Citing Music in Chicago Style
This page provides instructions for citing music resources in Chicago Manual of Style (Author/Date), 17th edition. Download a PDF copy of our Citing Music Resources in Chicago Style Author/Date Quick Guide.
For more help with Chicago Style, see our Chicago Author/Date Guides.
ENCYCLOPEDIA ARTICLE (Grove or Oxford Music Online) (CMS 14.234)
Online - If there is no update or modification date given, add a statement of when it was accessed (ex. Accessed October 22, 2017) before the DOI.
Hopkins, G. W. and Paul Griffiths. 2001. “Boulez, Pierre.” In Grove Music Online. Oxford
Music Online. Last updated January 20, 2016.
https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.03708.
Hopkins, G. W. and Paul Griffiths. 2001. “Boulez, Pierre.” In The New Grove Dictionary of
Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrell, vol. 4: 98-108. London:
MacMillian.
PUBLISHED MUSIC SCORES
Same basic format as books, and may include editors or translators.
Rachmaninoff, Serge. 1993. Sonata No. 2, Op. 36. London: Boosey & Hawkes.
Online
Ravel, Maurice. 1919. Le tombeau de Couperin. Paris: Durand & Fils.
http://imslp.org/wiki/Le_tombeau_de_Couperin_(orchestra)_(Ravel%2C_Maurice).
MUSIC SCORE OF A WORK PUBLISHED WITHIN A SERIES, COLLECTION, OR COMPLETE WORKS EDITION
When citing a score from a collection, it is treated as a chapter in a book.
Schumann, Robert. 1930. “Waldesgespraech (Loreley).” In Vocal Album: Fifty-five Songs for
Low Voice, translated by Theodore Baker, 69-71. New York: G. Schirmer.
When citing a score from a series or complete works edition, it is treated as a chapter from a series (CMS 14.123).
Beethoven, Ludwig van. 2013. “Symphonie Nr. 6 F-Dur Opus 68 (Pastoral-Symphonie).” In
Symphonien III, edited by Jens Dufner. Beethoven Werke, abt. 1, bd. 3, 107-206. Munich:
G. Henle Verlag.
SOUND RECORDINGS
Composer. Year. Title of Recording. Performer/Ensemble. Conductor. Label Label number,
format.
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. 1971. Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute, La flûte enchantée).
Vienna State Opera Chorus and Vienna Philharmonic. Sir Georg Soti. With Pilar
Lorengar, Christina Deutekom, Stuart Burrows, Hermann Prey, Martti Talvela, Dietrich
Fischer-Dieskau. Recorded September/October 1969. London 414 568-2, 3 compact
discs.
Online
Rattle, Simon, conductor. 2009. Brahms: The Symphonies. Berliner Philharmoniker. Warner
Classics-Parlophone 5099926725352. Naxos Music Library.
VIDEO RECORDINGS
Video recordings use the place of publication and company instead of the name of the label and label number.
Strauss, Richard. 1981. Elektra. Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Karl Böhm. Hamburg:
Deutsche Grammophon, 2005. DVD.
LINER NOTES
Landon, H. C. Robbins. 1971. "Mozart and his Audiences." Liner notes for Die Zauberflöte
(The Magic Flute, La flûte enchantée) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Sir Georg Soti.
London 414 568-2, 3 compact discs.