Percussion Music
PDF Guide
Classification Numbers for Percussion Music
Percussion Works for one performer:
| M146 | Drum(s), including timpani, drum set, side drum, etc., and works for one percussionist playing two or more different percussion instruments. |
| M147 | Bells, glockenspiel, etc. |
| M175.X6 | Xylophone, marimba, vibraharp, vibraphone |
Collections of percussion works for one performer with piano accompaniment
(collections containing works by more than one composer or a variety of different works by the same composer):
| M284.B4 | Bells |
| M284.C94 | Cymbals |
| M284.D8 | Drum |
| M284.G65 | Glockenspiel |
| M284.P4 | Percussion (one percussionist playing two or more different percussion instruments) |
| M284.T5 | Timpani |
| M284.X9 | Xylophone, marimba, vibraphone |
Separate percussion works for one performer with piano accompaniment
(one work by one composer):
| M285.B4 | Bells |
| M285.C94 | Cymbals |
| M285.D8 | Drum |
| M285.G65 | Glockenspiel |
| M285.P4 | Percussion |
| M285.T5 | Timpani |
| M285.X9 | Xylophone, marimba, vibraphone |
Works for all percussionists or percussion and a combination of other instruments:
| M298 | Duets |
| M340–344 | Trios with piano |
| M385 | Trios without piano |
| M445–449 | Quartets with piano |
| M485 | Quartets without piano |
| M545–549 | Quintets with piano |
| M585 | Quintets without piano |
| M645–649 | Sextets with piano |
| M685 | Sextets without piano |
| M745–749 | Septets with piano |
| M785 | Septets without piano |
| M845–849 | Octets with piano |
| M885 | Octets without piano |
| M945–949 | Nonets with piano |
| M985 | Nonets without piano |
Percussion solo with orchestral accompaniment:
| M1038 | Percussion with orchestra (full scores) |
| M1039 | Percussion with orchestra (piano reductions) |
| M1039.4.X9 | Xylophone with orchestra (piano reductions) |
| M1138 | Percussion with string orchestra (full scores) |
| M1139 | Percussion with string orchestra (piano reductions) |
Percussion instruction and method books; studies; orchestral excerpts and parts:
| MT655–656 | General |
| MT660 | Timpani |
| MT662 | Drum, bass, drum, snare, drum, etc., including drum set and instruction for the entire batterie |
| MT663 | Bongo, conga drums |
| MT664 | Tabla |
| MT719 | Xylophone, marimba, vibraphone |
| MT722 | Implements put to musical use (e.g., kitchen utensils) |
Classification Numbers for Books on Percussion
Reference books:
| ML102.P4 | Percussion dictionaries and encyclopedias |
| ML128.P23 | Percussion bibliographies |
Books on percussion history and criticism:
| ML1030 | General |
| ML1035 | Drums including drum set |
| ML1036 | Timpani |
| ML1038 | Other percussion instruments alphabetically: arará, atabaque, batá, bodhrán, bonkó, bronze drum, ceṇḍa, dhimay, kotsuzumi, mridanga, nāykhim, pung, rebana, santūr, steel drum, tabla, tupan |
| ML1039 | Bells, carillons, gongs, chimes, including change ringing, peals, etc. |
| ML1048 | Xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, etc. |
| ML1049 | All other percussion instruments not mentioned in ML1038 |
Selected Dictionaries and Bibliographies
(available in the Reference section)
Adato, Joseph, and George Judy, ed. The Percussionist's Dictionary: Translations, Descriptions, and Photographs of Percussion Instruments from around the World. Melville, NY: Belwin-Mills, 1984. ML102.P4 A3
Bajzek, Dieter. Percussion: an Annotated Bibliography with Special Emphasis on Contemporary Notation and Performance. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1988. ML128.P23 B34
Beck, John H., ed. Encyclopedia of Percussion. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2007. ML102.P4 E5 2007
Carroll, Raynor. Symphonic Repertoire Guide for Timpani and Percussion. Pasadena: Batterie Music, 2005. ML128.P23 C37
Holmstrand, Bo. Percussion Instrumentation Guide for Symphony Orchestras: Detailed Listing of Instruments and Players. Ed. Jari Eskola.Helsinki: Edition Escobar, 2004. MT655 .H68
Lang, Morris, and Larry Spivack. Dictionary of Percussion Terms: as Found in the Symphonic Repertoire. New York: Carl Fischer, 2000. ML102.P4 L34
Siwe, Thomas. Percussion Ensemble & Solo Literature.Champaign, IL: Media Press, 1993. ML128.P23 S6 1993
Vlieger, Henk de. Handbook for the Orchestral Percussion Section. The Hague: Albersen, 2003. MT655.V55