Subject guides: APA 7th: Music scores

Music scores

These examples can be adapted to best suit the material you are citing, keeping in mind you should use the description that best enables your reader to locate the material. Further examples can be found on the official APA Website: Musical Score References.

In-text citation

One author

Format

(Author's surname, Year).

Example

..a piece in which a songman's solo features (Barton, 2008).

Barton (2008) introduces the songman's solo ...

Tips

The Author is the composer. If there is a composer and a librettist, the format is the same as for a two author in-text citation.
Go to Getting started > In-text citation to view other examples.

Musical score - a single score

Reference list

Format

Author, A. A. (Composer). (Year). Title of work [Format]. Publisher.

Example

Dreyfus, G. (1971). Sextet for didjeridu and wind instruments [Musical score]. Allans Music.

Tips

Provide the composer in the author element of the reference.
Match the title of the score to what is on the cover of the score.
Specify the type of score in square brackets (e.g., [Musical score], [Piano score], [Vocal score], [Study score]) etc.

Musical score - a single score republished

Reference list

Format

Author, A. A. (Composer). (Year). Title of work [Format]. Publisher. (Original work published YYYY).

Example

Hyde, M. (2020). Magpies at sunrise: For piano solo [Piano score]. Wirripang. (Original work published 1946).

Tips

For an older score, provide the year of the republication in the main date element of the reference. Provide the year of original publication at the end of the reference in brackets after the words (Original work published YYYY). Enter both years in the in-text citation separated by a slash, with the earlier year first. For example, (Hyde, 1946/2020).

Musical score - a single score online

Reference list

Format

Author, A. A. (Composer). (Year). Title of work [Format] (Number of score). Publisher. URL if the edition is not widely known (Original work published YYYY).

Example

Tchaikovsky, P. I. (2009). Serenade for string orchestra: Op. 48 (Edition Eulenburg No. 857) [Musical score]. Ernst Eulenburg. (Original work published 1880).

Tchaikovsky, P. (ca. 1940). Serenade for string orchestra, Op. 48 [Musical score] (File 544644). International Music Score Library Project/Petrucci Music Library https://imslp.org/wiki/Special:ReverseLookup/544644 (Original work published 1888).

Barton, W., & Hindson, M. (2008). Kalkadungu: for soloist (voice, electric guitar, didjeridu) and orchestra [Musical score]. Faber Music.

Tips

Note the difference for different editions of the same work from two different databases. The first example is taken from the online database Classical Scores Library. The publisher number is added in brackets as this number appears on the cover. The URL is not required because this edition is widely available. The second example is not as widely available as the Eulenburg edition. The permalink is found when hovering over the gear icon to the right of the score's listing in IMSLP (International Music Score Library).
No URL is required in the third example as this version of the score is widely available, in this case Classical Scores Library.

Musical score - a single score with composer and lyricist or librettist

Reference list

Format

Author, A. A. (Composer), & Author, B. B. (Lyricist). (Year). Title of work [Format]. Publisher. (Original work published YYYY).

Example

Cheetham, D., & Hitchcock, J. (2018). Dhungala choral connection songbook [Musical score]. Short Black Opera.

Menken, A., & Slater, G. (2010). Sister Act: The smash hit musical comedy [Vocal score]. Faber Music.

Barton, W., & Hindson, M. (2008). Kalkadungu: for soloist (voice, electric guitar, didjeridu) and orchestra [Musical score]. Faber Music.

Tips

For vocal works, provide the composer and librettist in the author element of the reference, in the order shown on the title page.

Musical score - part of a collection or anthology

Reference list

Format

Composer, A. A. (Year). Title of score [Format]. In A. A. Editor (Ed.),Title of collection (pages of score in collection). Publisher.

Example

Brown, J. R. (2015). I’m not afraid of anything [Vocal score]. In R. Walters (Ed.), The singer's musical theatre anthology: Mezzo-soprano/belter (Vol. 6, pp. 254–265). Hal Leonard. (Original work published 1996)

Whitfield, N., & Strong, B. (1966). I heard it through the grapevine [Vocal score]. In Motown anthology (pp. 98–104). Hal Leonard.

Musical score, with an editor

Reference list

Format

Composer, A. A. (Year). Title of score [Format]. In A. A. Editor (Ed.), Title of collection (pages of score in collection). Publisher.

Editor, A. A. (Year). Title of score [Format]. Publisher.

Example

Porter, C. (1953). It's all right with me [Vocal score]. In W. L. Simon (Ed.), Treasury of great show tunes (pp. 104–110). Reader's Digest.

Edwards, R. (Ed.). (2002). Songs from Yorke Island: Collected, edited and illustrated by Ron Edwards [Musical score]. Rams Skull Press.

Critical notes, preface, introduction etc. in a musical score, with an editor

Reference list

Format

Editor, A. A. (Year). Title of section (A. Translator, Trans.). In A. A. Editor (Ed.), Title of collection (pages or paragraph number of text in score). Publisher.

Example

Introduction only:

Máriássy, I. (1999). Introduction (P. Merrick, Trans.). In I. Máriássy (Ed.), Complete piano works I (pp. 8-9). Könemann.

Whole edition:

Purcell, H., & Máriássy, I. (1999). Complete piano works [Piano score]. Könemann.

Tips

In the first example, [Musical score] is not part of the references, because the introduction is text and not a musical score.
For scores without page number for the critical notes, provide a paragraph number.

Music scores in complete works edition

Reference list

Format

Composer, A. A. (Year). Title. [Translated title] [Format] In A. A. Editor (Ed.), Title of collected works [Translated title] (Series number, Volume number, etc., pages of score in volume). Publisher. (Original work published YYYY).

Example

Part of work:

Mozart, W.A. (1977). Rekonstruierte Fassung für Bassettklarinette [Reconstructed version for bass clarinet] [Musical score]. In F. Giegling (Ed.), Neue Ausgabe Samtliche Werke (Series 5, Werkgruppe 14, Bd. 4, pp. 3–82). Bärenreiter. (Original work published 1801)

Whole work:

Giegling, F. (Ed.). (1977). Klarinettenkonzert A-Dur KV 622 (Neue Ausgabe Samtliche Werke Series 5, Bd. 4). Bärenreiter.

Tips

When the title is in another language, translate the title, in square brackets. For example, if the title of the score is in German, the German title is provided in italics, and the English translation is provided in square brackets.
Back-to-back brackets are acceptable in references (see Section 9.21 of the Publication Manual); this commonly occurs in references where a translation of the title is included.