Primary Sources for Music

What are Primary Sources?

Primary sources provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. They are created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented. Often these sources are created at the time when the events or conditions are occurring, but primary sources can also include autobiographies, memoirs, and oral histories recorded later. Primary sources are characterized by their content, regardless of whether they are available in original format, in microfilm/microfiche, in digital format, or in published format.

Thanks to the Yale University Library for this description.

What are Secondary Sources?

See the explanation in the Woodruff Library Primary Sources Research Guide.  This guide gives definitions and examples of both primary and secondary sources.

Primary sources for music may include

• letters and diaries of musicians and others
• manuscripts and early printed editions of scores
• marked-up scores used for early performances
• reviews of first and early performances
• sound recordings, including recording-session masters and outtakes
• film footage of performances, rehearsals, and people involved in creating the music
• ethnographic films and folklore collections
• musical instruments and equipment of all kinds