MUSIC A guide to resources
St John’s College Library www.joh.cam.ac.uk/library
Resources for Music BOOKS The main Music collection can be found on the First Floor (Chapel Wing), with classmarks beginning M, ML and MT. The oversize sequence precedes the main sequence.
The general arrangement is as follows:
Music (M) M 3-3.1
Collected works of individual composers
M 5-1490
Instrumental music
M 1495-1998
Vocal music
Literature on music (ML) ML 1-158
General and reference works
ML 159-3792
History and criticism of music
ML 3800-3923
Philosophy and physics of music
Musical instruction and study (MT) MT 3-7
History and criticism, Music theory
MT 40-74
Composition, Improvisation, Orchestration, Instrumentation
MT 170-810
Instrumental techniques
MT 820-949
Singing and voice culture
An additional resource for students wishing to access musical scores is the Cartwright Collection, located in Chapel Basement (with the exception of unbound sheet music and pre-1850 items, which are stored under closed access - please ask at the Issue Desk). The collection includes a large number of pieces of Baroque and early Classical music, as well as a complete run of the Neue Bach Ausgabe, and works by Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Handel, Haydn, Liszt, Schubert and numerous others. Items in the Cartwright Collection are borrowable and can be searched for on iDiscover. A printed list of the collection is also available for browsing at the Issue Desk.
JOURNALS Details of the Library’s journal holdings, listed by subject, are available via the website: www.joh.cam.ac.uk/journals
The Library has historically taken one music journal: Music Analysis. Bound issues of volumes 1-31 (1982 -2012) are shelved in the Chapel Basement (classmark MUS).
The Library also takes the Musica Britannica series, (Vol. 1-, 1962-) which is shelved in the oversize section on the First Floor (classmark M 1.M8).
E-journals can be searched via Cambridge LibGuides (see below for more information).
ELECTRONIC RESOURCES The Pendlebury Library of Music provides links to online resources and other recommended music sites on its website: www.mus.cam.ac.uk/library
Cambridge LibGuides provide a complete guide to all subjects and electronic resources, such as ejournals, e-books and databases available across the University: libguides.cam.ac.uk
Recommended resources include:
Music Index
Oxford Music Online (Grove)
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature
RIPM Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals
RISM International Inventory of Musical Sources After 1600
(Note: a Raven password is required for online access off-campus.)
AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS The Library holds a varied and extensive collection of audio-visual (AV) materials, which can be found in the AV Room on the First Floor (at the end of the Penrose section). Resources include:
Classical music on CD
Recordings of the College Choir on CD
Western and non-Western cinema on DVD
All AV materials appear on the Library catalogue, so you can search for them just as you would for books and other items (using title/creator/keyword searches). Lists of current stock are also available for browsing via the website: www.joh.cam.ac.uk/av-room
Items may be used in the AV Room or borrowed for a period of one week (with the possibility of up to four renewals). Headphones and DVD drives are also available to borrow from the Issue Desk.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Other libraries you may find useful:
University Library
Pendlebury Library of Music
Fitzwilliam Museum music collections
Recommendations The College Library aims to provide all works necessary for Part One courses, and a selection of the most important works required for Part Two. We receive reading lists from the departmental libraries in advance of each academic year, and continually update the Library collections in response to requests from directors of studies, supervisors and students. You can recommend an item by using the online recommendation form (www.joh.cam.ac.uk/item-recommendations) or by filling in a recommendation form at the Issue Desk. All reasonable requests will be considered. If texts you require for your course are not available in the College Library, please talk to a member of Library staff.
Staff If you have any difficulty in tracing the material you need, whether in printed or electronic format, please ask a member of Library staff for assistance. The Issue Desk is staffed Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.