MUS 3602W: History of Western Music II

Find streaming audio

The University of Minnesota Libraries offers access to a number of options for finding streaming audio. Check below this list for more information on how to use several of these resources!

TIP: There's no need to search each of these resources individually to see if they have what you need. See the Locate materials in the Libraries catalog tab linked from the menu for this guide for guidance on searching for streaming recordings by title!
 

Tips for using Naxos Music Library

Naxos Music Library and Naxos Music Library Jazz are great places to find hundreds of thousands of streaming audio tracks. The Naxos interface allows you to search for something specific; to browse by category (concerto, opera, ballet, blues, and many more); and to discover new music by checking out Naxos's suggested albums. If you're looking for a playlist created for your UMN Music History class by a faculty member, you'll also find these linked from the Naxos Music Libary homepage.


An image of the Naxos Music Library homepage with arrows pointing to the search box in the upper right corner and the Playlists link in the left-side menu for accessing Music History course playlists created by UMN faculty.


Once you open an album in Naxos Music Library or Naxos Music Library Jazz, select individual tracks or the whole album and start the player by clicking the large "Play" button on the right side of the screen. Many albums also include PDF versions of liner notes, which are great resources for music research! If there's a link that says "Booklet" on the left side of the screen, click it and you'll be directed to a PDF of the album's booklet. Lastly, Naxos gives you the information you'll need to cite the resource you're using; check for this under "Album Information" on the left side of the screen.

Image of the Naxos Music Library item-level interface, highlighting where to click to select individual tracks or a whole album; the play button to open the NML player; the link to access a PDF version of album liner notes; and where to check for album information to be able to cite the source.

Tips for using Met Opera on Demand

Met Opera on Demand offers access to over 50 years of audio and video recordings from the Metropolitan Opera's archives, and it even includes some of the most recent productions in HD. Scroll down past the images of highlighted performances to find a search box that will allow you to search for specific composers and titles:

An image of the search box on the Met Opera on Demand homepage.

Scroll farther down and you'll find the options for browsing the resource by title, composer, or performer. Some titles are included as video and audio, and some as one or the other:

An image of the Met Opera on Demand homepage section that allows users to browse by title, composer, or performer.

 

Once you've chosen an opera to watch/listen to, you'll find useful features and information in the record for it. Use the individual tracks on the right side of the video to navigate through the recording:

An image of the Met Opera on Demand player with the individual tracks circled to highlight how to navigate through the recording.

 

Met Opera on Demand also provides helpful information for citing a performance like the cast and performance date. This information is available below the video or audio player:

An image of a Met Opera on Demand record for an individual opera with arrows highlighting useful information for formatting a citation for a recording.

Tips for using Classical Music Library, Music Online: Jazz Music Library, and Smithsonian Global Sound

The Alexander Street Press audio databases include Western classical, contemporary and historical world music, jazz, and more. The interface for each of these databases looks similar - you can browse by title, genre, place, performer, and more. Use the search box in the middle of the page (not the one at the top!) to search in individual collections, and sign up for a free account to make playlists and create clips by clicking the "Sign in" icon at the top right corner.
 

Image of the Smithsonian Global Sound database, one of the Alexander Street Press suite of audio databases. The options for browsing by genre, place, performer, composer, and more are highlighted, and the search box in the middle of the page for searching the individual collection is circled (the search box at the top of the screen is crossed out because users should avoid using this). Lastly, the "Sign in" icon at the top right of the screen is circled.

 

Liner notes can be a great resource for your research! In Classical Music Library, Jazz Music Library, and Smithsonian Global Sound, you can find these accompanying select recordings by clicking on the "Related Documents" tab and locating the link to download the PDF of that recording's liner notes: 

An image of the Alexander Street Press interface with arrows pointing towards the "Related Documents" tab and the link to download a PDF of a recording's liner notes.

 

Instructions for creating playlists and clips in Alexander Street Press streaming databases:

Last Updated: Feb 8, 2024 4:16 PM