to listen while simultaneously searching and browsing the Classical reference database. Send-to-mobile functionality.
Classical Scores Library
Encompasses more than one million pages of classical scores for teaching and study. Includes a mix of public domain, previously unpublished, and in-copyright works from all major classical music genres and time periods.
Library Music Source
This is the online version of the CD Sheet Music and Orchestra Musician’s CD-ROM Library CD-ROMs. The music is selected from out-of-copyright standard editions from publishers such as Breitkopf and Hartel, C.F. Peters, G. Schirmer, Carl Fischer, G. Ricordi, Durand and many others. The editorial staff for CD Sheet Music has chosen the best edition available for each work.
Medici.tv
Offers filmed concerts performed by today’s greatest names in classical music, archive movies, inspiring documentaries on performers and composers, educational programs, and master classes.
Met Opera on Demand
Provides unlimited access to more than 450 extraordinary Met performances.
Music Online Collections
Streaming audio, video, scores and full text reference content from all Alexander Street Press perfomance databases to which Carnegie Mellon subscribes: American Song, Classical Music Library, Classical Music Video, Classical Scores Library, Opera in Video, Dance in Video, Theatre in Video.
Naxos Music Library
Streaming recordings for genres such as Classical, Jazz, Blues, Nostalgia, World, Contemporary Instrumental, Chinese, Pop and Rock, Gospel, Spoken Word, and Relaxation. iPhone and Android apps available.
Naxos Music Library Jazz
Streaming music from the artists and collections of Fantasy Records.
OnTheBoards.tv
Watch high-quality films of full-length performances by some of today’s most provocative artists working in dance, theater, music and other forms that defy categorization.
Digital Theatre Plus
Recent British theatre productions streamed in high definition; additional educational content. One year trial.
Medici.tv
Filmed concerts performed by today’s greatest names in classical music, archive movies, documentaries on performers and composers, educational programs, and master classes.
Met Opera on Demand
Access to more than 450 extraordinary Met performances.
Ontheboards.tv
High-quality films of full-length performances by current provocative artists working in dance, theater, music and other forms.
Dance in Video
Productions and documentaries with influential performers and companies of the 20th century. Includes ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, experimental, improvisational dance, and forerunners of the forms and the pioneers of modern concert dance.
Opera in Video
Performances captured on video through staged productions, interviews and documentaries; selections are based on a work’s importance to the operatic canon.
Theatre in Video
Definitive performances and documentaries with leading actors, playwrights and directors covering a wide range of 20th century theatre history. Includes contemporary revivals of classic works, television broadcasts of New York productions, experimental performances and more.
Newspapers Guide (Sue Collins, History Librarian)
Musical Theatre Artists of Pittsburgh
"exists to foster collaboration between musical theatre artists in the Pittsburgh region, and to create opportunities for the development, presentation, and production of new musical theatre."
Pittsburgh CLO
Promtoes musical theatre through the creation of productions and education programs.
National Alliance for Musical
Promotes the creation, development, production and presentation of new and classic musicals.
And inventory of the papers of the English-born American composer, producer and director Jule Styne documenting his career in music, theatre and television. The papers include music scores, sheet music,scripts, correspondence and production records chiefly for his Broadway musicals and plays from 1950-1964.