Music Searches in Orbis

The purpose of this guide is to offer some quick tips on searching for music in Orbis. More detail is given in the pamphlet “A Guide to Searching Orbis” and online in the Orbis Help screens or at the foot of the Simple Search screen.

A. Use Keyword Searches to find Scores and Recordings

Many searches for music (scores and sound recordings) can best be accomplished by executing Keyword searches from the Simple Search screen. 

1.  In the Search In box, click on Keyword (MUST use and/or/not or “”)

2.  In the  Search For box, type in your keywords and/or phrases, using Boolean operators (and, or, not).  Enclose phrases in quotation marks.

Example 1:  chopin and mazurka? (will find records containing both terms, including mazurka and mazurkas)Example 2:  brahms and 118 (will find records containing Brahms’s op. 118)

Example 3:  pavan or pavane (will find records with either spelling)

Example 4:  purcell not dido (will find works by Purcell, except for those with the word “Dido” in them.)  

Example 5: “nozze di figaro” (will find records containing the phrase)

3.  Click on the Search button (below keyword)to continue.

4.  From the resulting list of titles, click on the number to the left of an entry to see more information. 

5. When the record displays, notice particularly the Uniform Title and Subjects fields, which may suggest terms that will allow you to refine your search.

6.  Add the keywords and “sound recording” to limit to recordings or not “sound recording” to exclude recordings.  See also the section below on Limiting Searches for more precise ways to limit your search.

B. Limit searches to a format e.g., scores, recordings, manuscripts)

1.  From the Simple Search screen, click on the More Limits box in the lower right corner.

2.  Beside Item Type scroll down until you come to the Music headings:  Manuscript musical scores, Printed musical scores, Musical sound recordings.  Choose one or more of these by holding the Ctrl key and clicking on the desired types.

3.  Click on the Set Limits button.  This will return you to the Simple Search screen.

4.  Click the New Search button at the top of the screen and then the Clear Limits button to remove search limits before executing other types of searches.

Other kinds of search limits available include dates of publication, languages of text, and libraries on campus.  It is also possible add limits to the results of a keyword search by clicking on the Refine Search button.

C. Try Author (sorted by title) to find all editions of the same work by a  composer.

From the Simple Search screen, click on Author (sorted by title) in the Search in box and then click on the Search by box and enter your composer’s name.  Set screen parameters to 100 records per page for prolific composers.  Caveat:  Author (sorted by title) will retrieve complete lists of titles only for the main author or composer.  For secondary authors, librettists, performers, and editors use the Author (sorted by name) search for a complete list of titles.

Example:  chopin frederic

Note that editions of the complete ballades are grouped together under Ballades, followed by editions of single ballades or several ballades.  Navigate by clicking the number to the left of a entry (e.g., 17 for Ballades, piano) to see the title list under this heading entry, and clicking on the Headings button to return to the headings list.  Within the title list, click a number to see the bibliographic record, and the Titles button to return to the list of titles.

Example:  beethoven ludwig van 1770-1827 variations

This search takes you directly to the variations section of Beethoven’s works.  Note that one must use the precise form of the composer’s name as cataloged in Orbis.  Other useful title words to keep in mind when searching include works, selections, names of instruments and ensembles (e.g., piano music, orchestral music), form and genre terms (concertos, quartets, sonatas, etc.).  These terms will bring up anthologies and collected works.

Example:  monteverdi claudio 1567 1643 incoronazione

This search retrieves scores and recordings of L’incoronazione di Poppea and parts of that work.  Use the first word of a title (excluding the articles a, an, the, le, la, der, and equivalents) to call up works with distinctive titles such as operas, cantatas, ballets, symphonic poems, etc.

D. Use Advanced Search screen to search for terms in a specific part of the bibliographic record.

Example:  (Search for) bach organ / keep the setting “All of these” / (Search in) subject (click on arrow and select subject)This search retrieves books about Bach’s organ works (at the time of this writing, 55 books).  A simple keyword search for bach and organ also includes many scores and recordings (at this time, 504 entries).

Fields to limit to include Author, Title, Subject, Place/Publisher/Date,  and others.