K-State Libraries - Subject Guides - Music

How to find biographical materials for a specific composer

This page will take you, step by step, through the process of finding general, biographical materials on a specific composer, in Hale Library. If you have any questions about this, or any other Library matter, your best bet is to go to the Help Desk and ask. The people at that desk are very willing to help, and are there to help you. The general rule is: if you haven't found what you need in 15 minutes, ask someone for help.

This process will probably take about 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete.

STEP 1
Ask Thomas Bell for help. Please do not hesitate to do this. Thomas Bell l is the Music Librarian, and he likes helping you. There is no substitute for face-to-face instruction. Use this page after he's helped you a couple of times, or if he's unavailable.

STEP 2
You must have your student ID to check out items from the Library. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. You cannot check out anything without your student ID. Sorry.

STEP 3
First, you'll need to decide exactly what it is you need. This step can be difficult, because unless you've done research before, you may not know what you need. Let me suggest some items for you. You probably want just a good, encyclopedia outline of why this composer is important. Then, you may want to grab a formal biography or two, just to see if there are more specifics.

STEP 4
Start with general music reference sources. These are the best places to start. All of these items are located in Hale Music Reference Collection, room 308 (on the third floor). Don't know where that is? Ask at the Help Desk. They will get you there. You can't check these items out, but they are by far your best places to start. The M, ML, and MT numbers are call numbers.

Part a.
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ML 105 .B16 2001. This is a set of dictionaries that include (relatively) short biographies and works lists (just a list of compositions by that person). I think it is useful to go here first for "big name" composers, like Mozart, Beethoven, etc. If you are a relatively young music history student, it may be hard for you to figure out what events in a composer's life are most important. By starting with Baker's short biographies (distilled down into the most important events only), you can go on to longer biographies with a sense of perspective.

Part b.
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd Edition, ML 100 .N48 2000. This is the big one. We have this in print, as well as online (this link will open a new window). Ask at the Help Desk and they can show you how to get at the online version from off-campus (!!!). Grove has entries on composers, performers, theorists, musicologists, styles of music, and nearly anything else of consequence in the field of music. IMPORTANT: You cannot assume you have the information you need until you have consulted this source.

Part c.
Other Reference sources. Once you get up to the third floor, you'll see all kinds of stuff that might be useful (all in the same area as Baker's and the New Grove). For example, there are special New Grove volumes for Opera and American Music. Be creative.

Part d.
What if Baker's and New Grove don't list my composer? Your best bet: come ask at the Help Desk and they can help you, or get you in contact with Thomas Bell . If there is something written on your composer, someone here can help you find it.

STEP 5
Try looking at the Bio-Bibliographies, at ML 134. This may be a more advanced option than some undergraduates need. Any call number that starts with "ML 134" is probably a "bio-bibliography." These are books which usually contain a short biography of a composer, followed by a long list of citations (bibliography) about the composer. So, in essence, you have a whole book telling you where you can go to find information on your composer. The ML 134's are on the 3rd Floor and are in order by the last name of their composers. How do you find where the items listed in the book are located in Hale (if we have them)? Ask at the Help Desk or contact Thomas Bell . They are ready and willing to help you find what you need.

STEP 6
Go to the online Library Catalog. (This link will open a new window.) Still looking for more information, such as full biographies about your composer? Go to the Library Catalog. This database will tell you what our library owns, and where to find it in the building.

STEP 7
Do a Subject Search for your composer. Hale Library (like any large library) uses the Library of Congress system of organization. This means that we have a fixed list of subject headings to choose from (it isn't like a YAHOO search, that just searches for key words). But, in this case, that is to your advantage.

Part a.
In the catalog page, in the purple box, find the "Search By" section, and click on "Subject."

Part b.
Then, in the "Search For" blank, type in the last name of your composer. IMPORTANT: Be very careful regarding your spelling; the catalog will not correct it for you. Keep in mind that some composers (especially Russians), have multiple spellings of their names. Sometimes the catalog will be able to figure out what you mean, but don't count on it.

Part c.
Click the gray "Search" button.

STEP 8
Find the correct subject heading. What your search should yield is a list of possible subjects, alphabetically. Use the purple "Previous" and "Next" buttons to go backward or forward through the alphabet, respectively.

Part a.
Make note of any "See Also" links. Many times these will lead you exactly where you need to go.

Part b.
Make note of the "Heading Type" column. It may indicate that what you'll find are "Juvenile Literature" (a. k. a., children's books), or just a standard "LC subject headings" (which is probably what you want). Looking at this early on will save you time.

Part c.
When you find the right subject heading, click on it and it will take you to a list of items the library owns.

STEP 9
Sort your search so you have the most recent items at the top of your list. When you do a successful search, you'll end up with a list of results. On that page, near the top-left, you will see a "Sort by" box. Select "Publish Date Descending," and wait for the page to reload. This will give you chance to browse the current stuff first.

STEP 10
Evaluate your list of records. Eventually, you'll find something that works. Then, you can just scroll down the list of possibilities until you find something that looks like what you want. If you find a title in a foreign language, remember that the item may or may not be useful to you. If you can't figure out the foreign terms, ask Thomas Bell or at the Help Desk for help.

STEP 11
Once you've found something you like, read the entire record. I cannot stress this enough. IMPORTANT: Read the entire record. This is where you'll find out if this is actually what you want.

Part a.
For example, look in the "Notes" field. If it says "compact disk," is that what you want? Are you sure you've found a book, or a recording, or maybe just a score with the composer's name in it? Keep in mind that liner-notes in CDs or phonographs (the little booklets included) sometimes have cool information about what a composer was up to when he or she wrote a specific piece.

Part b.
Check to make sure the item is in a language you can read. We do own items in foreign languages (German is a popular one for music).

Part c.
Finally, check the Status of the item. This is crucial. IMPORTANT: Check the status of the item. If it is "not checked out," then you're in luck. If it is "checked out," you're in slightly less luck – but there is still hope. If it is "in process," then we can usually get the item ready to go for you in 24 hours if you request it. Please do not hesitate to ask for help getting items. The Help Desk can show you how to request what you need (it only takes about 5 minutes, and it's all online).

STEP 12
Write down the Title, Location, and Call Number. Once you are convinced you have a couple of good possibilities that you've found what you want, write down the Title, Location, and Call Number information from the item record. IMPORTANT: All three of these pieces of information, Title, Location, and Call Number, are needed to find what you want in the Library. Then what do you do? Well, if you are familiar with the building and know where to go, then go ahead. If you need help, ask at the Help Desk and they will get you where you need to go.

STEP 13
HELP!! My item isn't on the shelf! If this happens, you have a couple of options.

Part a.
First off, are you sure the status of the item was "not checked out"? Go back and check if you need to.

Part b.
Next, the Library of Congress (the classification system we use at Hale), uses three codes for music materials: M, ML, and MT. The call number for a music-related biography should start with ML. There is always the chance it has been mis-shelved under M or MT. Look for the same number in these other sections to see if this is the case.

Part c.
If these don't yield results, go back to the Help Desk and explain the situation. If you have looked in the wrong place and don't realize it, they can help you. If the item really is just missing, they can give you some hope there as well. Or, you can always just get a hold of Thomas Bell .

STEP 14
Take the item to the Help Desk for checkout. Simple enough. If you've found what you need, just take your ID to the Help Desk and they will check it out to you. IMPORTANT: You absolutely cannot check out items from the Library without your student ID.