HMU126: Historical Survey II, 1750-present
This research guide supports the music history survey course HMU126.
Writing Essays/Reflections on Music
This course requires you to write a lot about music, including short reflections on the HMU126 readings and listening examples, and (of course) the final essay!
The reference section of the Music Library contains numerous books that can help you develop your writing skills. Here's a short list:
Music in Words by Call Number: ML3797 .H537 2009X RefMusic in Words is a guide to researching and writing about music, from brief program notes to theses. It gives a clear picture of how to write about music for different audiences and purposes, including regular academic writing and the internet.
Herbert, Trevor. Music in Words: A Guide to Researching & Writing about Music. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Writing about Music by Call Number: ML3797 .W75 2008X (e-book)How do you spell "Mendelssohn"? Where do you place the hyphen in "Beethoven" if it breaks between two lines? The answers are here! This book also discusses how to go about describing musical works and procedures in prose, the rules for citations in notes and bibliography, and proper preparation of such materials as musical examples, tables, and illustrations.
Holoman, Kern. Writing about Music: A Style Sheet. 2nd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008.
Writing about Music by Call Number: ML3797 .W54 2009X RefThis practical guide focuses on general writing issues as well as special challenges of writing about music, with clear, step-by-step explanations of the process of writing a paper. Topics it touches on include: writing about music; analysis and research; getting started; writing a research paper (choosing a topic, outlining, writing the draft, editing and revising); and common writing problems.
Wingell, Richard J. Writing about Music: An Introductory Guide. 4th ed. New Jersey: Pearson, 2009.
