Kinds of evidence musicians and musicologists use

Musicians and musicologists use primary and secondary sources for evidence. A primary source Definition for primary source, opens in dialog  is a music composition that the writer is analyzing or a concert or recording that the writer is reviewing. Secondary source Definition for Secondary source, opens in dialog  are books, articles, and Web sites about composers, musicians, or music.

The following are examples of the ways you might use evidence when you write about music:

• For program notes, you would use secondary sources for biographical material about the performer and historical information about the work of music to be performed. You might interview some of the performers (primary sources); for an original work, you might interview the composer, if possible.

• For a research paper tracing the development of Creole music in southern Louisiana, your primary sources could be songs representing different styles of Creole music and stages in the evolution of the music. Secondary sources would be books and other materials about the history of southern society and culture.

• For a review of a performance of Handel’s Messiah, you would use specific moments from the concert itself as evidence to illustrate your opinions. You might mention how the conductor and the soloists interpreted particular parts of the piece and describe how sections of the orchestra and chorus performed. You might also note performers or moments from the performance that stood out because of their strengths or weaknesses.