Table of Contents
Search and Browse
Search in SearchWorks using combinations of title words, names of composers or librettists.
Use the format filters, e.g. Music-Score (printed music), Sound Recordings, or Videos.
- "Vocal Scores" contain all songs of a show, with piano accompaniment.
- "Vocal Scores. Selections" contain only some of the songs, with piano accompaniment.
Adding "libretto" to your search finds the text only of a show.
Browse in the stacks:
M 1500 | Orchestral Scores shelved by composer |
M 1503 | Vocal Scores shelved by composer |
M 1508 | Selections shelved by composer |
ML 48-50 | Librettos |
ML 410 | Composer Biographies |
ML 420 | Singer Biographies |
ML 1711, ML 2054 | Musicals (history and criticism) |
ML 2075, PN 1995.9.M86 | Film Musicals (history and criticism) |
MT 956 | Acting for Singers |
General Sources
Includes 4 resources including The New Grove Dictionary. The Grove entry on Musicals provides a scholarly overview of the form by decade, naming all influential shows and personnel. Includes commentary on trends, source material, film adaptations, and the influence of technology.
Offers information on musicals, performers, composers, lyricists, producers, choreographers,etc. Includes lists of recommended recordings and further reading, a chronology of all the musicals described and a complete index of Tony Award and Academy Award winners.
International in scope, includes the most successful, prolific and heard writers and composers in the countries surveyed, and the most successful, interesting, and widely-traveled shows.
Provides succinct information on the screen’s most prominent individuals, productions, and songs. Emphasis is on Hollywood productions.
Contains information on the most prominent people, productions, and songs of the musical theatre in New York including off-Broadway, and London. Covers late 19th century to the 1970s. Includes Awards and Prizes, a bibliography and discography.
Compiles selected citations of significant books, and journal/ newspaper articles on all aspects of musicals, including individual shows and persons.
Factual information for Broadway shows in meticulous detail. Lists all personnel, including understudies, replacements, revival casts, etc., and information on inception, out-of-town tryouts and post-Broadway tours, revivals, and films. Appendix includes brief entries on pre-1943 (i.e., before Oklahoma) and off-Broadway shows of significance. Indexed by song title and personnel.
Chronologies
Histories
Biographical Information
Entries for 40 composers from the early years to the 1970s and beyond; lists all published and recorded songs related to a given show. Indexed by song title, show title, and personnel.
Details the careers of selected composers and lyricists beginning in the 19th century with Victor Herbert and ending in the 1970s.
Covers performers successful as both singers and film stars in American-made movies. Articles survey the singers’ careers and includes filmographies, list of plays and radio and t.v. series they participated in, and a discography.
Songs
Contains data on over 4800 American musicals including personnel and songs, with extensive indexes, and a chronological list of titles. All Broadway, off-Broadway, and off-off-Broadway productions from 1877-1995 are included, as well as other shows.
Strives to provide details of individual songs—what kind of song it is, what it is about, its purpose in the show, who originally sang it, its history, and why it may be unique. Includes an alphabetical list of musicals with their songs, and a bibliography.
Includes only songs written for, and originally heard in movie musicals. Entries explain the place of the song in the film and who sang it, and any history about the song. Includes lists of movie songs from other sources, Oscar-nominated film musicals, and film musicals. Also includes a bibliography.
Designed primarily for “the singing actor”. Lists songs with their vocal ranges; indexes solos, duets, trios and other ensembles.
Web Resources
"The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film," created by John Kenrick
IBDB archive is the official database for Broadway theatre information. IBDB provides records of productions from the beginnings of New York theatre until today.
The Lortel Archives,(Internet Off-Broadway Database) provides a catalogue of shows produced Off-Broadway.
Information on current shows; includes video clips, interviews, cast lists, theater locations.
Information on current shows; includes video clips, interviews, cast lists, theater locations.
Contains promo videos and other clips.
Provides character descriptions, story lines, audition information and more.
Information for shows including licensing agency.
Compiled by Ken McCoy, Professor of Communication Studies Theatre Arts at Stetson University.