Music materials for AMES Courses

This guide features a streaming playlist (available through Spotify, see below!) of  a number of streaming recordings of music by Iranian women, and there may be other music-related materials that could be helpful in your research! Anyone can access music-related materials like recordings and scores through the University Libraries - you don't need to be a music major. All members of the campus community can borrow the Music Library's books, scores, journals, and recordings, and digital resources like streaming audio and video, and digital scores are available to use on- and off-campus with a UMN Internet ID and password. Our materials are also available to our wider community of the general public for in-library use when you visit the Music Library in person, and non-UMN users can borrow many of our books, scores, and recordings via Interlibrary Loan through a local public library branch. The tabs on the right side of this guide feature information and links to a number of resources, and instructions on how you can get started with using them.
 

Questions about music-related research? Need help finding something? Please contact Music Librarian Jessica Abbazio (jabbazio@umn.edu) or the Music Library staff (musiclib@umn.edu).

The Music Library is in the process of developing our collections of recordings, scores, and films in this area, so please contact Jessica Abbazio, Music Librarian, at jabbazio@umn.edu with any suggestions you have for materials like these. As we're waiting for physical copies of recordings to arrive (which may include liner notes, which are great sources are information about composers, performers, pieces, and styles!), a number of recordings are available to stream via Spotify. Click the play button at the top of the embedded playlist below to start listening - or, if you're a Spotify user with either a free or a premium (paid) account and want to listen in the app or desktop site, you can access this playlist by clicking the Spotify logo in the upper right corner of the playlist embedded below:

 This playlist features tracks from the following recordings:

• Aida Shahghasemi - Cypress of Abarkooh
• Aida Shahghasemi - Wind between the Horse's Ear
• Compilation - Voix De L’Ombre/Singing in Shadow
• Naqsh Duo - Narrante
• Yasamin Shahhosseini -Gāhān
• Negar Kharkan - The Bewitching Black
• Soudabeh Salem - Singing Games Volumes 1-4
• Leyla Hakim ElahiIn - Gushe ta Un Gushe
• Individual track: Niloufar Nourbakhsh - Aid for Sex

Also check out the following websites for more music from female Iranian composers:

• Learn about Aida Shirazi's music, stream tracks and video, and more at http://aidashirazi.com/

• Anahita Abbasi features streaming music, lists of her compositions by instrumentation and date, and information about upcoming and past events at http://anahitaabbasi.com/

We have resources for research on music from around the world - and though we have a strong focus on Western classical music, we're working on building our collections of recordings, scores, and scholarship of and about music from all regions. Our collections include:

• Books: We have books that you can borrow in print or view online, reference materials that normally stay in the library for everyone to use, and some non-circulating books that are rare and/or fragile.
   
• Journals: The Music Library offers print and digital access to many different music-specific journals. Visit our Current Periodicals and Bound Periodicals sections to browse in person, or use the University Libraries catalog to search our digital subscriptions.
   
• Scores: We offer access to thousands of scores for every kind of ensemble - full orchestras to solo performers. We also lend parts for chamber music (groups up to about 10-12 members), but unfortunately don't offer parts for larger ensembles.
   
• Recordings: Borrow from our collections of over 30,000 recordings - CDs, DVDs, LPs, and more. Most of our audio and video recordings circulate for a period of seven days, but not all materials can leave the library. Check with our staff about what you can check out and take home!
   
• Special collections and other materials: The Music Library offers some materials on microfilm, as well as other materials that require special handling. You're welcome to use any of these resources, and our Music Library staff will be happy to help you get started.
   

The Music Library also has some materials on popular music, including scholarly books on popular artists. If you are interested in beginner's guides to learning an instrument, we suggest checking your local public library or searching through interlibrary loan. Please don't hesitate to contact the Music Library staff at musiclib@umn.edu with any questions about our holdings and how to access these materials.