Many music titles are comprised of generic terms such as sonata, trio, concerto, etc. Those terms vary country to country (e.g., Sonata vs. Sonate or Trio sonata vs. Sonata a tre). To complicate matters even further, distinctive titles usually reflect the language of the composer (e.g., Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune vs. Prelude to the afternoon of a Fawn)
Here are some tips for helping you use keyword searching effectively in a library catalog:
- If the title consists of a generic term, search using the English form (sonata vs, sonate)
- If the title is distinctive, search it in it's original language if known (Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune vs. Prelude to the afternoon of a fawn). If the title is too long, choose words in the title that are the most unique
- Always include the composer's last name
- If the piece has an opus number or thematic catalog number (e.g., BWV numbers for Bach), include that number as a keyword (e.g., Bach concerto BWV 1062). If you do not know the opus/thematic catalog number, go to Oxford Music Online and find it in the composer's list of complete works. You can also search Wikipedia by composer for opus/thematic catalog numbers found in the list of composer's works.
- If you are looking for a specific edition (e.g., Henle) or editor, include that term, name, etc.