Bibliographies

Your bibliography should list the books and other sources used in the preparation of your essay or thesis. It should be divided into two categories: books and other written material, and music and scores. Each section should be sorted alphabetically by author. It is placed at the end of your essay or thesis.

Click to see the sample bibliography citations for the following sources:

• Book
• Chapter in an edited book
• Journal article
• Newspapers
• Theses and dissertations
• Scores and Collected Editions
• Internet sites
• Discography

Bibliographic style differs from footnote style in two main ways:

• the author's surname is given first, as bibliographies should be alphabeticised by surname.
• the material is presented in discrete sentences, with the different sections divided by full stops rather than commas. It generally consists of three sections:

  Author's name. Title of the book. Publication details.

Full details of correct bibliographic style can be found in sections 4.6-4.10 of the MLA Handbook.

Book

In your bibliographical entry the last name always comes first.

Anderson, Nicholas. Baroque Music: From Monteverdi to Handel. London: Thames & Hudson, 1994.

Rosen, Charles. The Romantic Generation. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1995.

To see the corresponding footnote citation for this bibliographical entry click here.

See MLA 4.6.3.

Chapter in an edited book

The title of the chapter is placed in quotation marks.

Jones, Richard D. P.. 'The Keyboard Works: Bach as Teacher and Virtuoso'. The Cambridge Companion to Bach. Ed. John Butt. Cambridge: CUP, 1997.

If you use more than one chapter it is sufficient to cite the entire book, rather than individual chapters.

Note that articles from the New Grove fit into this category, and should be listed under the author and title of the article, not under the editor. However, as the articles are listed alphabetically, there is no need for volume or page numbers. Articles should be sited separately; you should not include the whole dictionary in your bibliography.

Samson, Jim. 'Romantic'. New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Ed. Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. 2nd ed. London: Macmillan, 2001.

The title of the online version, which was edited by Dr Laura Macy, is Grove Music Online: the date of consultation and URL should replace the publication data.

Samson, Jim. 'Romantic'. Grove Music Online. Ed. Laura Macy. Accessed 24 February 2002. <http://www.grovemusic.com>

To see the proper footnote citation for this source click here.

See MLA 4.6.7.

Journal article

Title of the article is placed in quotation marks. Title of the journal is italicised.

Heartz, Daniel. 'From Garrick to Gluck: The Reform of Theatre & Opera in the Mid-Eighteenth Century'. Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association 94 (1967-68): 111-127.

Note: issue numbers or months are only required where each issue is paginated separately:

Law, Joe K. '"I Must Get a Better Composer...But How?": The Early Letters and Diaries of Benjamin Britten'. Opera Quarterly 9.2 (1992): 31-51.

To see the proper footnote citation for this source click here.

See MLA 4.7.1

Newspapers

Individual items from daily papers are seldom listed separately in a bibliography. Instead, the name of the paper and the run of dates used is given.

The Age 1950-1963.

To see the proper footnote citation for this source click here.

Theses and dissertations

To see the proper footnote citation for this source click here.

See MLA 4.6.26.

Scores and Collected Editions

Scores and musical sources should be cited in much the same way as books, with the composer, the name of publication, and publication details

Hensel, Fanny. 'Allegro con spirito'. Songs for Pianoforte, 1836-1837. Ed. Camilla Cui. Madison, Wisc.: A-R Editions, 1994. 36-45.

Senfl, Ludwig. Magnificat octo tonorum. Nüremberg: Hieronymus Formschneider, 1537.

Schutz, Heinrich. St John Passion. Ed. Peter Pears and Imogen Holst. London: Oxford University Press, c. 1963.

To see proper footnote citation for this source click here.

Internet sites

The correct order when citing sources from the Internet is:

• author's name
• title of work or title line of message
• title of complete work or title of list/site, as appropriate
• date created, if available
• date accessed
• internet address (URL)

Crumb, George. Programme notes to Black Angels (Images I). Accessed 12 February 2002. <http://www.puk.ac.za/musdocs/crumb/comp/black-p.html>.

For more detailed information on citing online material, consult Citation Styles Online

To see the proper footnote citation for this source click here.

Discography - Sound Recordings

You are only required to include sound recordings in your bibliography if you refer to specific recordings in the body of your essay. This may arise in an essay about the history of performance practice, for example, or of the recording industry.

There is room for some discretion in the documenting of sound recordings. You may list your recording under the composer, the performer(s) or the conductor, depending upon the nature of the recording and of your study. As always, the essential point is that the reader be able to identify the recording to which you are referring. It is assumed that the recording is on compact disc unless otherwise stated. Although not required by MLA style, the record number is an extremely useful identifier.

Perotin. Perotin. Hilliard Ensemble. ECM Records, ECM 1385, 1989.

Solage. 'Fumeux fumes'. Febus Avant!: Music at the Court of Gaston Febus (1331-1391). Huelgas Ensemble. Cond. Erik Van Nevel. Sony Classical, SK 48195, 1992.
or
Huelgas Ensemble. 'Fumeux fumes'. By Solage. Febus Avant!: Music at the Court of Gaston Febus (1331-1391). Cond. Erik Van Nevel. Sony Classical, SK 48195, 1992.