This page collects resources for finding music analysis through the Library's resources. We've included recommended reference sources, subject headings you can try for searching the catalog, and recommended databases. If you have trouble navigating the resources below, ask a librarian for assistance!

The two resources linked below are the two major texts for locating music analyses of works. They include the titles of articles and books that discuss and analyze composer's works, and are the first place you should start when looking for music analysis.

The UT Analysis Index provides access to program notes and descriptions or analyses of musical compositions in books owned by the UT Music Library. The call numbers refer to their holdings, so make sure to search our Library Catalog to see if we own the item. The index does not duplicate the indexing available in Harold Diamond's book, Music Analyses: An Annotated Guide to the Literature.

The Library has numerous print and online resources related to music analysis. If you couldn't find references to the work you are studying in Diamond or Hoek (the core texts recommended in the box above), you can try searching the library catalog more broadly for books that include analysis of the piece you're researching. We've included several recommended search strategies below to help guide your search.

Search by Subject

When you do a subject search, you are searching using a term from a pre-defined controlled vocabulary of headings used to classify materials in our catalog. This will give you more targeted results than doing a simple keyword search because you will only see results that were assigned the subject heading you searched with. To search by subject in the catalog:

• Open the Library catalog and click on "Advanced Search" to the right of the search bar
• Underneath "Search filters", you'll see that the default is set to "Any Field"
• Click on the arrow next to "Any Field" and select "Subject" from the drop-down menu
• Try a search with one of the subject headings recommended below

There are several subject headings in the library catalog that might help you find analysis. Try a search for one of the subject headings below:

• Harmonic analysis
• Operas --Analysis, appreciation
• Symphonies--Analysis, appreciation

You can also try combining the headings above with a composer name as a keyword or as part of the subject, as in the example below:

• Berg, Alban, 1885-1935--Criticism and interpretation.

Search by Composer

Many composer's have a bio-bibliography, or research guide, to their works. Try a search in the catalog for the composer's name and "bibliography", "biobibliography", "guide", or "handbook" to see if you can find one. Among the sources compiled in the bio-bibliography, you may be able to find sources that include music analysis of their works.

Consult the UT Analysis Index

The University of Tennessee has an Analysis Index that can be helpful for locating program notes and analyses of music. You can try a search in the UT Analysis Index, to find the name of a book that contains the analysis you need, but remember that you'll then have to search our own catalog to see if we have the title you need. The call numbers in the UT Analysis Index refer to the UT Library holdings, so you'll have to do a second, separate search in our own catalog. If we don't have the title, you can ask at the Service Desk for help placing an Interlibrary loan request.

Searching in a journal database for individual articles or dissertations analyzing the piece of music you're researching can be another great strategy. Below are two recommended databases to get you started.