Citing Music

Music citations may vary by style and nature of use. The book Music Research: A Handbook, by Laurie Sampsel, has detailed instructions for citing music sources in Chicago, APA, and MLA style.

The following manuals may also be helpful (select a title to see where it is located):

• Bellman, Jonathan. A Short Guide to Writing About Music
• Boyle, David. A Handbook for Preparing Graduate Papers in Music
• Holoman, D. Kern. Writing About Music: A Style Sheet
• Notes Style Sheet (Music Library Association)
• Radice, Mark A. Irvine's Writing About Music [Also available online to members of the UNT community]
• Wingell, Robert and Silvia Herzog. Introduction to Research in Music
• Wingell, Robert. Writing About Music: An Introductory Guide

Chicago/Turabian style

• Names and titles of musical works: see Section 8.188—8.192 of the Chicago Manual of Style
• Musical scores: see Section 14.269—14.270 of the Chicago Manual of Style
• Sound recordings and other audiovisual materials: see Section 14.276—14.277 of the Chicago Manual of Style
• Citing Music Sources in Your Essay and Bibliography (Western Libraries)
• How to cite music resources in Turabian style. Also available in PDF format.
• Citing Miscellaneous Sources: Music or Sound Recording (Yale University)
• How to cite music resources in MLA, APA, or Chicago style.

MLA Style

• Musical illustrations: see Section 4.2.6 of the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing.
• Librettos, performances, published scores, songs, and sound recordings in List of Works Cited: see Sections 6.8.2—6.8.5 of the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing.
• Titles of musical works: see Sections 3.8.3—3.8.5 in MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing.
• Citing Miscellaneous Sources: Music or Sound Recording (Yale University)
• How to cite music resources in MLA, APA, or Chicago style.

APA Style

• Music recording: See Section 7.07, Example 52 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
• Citing Miscellaneous Sources: Music or Sound Recording (Yale University)
• How to cite music resources in MLA, APA, or Chicago style.