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Primary Sources in Music

An introduction to finding primary source materials in music, including useful reference works and a selection of online resources organized by topic.

Selected Published Document Collections

Source Readings in Music History by Oliver Strunk (editor)
Call Number: ML160 .S89 1998 (v.1-7)
Permanent Reserve
The Book of Musical Documents by Paul Nettl (editor)
Call Number: ML160 .B66
General collection
Composers on Music: Eight Centuries of Writings by Josiah Fisk (editor)
Call Number: ML90 .C77 1997
General collection
Letters of Composers Through Six Centuries by Piero Weiss (editor)
Call Number: ML90 .W44
General collection

Music Theory

Center for the History of Music Theory and Literature
Contains original-language transcriptions of music theory treatises in Latin (Thesaurus Musicarum Latinarum), Italian (Saggis Musicali Italiani), French (Traités Français sur la Musique) and English (Texts on Music in English from the Medieval and Early Modern Era).
Schenker Documents Online
Searchable and categorized collection of digitized correspondence, diaries, and lessonbooks of Heinrich Schenker.

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