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The Music Library of Sweden

Searching for music in the online catalogue

There are no subject headings for printed music or recordings  in the catalogue or in the national union catalogue, Libris, such as there are in the Library of Congress and other American catalogs. (Swedish subject headings are used for books.) Instead, Swedish cataloguing uses classification codes to identify music for a particular medium of performance or of a particular type. The codes are drawn from the Swedish "SAB" system (Sveriges Allmänna Biblioteksförening, the Swedish Library Association), which is found in yellow volumes in the circulation area at the library. A summary in Swedish of the codes for music literature (section Ij) and printed music (section X) is found at Klassifikationssystem för svenska bibliotek. There is no online English translation available (for copyright reasons). Some of the most common codes are listed below.

Use the box (local catalogue) or keywords in the Extended search form  (Libris) - searching in classification may result in fewer hits. Unless you are very familiar with the Swedish system, or want one of the categories listed below exclusively, use the truncation sign * after after the three- or four-letter code and in combination with other search fields.

In Libris, to limit the search to items owned by the Music Library of Sweden, enter X in the Library box.  
 

Solo instruments

Clarinet (solo)   Xfda Clarinet with piano   Xfdi
Flute (solo)   Xfaa Flute with piano Xfai
Guitar   Xgb
Harpsichord Xdc
Oboe (solo)   Xfca Oboe with piano   Xfci
Organ Xdb    
Piano   Xda
Trumpet (solo)   Xfga Trumpet with piano   Xfgi
Viola (solo)   Xeba Viola with piano    Xebi
Violin (solo)   Xeea Violin with piano Xeai
Violoncello (solo)   Xeca Violoncello with piano   Xeci


Chamber music

Brass quintet  Xkfga
Piano trio   Xkdea
Piano quartet Xkdeb
Piano quintet Xkdec
String trio   Xkeea
String quartet Xkeeb
String quintet   Xkee.05
Wind quintet Xkffb
2 flutes   Xkfaa.02 2 flutes with piano Xfai.02
2 violins Xeaa.02 2 violins with piano   Xeai.02


Opera

Libretto   Xyda
Opera vocal score   Xra(up)
Opera miniature score   Xra(st)
Operetta vocal score Xrb(up)


Musicals

Musicals vocal score  Xrba(up)


Orchestra

String orchestra   Xld
String orchestra miniature score   Xld(st)
Symphony orchestra Xle
Symphony orchestra miniature score   Xle(st)
Wind ensemble Xlf
Wind ensemble miniature score  Xlf(st)


Orchestra with solo instrument

Flute with orchestra     Xlbfa
Flute with orchestra   piano score Xlbfa(up)
Piano with orchestra      Xlbda
Piano with orchestra  piano score   Xlbda(up)
Violin with  orchestra   Xlbea
Violin with orchestra piano score   Xlbea(up)


Vocal music (classical)

Mixed chorus a cappella   Xpcc
Mixed chorus with accompaniment  Xpbc
Single voice with piano   Xoaba
2 voices with piano   Xobba
3 voices with piano   Xocba


Vocal music (popular)

Single voice with piano   Xxaoaba
Single voice with piano- anthology with works of different composers  Xxaoaba(s)


Other

Wedding music Xöbb or Xöbb(s)
Christmas music Xöaj or Xöaj(s)
Pop/rock music  Xxne or Xxne(s)
Swedish folk music Xu-c

Truncation
Search the beginning of a code and any possible extension

For three-letter codes, e.g.
xda*
which will retrieve piano solo (Xda), and 2 pianos (Xda.02), piano 4 hands (Xda.014),  etc.

or
xfd* (clarinet solo or with piano)

For four-letter codes:
xöbb*  (to inlcude collections Xöbb(s) as well)

 

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Updated 26 December 2007