Does anyone else feel at a loss to know where to start researching the programme notes for a performance exam?

As a mature student who is not attached to any educational establishment, there isn't a school or university library I can automatically turn to for material (the local town library isn't particularly stocked with books about music). And as I work full time, finding library access is a bit of a challenge.

I certainly can't afford a Grove, or the subscription to its website, and haven't the cash to spare to buy up the whole of the ABRSM reading list! I'm using the internet as much as I can, but as the ABRSM guidance points out, the quality is variable (to put it politely) and the quantity (especially for the less well known/newer composers) can be quite sparse.

Can anyone suggest a reasonable reference work which won't break the bank?

Thanks

Katyjay

It is possible to do the whole thing from free sources on the internet. For reliability issues, generally trust sites ending .edu and .ac.uk (i.e. university based sites) it's not infallible but they're generally the websites of academics who know about these things. Also look at as many sources as possible to check a given fact; if they're not directly plagerised but say the same thing it's more likely to be true. If there are any specific facts that you want to check then there are people around here who do have access to Grove Online and will be able to answer questions such as is this true (but obviously can't paste text in from there). If you want something similar (but considerably cheaper, under £30 I think) you could buy Grove Concise, although I don't know if that will be detailed enough for you. Having said all this I still think that the internet is the best bet. If there's anyone you're struggling to find information on post who it is and someone might know of or be able to find a website that can help.

Another thought: do libraries not have a system whereby one can order a book and they will get it in from a different library?

Try music publishers like www.universaledition.com or boosey and hawkes online. You can find good info on several composers there. Also helps to use google as your search engine. I find you can better results using that rather than Yahoo. Anyway. Hope this helps.

I was in the same position - I actually tried to join my local University library but they wouldn't let me. I also don't have time to sit in libraries poring over the Grove - I need to do all my work at home late at night!

I bought the History of Western Music by Grout/Palisca and that is brilliant for a detailed overview.

Once I had homed down what aspects of each composer I was interested in I spent many hours trawling Amazon with the AB book list in hand and working out by the title of the book and any text which was shown which ones might be useful. You can get second-hand books on Amazon so I managed to get one book on each of my composers without breaking the bank. I was really lucky that the books I chose seemed to cover what I wanted. If you want to know which they are I can tell you but it is very specific to my pieces.

I also found out a lot of really relevant information from the introductions in the actual music. For example in my edition of the Bach Preludes and Fugues there is absolutely loads of information, a lot of which I used as background material for my Programme Notes.

QUOTE (katyjay @ Sep 8 2004, 01:29 PM)

As a mature student who is not attached to any educational establishment, there isn't a school or university  library I can automatically turn to for material (the local town library isn't particularly stocked with books about music).  And as I work full time, finding library access is a bit of a challenge.

Have you actually asked at your local town library? If you explain your dilemma, you may well find that they will bend over backwards to help. This is what libraries are there for. If not at your local library, then at the town/city central library. (I'm assuming here that your are in the UK...). They should be able to get hold of stuff for you, even if they don't stock it.

If you have a university nearby which teaches music, it's worth writing to the Librarian pleading your case. University libraries usually have the facility for 'external borrowing rights', often for the payment of a small fee, though it depends on local policy. Rights are often granted on a discretionary basis, so it's worth asking.

Good luck!

See also The British Library Music Collections: Guides for music researchers

http://www.bl.uk/collections/musicguides.html

No sniggering, but I found the Rough Guide to Classical Music useful. For the major composers it gives a brief biography (which will help you with validating some of the web sites you find), but it also lists major works. This is very helpful for the Viva Voce staple "so what else did xxx write?".

The Oxford Companion to Music (ed Alison Latham) is a good general reference. Not sure where you're based but in the UK in a bookshop it'll cost forty pounds, on amazon.co.uk it's twenty eight. Good biographical info, but also articles on various movements, musical forms etc, history of instruments. Again, good to use as a test of a website's accuracy.

Agree with Farley_Teacher's recommendation of Grout - covers an awful lot and it's an enjoyable read as well.

Hmm, maybe I should leave sending this till next week when I find out whether my research was sufficient... It won't be down to deficiencies in these works if it wasn't...

All the best in your research.

Thanks to everyone for advice and offers of help. I'm feeling a bit less discouraged now.

Does anyone have any ideas for finding information on Matyas Seiber? In particular his songs - the sites I found on Google are all about the early influence on him from Bartok or the late influence from Schoenberg, or his record as a piano teacher, nothing about the songs he wrote at all!

Cheers


Katyjay

The AB publish a really useful guide to writing programme notes which is free, so just ring them for a copy. It's by Nigel Scaife and tells you how to do your research and gives examples of good and bad notes. Your teaacher should have books to lend you, and CD sleeves are often a very good source of info as well.

Thanks for mentioning "Writing Programme Notes" zibyll.

Anyone who would like to receive a copy of this guide written by Syllabus Principal, Dr Nigel Scaife, please send me a Private Message with your full name and postal address. I'll be happy to pop a copy in the post.

Best regards

Christine

Is that the same as the online document http://www.abrsm.org/resources/writingProgNotesApr05.pdf ?

Yes it is.

CD booklets can be a good starting point, but they're a mixed bag, ranging from the non-existent to several essays in tiny print! As an alternative, why not treat yourself to a day out in London, with the day spent in a large library poring over weighty tomes, then a treat in the evening (theatre, concert, restaurant, any of the above)?

Just a thought.