The word “song” does not apply to all music. Use it only when referring to actual songs (i.e., short, self-standing, solo vocal works). Otherwise, use the appropriate genre label (e.g., opera, symphony, or concerto) or a more abstract designation such as “piece” or “work.”
Genres are not capitalized and do not require italics:
Mozart was a master of opera and the concerto.
The symphony is an important Romantic genre.
In this madrigal by Marenzio we hear a number of remarkable dissonances.
Charlie Parker was a key figure in the transition from swing to bebop.
By infusing traditional country with rock, Garth Brooks secured a massive following.
Generic titles of specific works are capitalized but do not require italics. (As shown below, however, italics are used for other kinds of titles.)
Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551 (“Jupiter”) was on the program.
This is a complete title that includes the genre, serial number, key, catalog number, and familiar (i.e., not author-assigned) title of the work. Use this format for formal lists like concert programs and bibliographies, and for the first time you refer to a work in a prose narrative. Thereafter you can shorten the title in various ways.
the “Jupiter” Symphony
Mozart’s Symphony K. 551
Mozart’s Symphony No. 41
It is also good practice to include the date of a work when referring to it for the first time.
This paper discusses Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor, K. 626_ _(1791).
Not all works have serial numbers and familiar titles. For many composers an opus number is used in place of a catalog number.
Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, op. 27, no. 2 (“Moonlight”)
Brahms, Symphony No. 3 in F Major, op. 90
Chopin, Nocturne in C-sharp Minor, op. 27, no. 1
Catalog numbering conventions vary by composer. The letter often stands for the last name of the cataloger (e.g., K. for Ludwig von Köchel in the case of Mozart). BWV stands for Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (Bach-Works-Catalog).
Bach, Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
Haydn, Symphony No. 94 in G Major, Hob. I:94 (“Surprise”)
Schubert, Piano Quintet in A Major, D. 667 (“Trout”)
Titles of larger works with author-assigned names (e.g., operas, ballets, song cycles, and orchestral works with non-generic titles) are capitalized and require italics.
Verdi’s Rigoletto was performed in Rome.
Strauss wrote many tone poems, including Don Juan.
Beethoven’s Egmont, op. 84 comprises incidental music for Goethe’s play of the same name.
Short vocal works (e.g., songs and numbers from operas) and titled movements of instrumental works require capitalization and quotation marks. In jazz and popular music, album titles are italicized and tracks titles go in quotation marks.
"Là ci darem la mano” is a popular duet from Don Giovanni.
Schumann’s Carnaval includes the pieces “Florestan” and “Eusebius.”
“Like a Rolling Stone” was the lead single from Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited.
“So What” opens Miles Davis’s iconic album Kind of Blue.
Note the possessive form of Davis. When a name ends in s or z, add both an apostrophe and an s to create the possessive.
Berlioz’s symphonies are programmatic, whereas Brahms’s represent absolute music.
The word “movement” is not capitalized. Tempo designations serving as movement titles are capitalized.
We studied the second movement of Beethoven’s Third Symphony.
We studied the Adagio of Beethoven’s Third Symphony.
- Referring to Musical Works
- Terminology, Hyphens and Dashes
- Writing About the Past
- Citing Sources
- Examples and Fair Use
- Score Examples
- Audio Examples
- Video Examples
- Transcriptions and Figures
- Making Audio and Video Examples with Hijack, Fission, and Camtasia