Research Materials

In preparing your music essay or assignment you will be expected to consult two different types of material:

• written material (books, periodical articles, etc)
• music (scores and sounds recordings). 

There is no point in reading extensively about Hadyn symphonies or Bach's cantatas if you remain unacquainted with the music. You will also be expected to refer to specific musical examples to support the points made in your essay.

In general historical studies, source material is divided into primary and secondary sources.

Primary sources are pieces of evidence whose origins are contemporary with the period, event or individual being researched. In music research, the scores of actual musical works are the most important primary sources, but other primary source material should not be overlooked, including:

• first hand accounts (diaries, letters, memoirs, treatises, prefaces to editions of music, newspaper reports, concert reviews, photographs, etc.)
• official records (government documents, census data, concert hall records, etc.)
• creative works (poetry, prose, painting, sculpture, film, etc.)
• material culture (musical instruments, concert halls, monuments, etc.)

Oliver Strunk's Source Readings in Music History is a particularly useful compilation of primary source material related to music.

Secondary sources are studies written about a period, event or individual. They are usually based on primary sources as well as other secondary sources. Secondary sources can take the form of:

• books, journal articles, theses, documentaries etc.

It is important to consult both primary and secondary sources when undertaking research.