A GUIDE
FOR THE PREPARATION OF MUSIC PAPERS
 
prepared by the
Composition, History, Theory Division
Eleanor F. McCrickard, Chair
 
for students in the
School of Music
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
January 1999

CONTENTS

1.    Bibliography

2.    A Checklist of Sources for Music Papers
       2.1  Book Sources
       2.2  Sources Available Online at UNC-Greensboro
       2.3  Other Online Sources
       2.4  CD-ROM sources

3.    Documentation of Material
       3.1  Footnotes/Bibliography
       3.2  Endnotes/Bibliography
       3.3  Parenthetical References/Reference List
       3.4  Formats
       3.5  New Grove Articles
       3.6  Citations from Secondary Sources

4.    Supplementary Bibliography for Music Materials
       4.1  Published Music Scores
       4.2  Unpublished Music Scores
       4.3  Sound Recordings
       4.4  Videorecordings
       4.5  Record and CD Notes
       4.6  Program Notes
       4.6  Photographed Materials
       4.7  Performances

5.    Citation of Electronic Media
       5.1  WWW Sites
       5.2  TELNET Sites
       5.3  FTP Sites
       5.4  CD-ROM
       5.5  Listserv Messages
       5.6  E-Mail Messages

6.    Examples Within the Text
       6.1  Numbering
       6.2  Captions
       6.3  Citation of the Music Source
       6.4  Music Examples
       6.5  Placement of Examples Within the Text
       6.6  Non-Music Materials Within the Text

7.    Titles of Compositions Within the Text
       7.1  Titles
       7.2  Genre Titles
       7.3  Descriptive Titles
       7.4  Titles with Abbreviations

8.  Miscellaneous Matters
       8.1  Dates of Materials in the Bibliography
       8.2  Pagination
       8.3  Subheadings
       8.4  Quotations
       8.5  Numbers
       8.6  Letters as Notes
       8.7  Pitches
       8.8  Foreign Terms
       8.9  Writing Style
       8.10  Words of Wisdom


1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 6th ed. Revised
          by John Grossman and Alice Bennett. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1996.
The approach taken by Turabian-Grossman-Bennett is particularly good for students writing history and theory papers.  Several options are offered, thus allowing some individuality in approach.  The Manual also addresses such topics as layout, abbreviations, numbers, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, underlining/italics, tables, illustrations, and quotations.  Basic information is available online for citation of written sources.
 
The Chicago Manual of Style. 14th ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1993.
Since Turabian is a condensed version of the Chicago Manual, students may refer to the Chicago Manual for more complex bibliographic problems than are addressed in the smaller book without the risk of encountering conflicting material.  A copy is available in the office of the Reference Room at Jackson Library.  Materials in this UNCG guide are derived primarily from the Chicago Manual and Turabian. Basic information is available on-line for citation of written sources.
Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. 3d ed. New York: Macmillan, 1979.
The small book is a classic for matters pertaining to style.  Click here for an online version.
 
Holoman, D. Kern. Writing About Music: A Style Sheet from the Editors of 19th-Century Music.
          Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988.
Treated in this manual are problems dealing with writing about music:  music terminology, narrative text, citations, musical examples, tables and illustrations, the printed program, and the preparation of copy to be submitted electronically.
 
Guide for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations. Greensboro, NC: The Graduate School of
          The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1994.
D.M.A. students may acquire a copy of the style guide from the Director of Graduate Studies in the School of Music or from the Graduate Office in Mossman.
Return to Contents.


2. A CHECKLIST OF SOURCES FOR MUSIC PAPERS

The music resources at UNC-Greensboro are housed in two locations.  Reference materials, books, periodicals, newspapers, and CD-ROM sources are housed in Jackson Library, primarily on the first floor in the reference department and in the serials-reserve room, and on the third floor of the old building.  Scores, recordings, and a limited number of standard reference materials are housed in the Music Listening Center in Brown Music Building.
 

2.1  Book Sources

2.2  Sources Available Online at UNC-Greensboro

JACLIN, the Library’s catalog at UNCG, lists databases under Electronic Databases and Indices (EDI) on the initial screen.  Within EDI the databases may be selected either (1) from the alphabetical listing of all JACLIN databases, or (2) under a listing by department for a more selective listing.

The following online sources will be of particular interest to music students (the items in bold contain music exclusively):

Several other databases are listed under General Indices and Newspaper Sources on the initial page of EDI.  Music students may find the following to be particularly valuable: Students should be aware of the fact that some of these databases are available only on campus or through UNCG PPP (see the Instructional Resources Center for information as to how to install PPP on your home computer).
 

2.3  Other Online Sources

The music librarian and several faculty members have created web pages that cater to their particular interests and include numerous online sources.  For example, see these web sites:

2.4  CD-ROM Sources

Some CD-ROMs are available only in the Reference Department of Jackson Library.  Music students may be interested in these:

Return to Contents.


3. DOCUMENTATION OF MATERIAL

The source of material that is not common knowledge should be cited in a note, either a footnote, endnote, or parenthetical reference.  Likewise, interesting material that amplifies the text but does not have direct bearing on it may be treated as a content note.   These notes should be presented as footnotes or endnotes, not parenthetical references, as the length of the note may interrupt the text.

3.1  Footnotes/Bibliography

Students may place notes at the bottom of each page as described in Turabian, chapter 8.  Use of a shortened format for notes after the first is encouraged (8.88-141, especially 8.91).  Number the notes consecutively throughout the paper.  A bibliography of sources is placed at the end of the paper; the format is explained in Turabian, chapter 9.  Examples of both footnote and bibliography entries are cited in chapter 11 under N and B.
 

3.2  Endnotes/Bibliography

Alternatively students may place notes at the end of the paper following the format and procedure outlined for footnotes above.
 

3.3  Parenthetical References/Reference List

The Author-Date system for notes is described in Turabian (10.2-19).  Even when parenthetical references are used, lengthy notes, including content notes, should be placed at the bottom of the page or at the end of the paper.  When parenthetical references are used, the bibliography is set up as a "Reference List" following the format in Turabian (10.20-32).  Examples for parenthetical references and the reference list are cited in chapter 11 under PR and RL.
 

3.4  Formats

The easiest and quickest way to find formats for the various forms is by examining chapter 11 of Turabian. Basic formats may be found online by clicking here.
 

3.5  New Grove Articles

For New Grove articles citation of the author is absolutely essential.  If the bibliography contains three or four articles from New Grove, undergraduates may use an abbreviated form of citation, not the s.v. format as stated in Turabian.  Place a main entry for the set in the bibliography, then give an entry for each article by author.  For example, a listing of three articles and the set would appear alphabetized in a bibliography in the following manner:
Arnold, Denis. "Monteverdi." New Grove, 12:514-530.

Heartz, Daniel. "Empfindsamkeit." New Grove, 6:157-159.

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Edited by Stanley Sadie. 20 vols.
         London: Macmillan, 1980.

Palisca, Claude. "Baroque." New Grove, 2:172-178.

If only one or two articles are cited, however, follow the format in the example below.  All graduate students should follow this  format.

           Heartz, Daniel. "Empfindsamkeit." In The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed.
                    Stanley Sadie, 6:157-159. 20 vols. London: Macmillan, 1980.  [See Turabian 11.26.]

Footnotes for New Grove articles are treated in the following manner:

           Daniel Heartz, “Empfindsamkeit,” New Grove, 6:157.   [First note]
           Heartz, 6:158.                     [Subsequent notes]

In the reference list the format is the same except that the date is inserted after the author's name and capitalization is adjusted.  In the citation for the set place the date after the name of the set.

Parenthetical references for New Grove articles may be treated in the following manner:

           (Heartz 1980, 6:157)

Other music encyclopedias may also follow the formats above.  In a paper that employs parenthetical references/reference list, the date should be inserted after the name of the dictionary in the main entry.
 

3.6  Citations from Secondary Sources

References taken from another source must cite both works.  If that source is an older work, the publisher may be omitted.

                            1John Playford, An Introduction to the Skill of Musick, 16th ed. (London, 1713), 132,
            quoted in William S. Newman, The Sonata in the Baroque Era (New York: W. W. Norton,
            1972), 40.

If the purpose of the reference is to emphasize the secondary author's quoting of the original work, the following style should be used:

                             2William S. Newman, The Sonata in the Baroque Era (New York: W. W. Norton, 1972),
            10, quoting John Playford, An Introduction to the Skill of Musick, 16th ed. (London, 1713),
            132.

In the bibliography entry, the first-mentioned work is cited in the usual style, with elements separated by periods.  If the work is a book, the page reference immediately follows the title, separated from it by a comma.  The second men-tioned source is treated as a unit, with the elements separated by commas.

              Playford, John. An Introduction to the Skill of Musick, 132. 16th ed.  London,1713. Quoted
                        in William S. Newman, The Sonata in the Baroque Era (New York: W. W. Norton,
                        1983), 40.

              Newman, William S. The Sonata in the Baroque Era. New York: W. W. Norton, 1983. Quoting
                        John Playford, An Introduction to the Skill of Musick, 16th ed. London, 1713.

 Return to Contents.


4. SUPPLEMENTARY BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR MUSIC MATERIALS

The examples given below are for the bibliography format; for the reference list take the date from the end and insert it after the composer's name.  A period follows the date, and the comma following the publisher is changed to a period.  Capitalization is adjusted to that only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
 

4.1  Published Music Scores

          See Turabian 8.142, 11.59.
 

4.2  Unpublished Music Scores

          See Turabian 11.58.
 

4.3  Sound Recordings

Records, cassettes, compact disks, and other forms of recorded sound are listed under the name of the composer.  The title of the work as it appears on the label follows.  Collections and anonymous works are listed by title.  The title of a record, cassette, disk, or album is italicized.  Following the title are listed the name of the performer, the company, the number of the record or disk, and the date of recording:

4.4  Videorecordings

In citing videorecordings, state the name of the producer or director, when available and when relevant.  The title follows italicized.  Any material needed to relocate the item is next in an order that follows other citations.

         Mihalyi, Louis J. Landscapes of Zambia, Central Africa. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Visual Education,
                 1975. Slides.
 
         Kubik, Gerhard, ed. African Guitar: Solo Fingerstyle Guitar Music, Composers, and Performers
                  of Congo/Zaire, Uganda, Central African Republic, Malawi, Namibia, and Zambia:
                  Audio-Visual Field Recordings, 1966-1993. Cambridge, MA: Vestapol Productions 13017,
                 1994; Distributed by Rounder Records, 1995. VCR tape.
 

4.5  Record and CD Notes

The names of music genres such as the symphony, sonata, and mass, which are usually not italicized, are italicized when part of the title of the recording.

         Zaslaw, Neil. Notes for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Symphony no. 40 in G Minor, K.550.
                 Performed by the Academy of Ancient Music. Directed by Christopher Hogwood.
                 L'Oiseau-Lyre D173D3, 1982.
 

4.6  Program Notes

         Vivès, Vincent. "The Fairies' Gifts." Program Notes for Les Mamelles de Tirésias by Francis
                  Poulenc.  Performed by Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra and TMC Soloists, Seiji
                  Ozawa, conductor. Lenox, Massachusetts, 17 July 1997.
 

4.7  Photographed Materials

           Marpurg, Friedrich Wilhelm, ed. Raccolta delle più nuove composizioni di clavicembalo di
                     differenti maestri ed autori. Leipzig: J. G. I. Breitkopf, 1756-57. Microfilm of a copy
                     in the Bibliothèque du Conservatoire Royal de Musique, Brussels, Catalog no. 6307.
 

4.8  Performances

Much variety may be expected in the citation of performances.  Start with the most relevant name:  director, conductor, or performer, for example.  The title of the performance follows, in italics, then the theater and city where the performance occurred.  The date is the last item cited.  See Turabian 8.146.

           Solti, Georg, conductor. Brandenburg Concerto no.1 by Johann Sebastian Bach, BWV 1046.
                  Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert, Chicago. 2 June 1985.

 Return to Contents.


5.  CITATION OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA

Electronic media are of two main types: (1) on-line sources such as computer services, listserves, e-mail and (2) physical entities such as CD-ROMS.  The first type tends to change rapidly, thus making it important to note the exact date of access; the second type is relatively fixed except for updating occasionally.

Because the field is new and because much changes rapidly in electronic media, methods for citations are not as fixed as for book and article sources.  A person making citations must keep in mind that the person reading the citation must be able to retrieve the item.  In so far as it is possible, follow the same general format as for printed materials.  For an extensive, current list of citations in various formats, press here to see information about citations.

The following examples are offered as possibilities:

5.1  WWW Sites

        (World Wide Web, Available through Netscape and other Web Browsers)

        Schulenberg, David. "Some Problems of Text, Attributions, and Performance in Early Italian
                Baroque Keyboard Music." Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music 4 (1998).
                <http://www.sscm.harvard.edu/jscm/v4no1.html/>.

        Encyclopedia Britannica. Online.  S.v. “Mahler, Gustav” by Deryck V. Cooke. 23 January 1999.

        Page, Melvin E. “A Brief Citation Guide for Internet Sources in History and the Humanities.”
                Ver.2.1, 20 February 1996. <http://h-net2.msu.edu/~africa/citation.html/>. 23 January 1999.

        McCarty, Frank, ed. “Pauline Oliveros (1932--): Discography.” American Music Resource.
                <http://www.uncg.edu/~flmccart/amrinsub.html/>. 23 January 1999.
 

5.2  TELNET Sites

        (Sites and Files available via the telnet protocol)

        “Scores for Beethoven’s Symphony no.6, op.68: A Bibliography.” Database, Center for Beethoven
                Studies. <telnetsjsulib.sjsu.edu/>. [Path: Other databases/Beethoven/opus]. 4 September 1997.
 

5.3  FTP Sites

        (File Transfer Protocol)

        Dannenberg, Roger B. “A Perspective on Computer Music.” Computer Music Journal. Spring
                1996. <ftp://mitpress.mit.edu/>. [Path: pub/Computer-Music-Journal/Contents/20.1.toc].
 

5.4  CD-ROM

        Oxford English Dictionary, 2d ed., s.v. "Celtic Folklore" [CD-ROM]. Oxford: Oxford University
                 Press, 1992.
 

5.5   ListServe Messages

        Rifkin, Joshua. "REPLY: Endnotes or Footnotes." In AMS-List. <AMS-List@virginia.edu>.
                 17 January 1999.
 

5.6  E-Mail Messages

        Marsh, Carol <carol_marsh@uncg.edu>. "Early music sites." Private e-mail message to Eric
                 Charry. 20 January 1999.

Return to Contents.


6. EXAMPLES WITHIN THE TEXT

6.1  Numbering

Number the music examples consecutively throughout the paper, and refer to them in the text by number.
 

6.2  Captions

        Give each example a caption providing appropriate information as shown below:

            a.  More than one composer discussed in the paper:

                 Example 1: Brahms, Intermezzo in A Major, op. 118, no. 2, mm. 1-6

            b.  Only one composer, but several works discussed:

                 Example 1: Intermezzo in A Major, op. 118, no. 2, mm. 1-6

            c.  Only one work, but several movements or sections:

                 Example 1: "Wohin," mm. 1-16

            d.  Only one movement or piece:

                 Example 1: mm. 15-18
 

6.3  Citation of the Music Source

Use a footnote (or parenthetical reference if that is the method of citation) to show the source of the example when copying music directly from a score.  The superscript number for the note (or parenthetical reference) should be placed at the end of your caption for the example.
 

6.4  Music Examples

Music notation programs are currently available in the Computer Lab.

If a music example is photocopied from a score, make sure it includes clefs and instrument indications (including keys of instruments that change transpositions).  Add them if it does not.  Make the examples show what you are writing about by the use of brackets, arrows, circles, or labels within the example.  For longer examples it may be appropriate to give selected measure numbers within the example.  Often a diagram, graph, or reduction of a passage will be more instructive than the actual score excerpt.
 

6.5  Placement of Examples Within the Text

Place the examples in the text as close to the discussions as practical, not in an appendix at the end.  Generally speaking, insert the example at the end of the paragraph that mentions the example.  If room does not exist, continue with the text to the end of the page, then place the example at the top of the next page.  Always mention the example before inserting it.  Measure the examples carefully before processing the paper in order to leave enough room.  Margin restrictions apply to examples as well as to text.
 

6.6  Non-Music Material Within the Text

A table, chart, diagram, or picture that comes from a book or article must include a citation of its source.  This may be done through the use of footnotes/endnotes or parenthetical references.  Alternatively, the source may be cited under the table or chart.  The same format that is used for notes may be employed:

        Source: James R. Anthony, French Baroque Music (New York: W. W. Norton, 1997), 134.

If the source has already been cited, a shortened form may be used.

Return to Contents.


7. TITLES OF COMPOSITIONS WITHIN THE TEXT

7.1  Titles

Italicize titles of long musical compositions such as operas, oratorios, and tone poems.  Place in quotes titles of songs, short compositions, and sections of long compositions:

7.2  Genre Titles

Musical compositions that are identified by the name of a musical genre in which they are written plus a number or a key or both capitalize the genre and key but are not italicized.  When used as the title of a work, the name of the genre and the key are capitalized.  If the key is modified by the term flat, sharp, or natural, the modifying term is in lower case and the key phrase is hyphenated:

7.3  Descriptive Titles

A descriptive title given to a work is italicized if the work is long and placed in quotes if it is short.  Or, alternatively, all additional titles may be treated as "nicknames" and placed in quotes:

7.4  Titles with Abbreviations

The abbreviations op. (opus; pl. opp.) and no. (number; pl. nos.) are usually in lower case, but both are some-times capitalized; either style is acceptable if consistency is observed.  An abbreviation designating a catalog of a particular composer's works is always capitalized (e.g., BWV [Bach Werke Verzeichnis] for Bach; D. [Deutsch] for Schubert; K. [Köchel] for Mozart. Return to Contents.


8. MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS

8.1  Dates of Materials in the Bibliography

Students should always be aware of the publication date of materials in the bibliography.  Check with your professor if you wish to use a book or article published before 1950.
 

8.2  Pagination

Number pages from beginning to end including endnotes and bibliography (or reference list).
 

8.3  Subheadings

For longer papers use of subject headings to separate the parts of the paper is helpful.  For the various levels of headings, see Turabian 1.37.
 

8.4  Quotations

Quotations should be used sparingly.  In general, paraphrase material, reserving quotations only for that which is particularly important or striking.  To avoid "naked quotes," introduce the quote in some manner.  For example, wording that attributes the quote to an author may be used, such as this:

            Longyear notes, ". . . ." <or>      As Slonimsky points out, ". . . ."

Be careful, however, to vary your manner of introducing quotations.  See Turabian, chapter 5.

Long quotations of two or more sentences that extend to eight or more lines of text in a paper should be treated as a block quote.  The text is single spaced and indented four spaces from the left margin.  No quotation marks are employed.
 

8.5  Numbers

Both cardinal and ordinal numbers through one hundred and numbers followed by words like hundred or thousand are usually spelled out.  All other numbers are placed in Arabic numerals.  If there is a mixture of numbers above and below 100, Arabic numerals should be used for all.  In papers that employ many numbers, however, spelling out all numbers under 100 is cumbersome; hence, use of all Arabic numerals is in order.
 

8.6  Letters as Notes

Letters standing for music notes are usually capitalized:

                middle C  A 440
                the key of G major the key of F-sharp minor
                the D-major triad an E string
                                        (Chicago Manual 6.84)

In papers of a theoretical nature where many keys are discussed or are stated in an analysis, it is common practice to use capital letters for major keys and lowercase for minor.  If this practice is followed, the words major and minor are omitted:

                the key of G
                the e triad: E--G-natural--B
                The second movement of Beethoven's Sonata in c (op. 13) is in the key of A-flat.
                                        (Chicago Manual 6.87)
 

8.7  Pitches

In papers that cite notes in different octaves, use a standard method for giving pitches:  C2, C1, C, c, c1 (middle C), c2, c3, etc.
 

8.8  Foreign Terms

When a foreign word, such as legato, largo, louré, or Lied, has been used to the extent of being considered anglicized, then it is no longer considered "foreign" and hence is not italicized.  The same is true for the formation of plurals of foreign words.  If the word has been anglicized, then use the anglicized form of the plural:  concerto, concertos, not concerti; sonata, sonatas, not sonate.  Determining the point at which a word crosses that fine line is often difficult.  Examination of a textbook, such as the Grout-Palisca history text or Kostka-Payne theory text, to see how the editors treat this problem or any other will prove helpful.
 

8.9  Writing Style

Active voice is preferable to passive voice.

Avoid colloquialisms (e.g., "feel" used as a noun), contractions, excessive use of "there is"/"there are," and overused words (e.g., very, quite).  Strings of uninterpreted facts might cause a reader to respond with "so what?"  Therefore, interpret facts.

Particular care should be taken in the use of a dash.  Notice that there are no spaces between the text and the dash.  See Turabian 3.91-95 for a discussion of usage.  Strunk-White, listed in the bibliography, gives particularly good tips for strong writing.
 

8.10  Words of Wisdom

No style guide nor professor can give all the answers; some decisions must be made by the student. In making decisions, think through the problem, then make a decision that seems logical.  Remember to maintain consistency at all times.

Return to Contents.
 

Last revised on January 27, 1999.
For comments about this Guide, please contact Eleanor McCrickard.