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Music Research Guide

Finding Vocal Music

Vocal music is one of the biggest parts of our library's collection! Explore this section of the guide to see some of our resources. These include scores, audio (CDs and streaming), videos (DVDs, Blu-rays, and streaming), and books about composers, performers, diction, translation, etc.

If you don't find something in the WRLC Catalog, don't forget to check out our Sheet Music Collection which contains classical, popular, music theatre works, and others. We also have a Choral Music Collection separate from our regular holdings. 

This guide is just an introduction to our many resources, one of which is our reference staff! Please stop by or make an appointment with the liaison librarian for music, Julie Loy.

Repertoire Guides

Repertoire guides are a great resource whether you're just starting to plan a recital, looking for a spectacular encore, or trying to find something appropriate to sing for an audition. There are several kinds, some organized by voice type, some by language, some by year. Most of these guides are in the Reference section. If you can't find something, just ask! Our library staff members are also great resources for finding repertoire!

Song Indices and Catalogs

When you need a song or aria, sometimes it is only available in a collection. Though you can find most songs and arias using a keyword search in the WRLC Catalog, some collections don't have the table of contents online, so you have to use a book called a song index. The list below includes some of our most commonly used indices.

How to use an index: Look up the title of the piece. Next to the title, there will be a string of letters or numbers, or a combination of the two. Use this code to look in the front of the volume to find the collection or anthology - most indices are annotated with the call numbers of collections owned by Catholic University.  Some collections also index by composer, country of origin (this is handy for folk music!), or other ways.

Diction and Translation: Italian, Russian, Spanish, and Other Languages

Diction and Translation: French

Diction and Translation: German

Diction

General Opera Resources

Other Print Resources of Interest

To Find Scores for Arias and Songs in Collections, Do a Keyword Search or Use an Index

Selected Vocal Pedagogy Resources (How the Voice Works)