Music Scores

Musical scores are not discussed in the manual used in the compilation of the APA 7th examples for this module. Our librarians suggest the following, however we advise that you check with your subject guideline or tutor for recommended format.

In-text citation examples

"It's Alright With Me" (Porter, 1953) was also used in High Society.

OR

Porter (1953) wrote "It's Alright With Me" for the musical Can-Can.

Reference list

Reference list template

Composer, A. A., & Composer, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of publication [Medium]. Publisher name.

Reference list example

Stravinsky, I. (1975). Rite of spring [Score]. Hansen House.

If the score is part of a collection or anthology:

Whitfield, N., & Strong, B. (1966). I heard it through the grapevine [Score]. In Motown anthology (pp.98–104). Hal Leonard.

If there is an editor:

Porter, C. (1953). It's all right with me [Score]. In W. L. Simon (Ed.), Treasury of great show tunes (pp.104–110). Reader's Digest.

Make sure you read the style notes below

Tips for this reference type

  • APA Style Blog
  • Basically, a musical score is similar to a book. The composer is entered into the author element, the date when the work was created into the date element (if known), the title of the work, then the publisher of the work.
  • A description related to the type of medium may be needed and included in square brackets behind the title and before the period. Examples of medium: score, choral score, miniature score, orchestral score, libretto, song lyrics, etc.
  • The title of the work is italicised.
  • If you are using a reprint of an old score, there is no need to include the information about the original publishing company, but do include the original publication date in parentheses after the period of the source, e.g. (Original work published 1966).
  • Often correct details for referencing items can be found on the Library catalogue record.

Explore resources to help with reference management and enable you to effectively integrate and cite sources into your writing and assessment tasks.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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