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Music Special Collections Library Guide

Why Use Music Special Collections in Your Research?

With a great deal of care and trust, many musicians and composers have gifted their works to Special Collections and Archives. Allowing archival professionals to preserve their life’s work, ranging from sketchbooks, scores, photographs, promotional materials, and correspondence. In the following video, composer Jonathan Leshnoff explains why he chose Towson University Special Collections to be the stewards of his collection.

Music Special Collections are home to thousands of musical documents, audio-visual materials, and personal papers. Not only holding sheet music gifted by composers, but the additional content to put those scores in context. Sketchbooks filled to the brim with notes and inspiration, scores with corrections littered about the pages, and correspondence between composers detailing their methods. More importantly in Music Special Collections are archival staff, eager to answer your questions and help you find the right resources for you research. Below a university student details how he utilized archives in his own research on the Stradivarius Violin.

How to Use Music Special Collections in Your Research

It may not seem like it, but archival research can be fun and rewarding! Every collection is a chance to peek behind the creative processes of composers, learn their methods, and be inspired by their diligent work. The following resources will help you feel more confident about incorporating primary sources and ​Music Special Collections into your own research projects:

Steps to Understanding Archival Documents

In order to use sheet music, sketchbook, photograph, or other archival item in your research, you first need to analyze your document. Treat your document like a clue you are investigating (a musical Sherlock Holmes, if you will) following these easy steps to guide your way:

1.  Observe the Document

Notice physical characteristics which may convey important clues to understanding the document. For example, you maybe be able to estimate roughly when a document was created by noting the type of paper, style of handwriting, or methods of printing used. You may also be able to determine an item’s intended purpose by looking at its size, or whether it was meant to be treasured or thrown away by assessing the quality of its materials.

2.   Read the Document

It may seem obvious, but make sure to read your document from start to finish. Observe any images, doodles, or handwritten notes that may be present. If you are using a photograph or other visual material, try and identify the people, places, and things in the image. Use clothing, hairstyles, fonts, and other methods of deduction to help you make educated guesses. Summarize what you read by writing a brief description of your document.

3.  Ask Questions

Often documents will raise more questions than they answer, and that's okay! These questions can help you form and expand your research topic. Ask yourself questions about your document, including:

  • When was it created?
  • Who wrote/created it?
  • What was its original purpose?
  • Who was the intended audience?
  • What kind of source (document, artifact, etc.) is it?
  • What feelings does it invoke?
  • What is the point of view?
  • Is there any visible bias?
  • Does it raise any questions/concerns?
  • How does it fit into the larger topic of study?
  • What is interesting/important/confusing about it?
  • What else do you still need to know to understand your document?

4.   Make Connections

Combine what you learned during the first three steps to help you better understand your document. Think about how your document helps the tell the story of your research topic. What new questions did your document raise that you want to explore in your research?

5.   Use the Following Question & Answer Worksheets and Video for Guidance 

(and you can also consult your friendly Music Special Collections staff for help!) 

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