Vocal Music

Subject searches for Vocal Music

Vocal music subject headings frequently fall into two categories, sacred and secular.

SOlo Vocal Music

Music for solo voice typically consists of the heading, "songs", followed by the vocal range and type of accompaniment.

• Songs (High voice) with piano
• Sacred songs (Medium voice) with orchestra
• Songs (Low voice) with instrumental ensemble

Vocal Ensemble Music

Music written for two to nine solo singers with and without accompaniment can be found under the headings:

• Vocal duets
• Vocal trios
• Vocal quartets
• etc.

choral music

The subject headings for choral music consist of five parts:

1. Choruses
2. Sacred or Secular
3. Type of voices
4. Number of parts
5. Accompaniment

Construct a search using the first three elements. This is usually sufficient to then browse the subject headings for the desired number of parts and accompaniment.

• Choruses, secular (Mixed voices)
• Choruses, sacred (Men's voices)

There are also subject headings for specific forms of vocal music. Here are a few examples:
Cantatas
Motets
Musicals
Operas
Oratorios