Help:Advanced search

Advanced Search

 

The CPDL advanced search is a very powerful way of searching CPDL's database of scores, composers and texts. You can search by virtually any criterion, and combine criteria to get exactly the results you're looking for.

If you click Go, the search engine will try to find an exact match for the page title you suggested (for instance, 'Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart'). If it can't find one, it will present you with the results of a full-text search instead.

If you click Search, it will go straight to the full-text search results without bothering to try for an exact page title match. Note: Strings of 3 characters or less will be ignored. This is a WIKI search engine limitation.

For instance, try typing:

• bach
• fauré agnus dei
• mass SATB
• mass haydn
• madrigal
• secular byrd
• modern SATB english
• easter charles wood
• early 20th century music
• Ave verum corpus (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
  
  

How to search by title

All CPDL works are listed by their title. If you know the title of the work you're looking for, type it in the box and click Go.

You can also search for a fragment of a title, or the title of a movement within a larger work.

For instance, try typing:

• ave verum corpus (takes you directly to the page)
• ave verum (lists pages with 'Ave verum' in the title - works by Fauré, Liszt, etc.)
• ave (also finds 'Ave Maria', 'Ave maris stella', 'Ave regina coelorum', etc.)

How to search by composer or arranger

You can search by the name of a composer or arranger. Each composer has his or her own page, which lists all the works by that composer.

You can search for a surname or part of a surname, or (perhaps less usefully) for all or part of a first name.

For instance, try typing:

• johann sebastian bach (takes you directly to Bach's page)
• bach (takes you to a page listing the various members of the Bach family)
• goldwin (brings up two results: a single work by John Goldwin, and a composer page about him)

How to search by musical period

Both works and composers are categorised by the era of their original composition.

For instance, try typing:

• renaissance (brings up three options: view Renaissance works, view Renaissance composers, or visit an external website called 'Renaissance Music')
• 20th century (redirects to a page listing Modern music and Modern composers)

How to search by musical type or genre

You can search for a specific type of work on CPDL.

For instance, try typing:

• anthem (brings up a page offering a list of all anthems on CPDL)
• secular (brings up a list of all secular scores)
• mass (brings up a list of masses)

How to search by voicing

There are several ways to search for scores written for a particular kind of ensemble. You can search for ordinary choral voicings (S=Soprano, A=Alto, T=Tenor, B=Bass). To find scores for double choir (or more), separate the choirs with a full stop, as in SATB.SATB. Note: Strings of 3 characters or less will be ignored. This is a WIKI search engine limitation which causes searches for STB or other 3 character long strings to return no results.

For instance, try typing:

• SATB (brings up a list of all SATB scores - there are thousands! It has the disadvantage of also bringing up scores with such voicings as SSATB, SATBB, or SSAT.SATB.ATBB - indeed any page with the consecutive letters SATB)
• STTB (brings up a list of all scores written for Soprano, Tenor1, Tenor2 and Bass - a much smaller number)
• SATB.SATB (brings up a list of all scores for double SATB choir)

Perhaps the best way to browse or search for scores by voicing (or number of voices) is to consult Category:Voicing which lists subcategories by number of voices. Each of these number of voices subcategories lists subcategories by particular voicings with that number of voices. To speed your search, you might wish to go directly to one of the number of parts subcategories of Category:Voicing or even directly to a particular voicing subcategory. For example:

• Category:8 part choral music (a subcategory of Category:Voicing), lists all subcategories of 8 part choral voicings (including double choir voicings).
• Category:SSAATTBB (a subcategory of Category:8 part choral music) lists all score pages that have been categorized as works for a single choir with 2 Soprano, 2 Alto, 2 Tenor, and 2 Bass parts.
• Category:SATB.SATB (another subcategory of Category:8 part choral music) lists all score pages that have been categorized as works for double choir, each choir having SATB voicing.

How to search by words from the text

A growing number of scores on CPDL also have texts and translations; these are all added by volunteers. You can search for any word or phrase in the text of a piece of music and CPDL will find it, if the text is available for that work. Again the searched for string must be at least 4 character long or more.

For instance, try typing:

• procedenti ab utroque (this phrase is found in the Tantum ergo and Victoria's Pange Lingua Gloriosi)
• if thou canst get but thither (this phrase is found only in Parry's My soul, there is a country)

How to search by language or nationality

CPDL scores are categorised by their language, and composers are categorised by their nationality, if this is known. You can search for either (or both).

For instance, try typing:

• german composers (brings up a long list of German composers)
• german text (brings up a list of scores in German, or for which German translations are available)