HELP WITH RESOURCES FOR RCS MUSIC HISTORY 2 ESSAY

If you're a 2nd year music student at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, then you just got lucky!  We’ve been looking at the Music History 2 essay questions to see how our online resources could help.  Here are some general hints.  We'll be emailing more hints soon.

A   You can often find a score online.   Use your computer’s snipping tool to copy little excerpts for examples.  We subscribe to Alexander Street Press Classical Scores Library (accessible online wherever you are), and Library Music Source (accessible on site).  You probably already know about IMSLP (the Petrucci library), too.

B    You can look for information in Groves Dictionary – it’s part of Oxford Music Online.  Check our e-resources page.  http://www.rcs.ac.uk/about_us/libraryandit/databases/ 

C   You can also find useful information on JSTOR.  Be clever with your searching – if the essay is asking you to link concepts (eg Liszt and literature), make sure your search terms reflect that.  Check our e-resources page.  http://www.rcs.ac.uk/about_us/libraryandit/databases/

D   If a piece of music has an English title as well as its original title, search both!

E   There’s nothing wrong with older literature, if it informs the question you are answering. However, do remember that opinions may have changed, if an article is very old indeed!!

F   Search keywords in our catalogue.  http://capitadiscovery.co.uk/rcs/  Start with a precise search (eg the composer’s name and  perhaps the piece) then broaden it if you don’t get what you need.  If you don’t find the right information under a composer’s name, try MUSIC HISTORY - and maybe the century you’re interested in.  If you’re off-site, limit your results to e-books to see if there’s anything you can read online. 

G  You can stream music by Naxos or Alexander Street Press Music Library.  Check our e-resources page.  http://www.rcs.ac.uk/about_us/libraryandit/databases/ 

H   There are also plenty of electronic journals on the e-journals page.  Start by looking for suitable journals under the List of Music Titles.  http://www.rcs.ac.uk/about_us/libraryandit/e-journals/

We're the very helpful Whittaker Library, here to help students and staff of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with their information requirements.