I.
COMPOSER AND DATES
A. Use full names (no abbreviations) for composers. List their dates in parentheses,
underneath the name. Use the en dash (–) between dates. If the composer is still
living, do not use parentheses and indicate birth year with “b.”
B. Names and dates should be justified along the right margin of the page.
Examples:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756–1791)
Ben Folds
b. 1966
C. If the selections are an arrangement, adaptation, or transcription, both composer
and arranger/adapter/transcriber should be listed, with dates.
Example:
Traditional American Song
adapted by Aaron Copland
(1900–1990)
[Link]
Note: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians or other applicable
thematic catalog should be the first stop when verifying title and catalog
information.
A. The full title should be given including the key, opus (capitalized, not
abbreviated) and catalog numbers (capitalized, abbreviated) and the movements
being performed.
B. “Nocturne,” Mazurka,” “Tocatta,” and “Sonata” are capitalized but not italicized.
C. Include movement titles and numbers (roman numerals) below work titles, with
an indention.
D. Capitalize major keys while minor keys are in lowercase.
E. “Flat” and “sharp” designations use a standard hyphen and are spelled fully.
F. Keep all original diacritical markings
Examples:
Violin Sonata in C Major, K. 303 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
I. Adagio, molto allegro (1756–1791)
II. Tempo di menuetto
Sonata in c-sharp minor, Opus 27, No. 2 (‘Moonlight’) Ludwig van Beethoven
I. Adagio sostenuto (1770–1827)
III. Presto
Sonata for Horn and Piano (1939) Paul Hindemith
I. Mäßig bewegt (1895–1963)
II. Ruhig bewegt
III. Lebhaft
From Carmen Suite No. 1 for Piano Solo Georges Bizet
I. Prélude (1838–1875)
III. Intermezzo arranged by Ernest Guiraud
V. Final (Les Toréadors) (1837–1892)
III. General Formatting
A. Font, Spacing, Margins
1. Georgia, 11 point should be used for all titles, notes and translations.
2. Follow the additional font sizes and formatting as found in the example
program.
3. Single spacing should be used throughout, double spaces used between poetic
stanzas.
4. Margins should remain at the standard one inch for top/bottom and left/
right.
5. Though not necessary, tables can be very helpful in maintaining formatting
uniformity throughout the document. Be sure that table outlines are set to
“off” or “none” and that the table is stretched to the margins when making
your final submission.
B. Program Notes
1. Program notes should have two sections: commentary on the musical traits of
individual pieces/movements (200 word limit) and information about the
composer. The biographical information (200 word limit) should be focused
on the composer’s similar works and maintain academic integrity.
2. Footnotes/citations are not needed, however all writing must be an original
composition and not plagiarized. A bibliography must be submitted at the
recital hearing.
Example:
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) stands as the pre-eminent composer of the late Baroque
period. Receiving his first organist position at eighteen, Bach would continue composing and
playing for the church for the rest of his life. The time Bach spent in Leipzig was his most
prolific, composing ~300 cantatas, the Johannes-Passion, Weihnachtsoratorium, and
Matthäus-Passion and finally, his Messe in h-Moll (Mass in B minor). The only setting of the
mass ordinary by Bach, it features exquisitely woven fugues, declamatory arias, and choruses
that are based not in the Catholic Mass, but an expanded version of the Lutheran missa brevis.