The State Library has a comprehensive collection of songs and arias encompassing lieder, art song and opera, folk, rock, pop, country, blues, jazz, songs from films and Broadway, music hall, heavy metal and children’s songs. You can find songs and arias, in sheet music or within an anthology, using the Song Index.
On-line Song Index
Automation of the song index entries began in 2001. It is best to begin your song search by using the on-line song index. You may trace a song using its title (title also covers the song’s and the chorus’ first lines), composer, lyricist, performer or by keyword if you are not sure of the exact words of the title. Many of the songs are available in different keys and languages.
At the State Library homepage www.slwa.wa.gov.au
- Click on Search our Catalogue
- Click on the Songs link at the bottom of the list on the left hand side.
- Once you have located the song that you require, click the underlined hyperlink that takes you through to a list of anthologies in which the song appears.
- Click on any of these links to find out the score’s location or if it is on loan. Scores that are on loan may be requested at the Reference Desk.
- At the bottom of the Found in list, you may see a links to Songs and Ballads Collection, Eleanor Litterick Collection or Popular Song Collection. This indicates that there is a single sheet copy of the song. The sheet music can be fragile with a limited shelf life but may be retrieved if there are no other copies of the song available. Please ask a staff member to assist you.
Did You Find Your Song?
- If you do not find the song you want in the on-line index, then use the card index.
- Search for the song by title. The card lists the classification and title of the score in which the song appears.
- Entries indicating sheet music copies in stack are highlighted in pink. Please ask a staff member to fetch it for you.
What’s Not Indexed: Musicals and Operas
- If you cannot find a song from a musical or an aria from an opera or cantata using either of the Song Indexes, you will need to see whether the parent work is in stock.
- On the Song Index page, click the Main Catalogue link at the top
- Use any of the search boxes to search for the parent work. For example, if you cannot find a copy of Climb ev’ry mountain in the Song Index, check the main catalogue to see if there is a copy of The Sound of Music. A staff member will help you find the name of the musical or opera that contains the piece you are looking for.
Other Nifty Searches
- You can search for songs used in a particular motion picture by typing the motion picture name into the Title search box eg Shrek (Motion picture).
- You can search for songs that have been based on classical music by typing classical themes arranged into the Keyword search box.
- You can find a list of songs sung by a particular artist by typing their name into the Author search box eg Sinatra, Frank.
- You can find a list of songs published in a particular year by typing that year in the Keyword search box eg 1970.
- You can build a program of themed songs by putting words into the Keyword search box eg diamonds, love.
Terminology Used in the Card Index
ELC: Eleanor Litterick Collection
PSC or PSB: Popular Song Collection
SBC or SBB: Songs and Ballads Collection
ASC: Australian Song Collection
If you want songs from the above collections, please ask a staff member to retrieve the item for you. You will need to write down the composer’s surname, song title and the collection name eg PSC.
Classifications for Song Books
DP/AY Christmas carols
JDW Folk songs
JFDW Children’s songs
KDH Gospel and Christian solo vocal
KDW Popular anthologies of one composer’s songs
KDW/AY Collections of popular music pre-1950s including show music
KDW/GB Collections of rock vocal music
KDW/GC Country music
KDW/HHW Blues music
KDW/HJ Jazz music
KDW/JR Film music
KFTDW Classical vocal music for high voice
KFVDW Classical vocal music for medium voice
KFXDW Classical vocal music for low voice
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