REFERENCE SOURCES TO MUSIC ABOUT PARTICULAR TOPICS, THEMES OR IDEAS

This bibliography is a guide to songs and other music, from classical art music to popular, which depict various themes. Most songs are about something because the text talks about it, e.g., love, stars, cars, politics, or Chicago. However, much classical art music strives to represent these things in purely musical ways, e.g. the flight of a bumblebee, the great gate of Kiev, or a sunken cathedral.

The guide does not include sources describing "program music" as such, but does list sources citing individual works intended by the composer to represent extra musical entities. Most of these sources arrange the songs or orchestral works under the topics, ideas, names or other thematic references.

CLASSICAL ART MUSIC

A book which briefly lists orchestral and chamber works depicting or associated with people (Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln, Don Juan, etc.), places (Japan, Denmark, London, etc.), things (birds, clowns, rain, etc.) or ideas ( colors, sleep, joy, morning, etc.). Citations include composer, title, and performing medium.
ML128 I65 G59 1989----------------(Middleton Music Reference)

While not intended as a subject guide to the classical repertoire, the subtitles and other associated titles of many works, e.g, "Revolutionary Etude," "Im Walde Symphony," "Cat Waltz," "Ocean Symphony," etc., cited and indexed in this book can be a helpful resource for themes and ideas in music.
ML113 B39 1975

POPULAR AND ROCK SONGS

Cooper, B. Lee. Images of American Society in Popular Music: A Guide to Reflective Teaching.Nelson-Hall, 1982. 282 p.

This book does not list songs by topic, but rather serves as a teacher's guide to the study of teenage culture and concerns through their music. The themes and meaning of much of the music is discussed in such chapters and "Challenging Sexism through Popular Music," "Popular Music and Religious Education," "The Black Experience as Illustrated in Popular Music," and "Urban Life in Popular Music."
MT3 U5 C747 1982

A thorough outline and discussion of cultural themes represented in rock and popular songs, with many references to diverse songs and how they reflect these themes.
ML3476 C66 1991

The listing of songs is organized by specific themes under about a dozen chapters covering such broad themes as death, occupations, poverty, race, religion and youth culture. Citations include song title, label and number, artist and date. Three useful appended tables: "A Chronological List of Events and Songs that Illustrate Themes...", "Selected Dances and Dancing Styles...", and "Recordings Illustrating Humor, Parody, Satire, and Nonsense..." A selected Discography, bibliography and index are included.
ML156.4 P6 C66 1986-----------(Middleton Music Reference)

Recorded songs, including titles, artists, albums and record labels, are listed under subject or theme headings from adolescence and Africa to worry and writing. Songs about individual animals, cities, states, etc. are listed alphabetically under those genre.
ML156.4 P6 G73 1995-----------(Middleton Music Reference)

Song titles and the publisher are listed under a large variety of topics and themes, from acrobats and aircraft to whistle and young, which were derived from the songs' titles or lyrics. Separate lists of Academy Award winners, childrens songs, strippers music, sea chanties, TV and Radio themes, Western songs, etc. are included.
ML128 V7 S83--------------(Middleton Music Reference)

Studwell, William. The Popular Song Reader. A Sampler of Well-Known Twentieth-Century Songs. The Haworth Press, 1994, 273p.

This volume is a collection of over two hundred essays on twentieth century popular music.
ML3477 S78 1994