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Composition and Music Theory

A guide to finding background information and resources related to composition and music theory.

Welcome

Welcome to the Music & Performing Arts Library (MPAL) guide to composition and music theory resources! 

Use the tabs to the left to navigate this guide, and don't hesitate to reach out to a librarian if you need extra help.

Depending on your research topic, you may also want to check out some of our other library guides. In particular, we are linking a few below that might be helpful.

Tips for Exploring the Collection

Browsing the shelves for materials related to your topic can be a great way to identify items that may be useful to you! If you find one or two items in the catalog that seem promising, look on the shelves at the items surrounding them.

If you want to read more about call numbers and how to decipher them, check our guide to Classification Systems. If you're not sure where to go in the Library to browse one of these call number ranges, please ask us at the service desk and we'll be happy to point you in the right direction or walk you to the shelves! 

For search suggestions to browse the catalog, check out the next tab of this box!

Suggested Call Numbers

  • Bibliographies, Music theory: ML128.T5 
  • History and criticism: ML159 - 3785 
    • By Period: ML162 - 197 
    • Medieval, Renaissance, Theory: ML174 
    • Years 1901 – 2000: ML197 
    • Years 2001 – Present: ML197.2 
  • Composition: ML430 – 455 
    • Notation: ML431 - 432 
    • Harmony: ML444 
    • Counterpoint: ML446 
    • Musical form: ML448 
    • Instrumentation: ML455 
  • Sonata Form: ML1156 
  • Electronic music, Computer music: ML1380 
  • Physics and acoustics of music: ML3805 – 3817 
  • Composition of Electronic Music: MT40 
  • Music Theory: MT5.5 - 7 
    • Through 1600: MT5.5 
    • General works: MT6 
    • Rudiments, Elementary works: MT7 
  • Notation: MT35 - 39 
  • Composition, Elements and techniques of music: MT40 – 67 
    • Composition: MT40 
    • Harmony: MT50 
    • Counterpoint, Polyphony: MT55 
    • Electronic and computer music composition: MT56 
    • Forms and genres: MT58 – 67 
    • Instrumentation and orchestration: MT70 – 74 
    • Analysis and appreciation of music: MT90 – 146 
    • Sight-singing, including solfeggio: MT870

 

Credit for these call number suggestions is given to the creators of Ball State University's Music Theory and Composition Research Guide.

Search by Subject

Each item in the library catalog is assigned one or more subject headings to tell you what it is about. You can search by subject heading using the catalog's Advanced Search feature. 

To search by subject in the catalog:

  1. Open the Library catalog and click on "Advanced Search" to the right of the search bar
  2. Underneath "Search filters", you'll see that the default is set to "Any Field"
  3. Click on the arrow next to "Any Field" and select "Subject" from the drop-down menu
  4. Try a search with one of the subject headings recommended below
  5. Once you've found a relevant book in the catalog, you can also use the subjects listed in the record to find additional related materials

Recommended Subject Headings