Opera and musical theater librettos can be found under the call numbers ML48 - ML50 and under the subject heading of Operas -- Librettos. When looking for a specific libretto, try searching for the opera title followed by the word, "libretto." Also, check the liner notes to recordings (mostly available on CD or via Naxos Music Library); the complete libretto and sometimes a translation can often be found there.
Some general sources are listed below.
For prolific opera composers such as Puccini and Verdi, there are many more collections than those listed here. Using the library catalog, try an author search on the composer's name (last name, first name), combined with AND subject contains "operas -- librettos."
Some general sources are listed below.
Performances will cover the full range of operatic composition, from the Baroque to the 20th century.
Specially developed controlled vocabularies let users browse by composer, genre, performer, ensemble, time period, and role.
Frequently, songs that are included in anthologies are not listed individually in the online catalog and therefore are not findable using either keyword or title searches (see, for instance, The Beatles: The Complete Scores). Song indexes include lists of songs, arranged by title, composer, or both, and provide cross-references for the anthologies that include each song.
To identify songs in collections, start with the song indexes listed here. Look up the song by title, composer, first line, or whatever information you have. There will be a code that represents the anthology (or anthologies) that contain that song: look in the front of the index for a key that will tell you which anthology corresponds to which code. When a collection containing the desired song is identified, search the UT Libraries Catalog by the anthology title to determine if UT owns the collection. Don't despair if we do not! Return to the song indexes and search further, or place a request through Interlibrary Loan.
Thematic catalogs can be used to locate vocal music by a specific composer. Most of these are organized by opus or genre, and they often include an incipit (the first few bars of each movement) to help you identify the piece you're trying to find.
For more information on thematic catalogs, please see Barry Brook's Thematic Catalogue entry in Grove Music Online.
A selection of thematic catalogs is listed below.
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