Listen to Audio
Recordings, whether audio or video, give you the chance to experience other musicians' interpretations of a work. Indeed it can be helpful to compare multiple recordings of the same piece, as well as written sources, when forming your own interpretation. On this page, learn about audio resources available from University Libraries.
Finding Audio Online and On Disc
University Libraries subscribes to an audio streaming platform called Naxos Music Library. NML focuses on classical music and includes streaming for over 200,000 albums and counting. Many albums are from the Naxos label itself, but other major labels are also represented. In addition to an ad-free audio experience, NML allows you to see accurate artist information and track details as well as program notes for most releases (simply click "Booklet" where available). You and your faculty members can also create playlists which are ideal for studying for listening quizzes. NML even has a free phone app which you can download for your Android or Apple device and login with your BSU email.
To find an album or work, either use the Keyword Search box or select the "People" tab to the left of your screen. Simply type the name of the composer, artist, or work into the search bar then select from the results. With the "People" tab, you are able to browse composers and artists alphabetically, or run a more focused search on their name. After selecting a composer or artist, use the tabs "View by Work" or "View by Album" to find recordings.
To find playlists, select the "Playlists" tab to the left of your screen. View playlists created by your faculty under the first tab, "Ball State University Playlist." Playlists are organized into folders by course and often include several subsections which you should open to reveal specific tracks. Naxos has also created its own playlists which you can view by clicking "NML Playlists," or login to create playlists of your own.
Naxos Music Library is a tremendous resource for classical music streaming, but for genres beyond Western classical music make sure to explore these other online resources. Familiar platforms like Spotify and Pandora can also be useful places to find recordings. Many artists and organizations within classical music additionally have YouTube channels. Find other audio databases provided by the Libraries at A-Z Databases.
Other Streaming Platforms:
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Belfer Cylinders Digital Connection Syracuse University
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Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project University of California-Santa Barbara
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Emile Berliner Collection This collection from the Library of Congress showcases the work of Emile Berliner, a prominent inventor at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries. The online Berliner Collection includes more than 400 items from the manuscript collection and more than 100 sound recordings available for streaming. Recordings date from 1894 to 1924, placing them among the earliest recorded audio.
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The Global Jukebox (GJB) The Global Jukebox (GJB) is an ever-expanding database hosted by the Association for Cultural Equity which presents traditional folk, indigenous, and popular songs from cultures around the world. It is a space to connect with our deep heritage through the expressive arts of singing, dancing, and conversing. Thousands of examples of the world's music, dance, and other expressive behavior are available in this free, non-commercial, educational space.
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Internet Archive Audio Archive Best known for the Wayback Machine, the Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization determined to build a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. At the Internet Archive Audio Archive, download or listen to free music and audio, including currently over 15 million files in the public domain ranging from news programming, to Grateful Dead concerts, to Old Time Radio shows, to book and poetry readings, to original music uploaded by our users.
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Library of Congress Digital Collections Library of Congress Digital Collections serves as a portal to the 320 plus digital collections of the Library of Congress, providing links to each collection's home page. The collections include a wide range of materials such as books, collected papers, sheet music, images, and web archives. 62 collections currently include audio recordings available for streaming.
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Live Music Archive A project of the Internet Archive. Mainly uploaded by popular and rock artists to share their music, including over 17 thousand tracks by the Grateful Dead.
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Music Online: The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online provides electronic access to the award-winning print resource of the same name. It contains more than 700 articles contributed by experts on the music of the world's peoples and is over 9,000 pages long. The database, which includes all illustrations from the print edition, also includes audio examples of musical performances from around the world.
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The National Jukebox The National Jukebox, a project of the Library of Congress, features over 10 thousand 78rpm disc sides issued by the Victor Talking Machine Company between 1900 and 1925. The public can stream completely free of charge.
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Score Follower New Music Resource Score Follower strives to provide access to contemporary music for all. Through our activities, we also aim to strengthen, diversify, and connect our musical community. Our dedication to others in the field motivates our commitment to procuring legally obtained scores and recordings. By respecting our community and representing our field as well as we can, Score Follower aims to be a new kind of information resource and center for the online community. Find their score videos on YouTube, or visit their website to learn more.
University Libraries holds more than 25,000 compact discs and approximately 4,000 vinyl records (or LPs) as well as playback equipment which you can borrow or use in-house. Use OneSearch to find Libraries-owned recordings and equipment just like you would books and scores. Locate OneSearch at the front page of the Libraries website and then enter the name of the composer, artist, or work title into the search bar. Use filters on the left side of the page to narrow down your results.
Select the filter "Library Catalog" to limit your search to items owned by the Libraries and eliminate web results. Then select the filter "Music Recording" under Content Type to show CDs and LPs specifically. OneSearch indicates the availability, format, and call number of each item in its results list. CDs are specified as "Compact Discs," while LPs are listed as "Sound Records." Call numbers for CDs and LPs are simple and were assigned when they were added to the Collection. Unfortunately, this means they are not browsable by either composer or genre.
You can also use OneSearch to find playback equipment, or simply ask at the First Floor Information Desk what is available to borrow. Select the filter "Equipment" under Content Type and enter the type of equipment into the search bar above. The Libraries has loanable USB CD/DVD drives, speakers, headphones, adapters, and old-style boomboxes. LP turntables are also stationed at several computers in Education, Music and Media on the Lower Level of Bracken Library.
Band Music on CD
Wind Ensembles represented in the Music Collection's CDs:
- Berlin Philharmonic Winds
- Cleveland Symphonic Winds
- Dallas Wind Symphony
- Eastman Wind Ensemble
- Keystone Wind Ensemble
- North Texas Wind Symphony
- Northwestern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble
- RNCM Wind Orchestra
- Sousa Band
- United States Air Force Band
- United States Marine Band ("The President's Own")
- University of Houston Wind Ensemble
- University of Michigan Symphony Band
- Washington Winds
Brass Ensembles represented in the Music Collection's CDs:
- Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
- London Brass
- Summit Brass
- London Gabrieli Brass Ensemble
Educational Recordings:
- Teaching Music Through Performance in Band: Resource Recordings
Recordings of music for school bands from grades 2 through grade 5. Most pieces were recorded by the North Texas Wind Symphony, conducted by Eugene Corporon.
Interlibrary Loan
Users are encouraged to search for items beyond University Libraries' catalog via RILM Abstracts of Music Literature and WorldCat. Materials not available in print or online may be requested through Interlibrary Loan. Please allow up to seven days for electronic delivery and up to fourteen days for delivery of physical items.