Guide to Western Australian Music
Western Australia's rich musical heritage is collected and fostered by the State Library.
The Collection
The collection contains sound recordings, sheet music, books, serials, ephemera, videos and DVDs, photographs, oral histories and websites collected on the electronic archive, Pandora.
The sound recording collection is a unique archive. All musical sound recordings of Western Australian music or by Western Australian performers are collected, regardless of genre or format. Nearly 5,000 items in cassette, vinyl, CD, DVD and MP3 format cover classical, jazz, blues, country, film and television, Indigenous, popular, rock, alternative, religious, and all kinds of school and community music.
Highlights of the historical sheet music collection have been digitised and are available for viewing at WA Musical Memories Online. This digital archive represents Western Australia's contribution to the national MusicAustralia project. It covers patriotic songs, and celebrations of places, people, flora and fauna and events in Western Australian history. You will find other Western Australian-related music and music information held in other state libraries on the MusicAustralia website.
Searching for Western Australian music
Material can be found by searching the State Library catalogue. You may search under composer, artist, band name or title, as well as by subject. Useful subject searches are:
- Music - Western Australia
- Popular music - Western Australia
- Rock music - Western Australia
- Composers - Western Australia
- Patriotic Music - Western Australia
- Western Australia - Songs and music
Searching for information
Information on Western Australian music can be found in a variety of sources. If you are looking for a specific book or journal title, use the author or title option in the catalogue, or do a subject search. Useful subject searches are:
- Music - Western Australia
- Music - Western Australia - History and criticism
- Musicians - Western Australia
- Popular music - Western Australia
In addition to the books and journals, there is a wealth of historical background material that can found in the WA collections at the State Library.
Find further Western Australian music information here:
Page last updated: Monday 27 February 2012