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Music: audio

omni

Search Omni @ YUL

Omni is the library's online catalogue and includes records for both the physical and electronic collections. Article citations are drawn from periodical indexes and fulltext databases and interfiled with other resources in the search results so once you have performed your search it is best to begin narrowing down the results by choosing the available facets in the left hand column.

streaming audio & video

The library streaming resources below provide access to a total of close to 50,000 CDs. This will not meet every need since many mainstream labels, especially those for popular music, are not available (please see below: audio on physical formats). Classical or Western Art music is well-represented, and there is good representation of substantial areas in Jazz and Global music. 

Metropolitan Opera on Demand: 600 full-length Met performances, including 100 HD video.

Music Online (Alexander Street Press):

American Music - Canada: about 65,000 albums, including songs by and about American Indians, miners, immigrants, slaves, children, pioneers and cowboys. Included in the database are the songs of Civil Rights, political campaigns, Prohibition, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and anti-war protests. Labels include Arhoolie, Document Records, Folkways, JSP and Rounder.

Classical Music Library: about 80,000 albums. Labels include CBC, Chandos, Hanssler Classic, Hyperion, Mode, Nimbus, Nuova Era, Tactus, Telarc and Warner Music.

Classical Music in Video: 1,000 hours of classical music performances and masterclasses captured on video—approximately 1,500 performances in all. The collection contains performances of all forms of classical music, including major orchestral performances by leading orchestras, plus chamber music, oratorio, and solo performances, along with masterclasses and interviews with master teachers from around the world.

Opera in Video: 500 hours of the most important opera performances, captured on video through staged productions, interviews, and documentaries. Selections represent the world’s best performers, conductors, and opera houses and are based on a work’s importance to the operatic canon.

Jazz Music Library: about 90,000 albums, including selections from the Blue Note, Impulse, Leo, Pablo, Prestige, and Verve labels, among others.

Contemporary World Music: about 272,000 albums, representing important genres such as reggae, worldbeat, neo-traditional, world fusion, Balkanic jazz, African film, Bollywood, Arab swing and jazz, and other genres such as traditional music - Indian classical, fado, flamenco, klezmer, zydeco, gospel, and gagaku.

Smithsonian Global Sound: about 3000 albums, including the Folkways, UNESCO, ILAM, and Monitor labels. 

Naxos:

DRAM: labels include Albany, CRI, Lovely Music, Mode and New World Records.

Record labels represented in the resources above are in the hundreds, including Albany, Arhoolie, Blue Note, Concord, CRI, Document, EMI Classics, Fantasy, Folkways, Hänssler Classic, Hyperion, JSP, Lyrichord, Mode, Naxos, New World, Prestige, Rounder, Verve, and Virgin Classics (see the audio link in this guide). 

audio on physical media

Streaming resources do not include all the recordings representing the many popular music genres or compilations on physical media (many of which include extensive documentation). Most of these materials (LPs. CDs, etc.) are available by request for pickup at the main Scott service desk (just inside the main doors on the first floor). 

  • Search for these titles in Omni, then select Audio on the left under "Resource Type".
    • Click on the record for information on borrowing options and/or make a request for pick up.
    • Please make an appointment to access a DVD or CD that is not available for borrowing (using Scott library equipment) or contact imagelib@yorku.ca.
  • Access course reserves for music on physical media from the main Scott Library service desk (1st floor).

The Sound and Moving Image Collection includes about 30,000 CDs and 25,000 LPs (in storage), including substantial holdings in jazz and popular music, much of which are generally not collected by university libraries. Of particular strength is the collection of jazz and blues recordings, including numerous out-of-print or small-label records, with the additional value of liner notes and album cover artwork. The Collection has also built a large collection of heavy metal music, encompassing a vast range of subgenres and independent labels.

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