This way, you won’t be so overwhelmed when deciding where to start on your new repertoire search. Divide your search into categories, such as language, time period, instrumentation, genre, etc. Say you’re planning a recital for next academic year, and you need repertoire.
Nevertheless, the more you find, the more knowledgeable about the music world you become, and you can share your newfound knowledge with others. As a bass-baritone, I often find scores that have fascinating titles or are by one of the great composers, only to see that it’s written for tenor, piano, and string quartet, like "Wenlock Edge" by Ralph Vaughn Williams. Further your knowledge of the operatic and song repertoire, even the things you won’t sing. While we all know learning by recording is not always ideal, it’s a great way to aurally and visually understand the music and to get an idea of the style or genre you’re exploring. Once you’ve found your favorite music library, don’t be afraid to ask a librarian for help! They’ll be able to help guide you to the sections for song, opera, chamber works, or whatever you need! One of the best things you can do when you’re not looking for anything in particular is to just start listening and reading along to scores. This is a service where you can make a request for another library to send their material to your closest participating library. You can even filter your search for music scores and recordings. The listings will allow you to see where the book, score, or recording is located closest to you. If there aren’t any libraries close to you, and you’re still enrolled in university, there’s International Library Loan (ILL). In order to save yourself the trouble of traveling aimlessly between libraries looking for the score you need, use WorldCat! This is the largest and most reliable online library database that’s internationally used. Some have a surprising amount of repertoire to sift through, while some have smaller sections with scores that are usually a little harder to find.
The most common music libraries are likely at a conservatory or university near you, but don’t count out the public libraries either.
Happy summer walkthrough how to#
An important skill to learn is how to hit the books and use your local music library to your best advantage. While summer programs, jobs, and life are happening all around you, you’re planning to be practicing and learning music throughout the summer. Thousands of scores and possible repertoire lay before you, but how do you begin to sift through the tomes?