An Introduction to Uniform Titles for Music

Why uniform titles?

A basic understanding of uniform titles for music is helpful when searching CLICnet for scores and sound recordings. Because musical works are issued in such a variety of languages, formats, transcriptions, arrangements, etc., librarians have devised a way of grouping different "incarnations" of a work under standardized titles.

For example, a title page of a score for Mozart's opera, The Marriage of Figaro, may read "The Marriage of Figaro," "Le Nozze di Figaro," "Les noces de Figaro," or even "Die Hochzeit des Figaro." Librarians have chosen the original title, "Nozze di Figaro," as the uniform title. In CLICnet, the uniform title appears after "Unif title:"

Author	Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791.
Unif title	Nozze di Figaro. Vocal score. English & Italian
Title	The marriage of Figaro; opera in four acts / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ; words by Lorenzo da Ponte
Pub info	London ; New York : Boosey & Hawkes, [c1947]

If you understand how uniform titles work, your searches of CLICnet are likely to be more thorough. Uniform titles may be distinctive, generic, or collective. Various additional elements may be appended to uniform titles.

Distinctive Titles

Uniform titles for distinctive titles are usually the composer's original title in the original language in which he or she created it. Initial articles are omitted.

Two examples:

Author	Mussorgsky, Modest Petrovich, 1839-1881	Author	Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791
Unif title	Kartinki s vystavki	Unif title	Entfuhrung aus dem Serail.
Title	Pictures at an exhibition	Title	The abduction from the seraglio

Generic Titles

Uniform titles for generic titles may have up to four distinct elements, in this order:

1. Initial title element, usually in English and plural
   • Symphonies
   • Concertos
2. Medium of performance: instruments, voices, or ensembles
   • Sonatas, piano
   • Quartets, strings
3. Numbering: may include
   

   Type of number:	Examples:
   Serial number	Concertos, piano, orchestra, no. 1
   Opus number	Lieder, op. 48
   Thematic index number	Suites, orchestra, BWV 1067 Divertimenti, H. XI Duets, horns, K. 487

   
   
4. Key
   • Sonatas, violin, piano, no. 1, op. 78, G major

Additions to Uniform Titles

Uniform titles may qualified in various ways. Here are some examples.

Addition:	Examples:
Particular sections of a work	Zauberflöte. Pa-pa pa-pa Papagena.
Selections	Zauberflöte. Selections.
Arrangements	Zauberflöte. Selections; arr.

---

Collective Uniform Titles

Collective uniform titles are used when a publication consists of three or more works by the same composer.

Examples:

This uniform title:	Indicates the following:
Works.	A composer's complete works
Chamber music.	A composer's complete chamber music
Chamber music. Selections.	Some of a composer's chamber music, including various types of chamber music.
Piano music.	A composer's complete piano music
Sonatas. Selections.	Some of a composer's sonatas.

What if you don't know the uniform title?

Keyword search in CLICnet. Try a few Keyword searches for the title as you know it. Then look at the titles and uniform titles on the entries you retrieve. After your preliminary search, try additional Keyword searches using words from the uniform title.

Reference Books. If your trial searches in CLICnet do not lead you to a uniform title, try consulting the following:

The New Grove Dictionary of Music, 2nd edition. Reference ML100 .N48 2001

This is the easiest place to start. See composer's works lists at the end of biographical entries.

 

The New Harvard Dictionary of Music. Reference ML100 .N485 1986

Provides helpful cross-references from English titles to original titles of compositions. For examples: "Marriage of Figaro, The. See Nozze di Figaro, Le."

 

Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Reference ML105 .B16 1991

Includes short works lists for composers.

 

Thematic catalogs. For authoritative information about a composer's output, including serial, opus, and thematic catalog numbering, consult a thematic catalog for the composer. Various thematic catalogs for major composers are shelved in reference under the ML134's. These include the Schmieder catalog for J.S. Bach, the Hoboken catalog for Haydn, the Köchel catalog for Mozart, and others.

More Information about Uniform Titles

Making the Most of the Music Library: Using Uniform Titles

A tutorial provided by the Indiana University Music Library

 

Pierce, D. The Basics of Uniform Titles.

http://www.lib.washington.edu/music/uniftitl.html

For librarians:

Smiraglia, Richard. Music Cataloging. Libraries Unlimited, 1989.

Note regarding MARC fields. In the MARC record, uniform titles show up in the 240 field (uniform titles) and in 700, subfield t, in the added entries. The other titles you see, including those in 245 (title proper), 505 (formatted contents), and 740 (analytical title) are not authority-controlled.