The library's catalog can be used to find a variety of scores. The following are types of scores available at Helmke Library.
◊ Miniature or Pocket scores are about 7 inches by 5 inches in size with reduced print. They are used for following a recording or a performatnce of a musical work. They are not intended for practice or performance.
◊ Full scores include the music for the instrument or all of the instruments in the case of ensembles. For example, if it is a full score for an opera, it will include the vocal parts (in some instances including the lyrics in more than one language) and all of the instrumental parts.
◊ Piano-Vocal scores include the musical notation for the voice and for piano accompaniment. They may or may not include spoken words for operettas or musicals, but for operas they normally include both the recitatives and the arias. These scores are suitable for performance use depending on performance rights.
◊ Scores and Parts include a full score as well as individual parts for all instruments of the ensemble. Helmke Library has this type of score and parts mostly for small ensembles, but some full arrangements for band or orchestra may be found.
If the item you are looking for is not available in the catalog, use Document Delivery Services to request it from another library.
Here are some suggestions on how to find scores in the library's catalog.
The easiest way to start is to search broadly by using keywords.
For example: to find a string quartet by Brahms, type in the composer's name and the words string quartet. Then search.
The results will include all versions of string quartets by Brahms that Helmke Library owns.
To limit the results to just scores, click on Scores under Material Type in the left column.
A second method to find a specific work is to search collected works of the composer.
Historical Sets, Collected Editions and Monuments of Music: A Guide to Their Contents, 2 vols. (ML113 .H52 1980 Reference) lists collected works of music by the composer with an index for each volume in the work. These books can be found in the Reference collection on the 1st floor of the library.
For example, under Brahms, you can find the "String Quartet, op. 51, no. 1 in C Minor" is in volume 7 of the Samtliche Werke.
The next step is to use the catalog to find the call number and location of the collected works using the terms Brahms and Samtliche Werke.
