Musica International Virtual Choral Library: a global tool for choral repertoire
3 May 2021
What choral conductor has not dreamt of having a search tool able to bring up a complete list of works to match precise needs or criteria? Musica International’s Virtual Choral Library is exactly that: an extensive online database of choral literature from around the world.
This collaborative database contains over 200,000 titles of choral music in all genres and for all types of ensembles, from unison to several voices; for children as well as for female, male or mixed voices; a cappella, or accompanied by a single instrument through to full orchestra.
Many of the entries have multimedia links to an image of a page of the score, the text, translations in several languages, pronunciation modelled by a native speaker of the language, an audio file or a video of a good interpretation.
Musica International was created in 1998 by the International Federation for Choral Music and the Centre d’Art Polyphonique d’Alsace and is supported by the American Choral Directors Association and the European Choral Association. It currently has 70 institutional members all over the world, including the NZCF, and the input of data is entrusted to the key players in the choral universe: choral federations, composers, publishers, conductors, universities, music libraries and others.
Since 2011, Musica International has concentrated on the development of features allowing full interactivity with choral musicians. The choral world is able to contribute actively to its development through the linked online Musica Wiki, allowing every composer, publisher, conductor, musicologist, or choral music lover to leave comments, additional information and reports of experiences with the music, and to directly input their favorite pieces.
Calling NZ Composers!
Musica International would like to expand its listings of New Zealand repertoire. If you don’t already have your choral works listed with Musica International, get in touch with them directly to find out how: office@musicanet.org.
Full privileged access to the Musica International Virtual Choral Library is FREE to members of the NZCF’s Association of Choral Directors and is accessible via the ACD Resources page of the NZCF website (username and password are provided on payment of the annual subscription). Here’s how to access the Musica International library:
1. Go to the ACD page on the NZCF website by clicking on the photo above Association of Choral Directors on the Home page
2. Click on RESOURCES on the red tab at the top of the ACD page
3. Enter your ACD login details (email address + password) in the ACD member login box on the Resources page
4. Click on Access to Musica International’s website in the grey ACD Online Resources box.
Start exploring today!
Not a member of ACD? Join here. Want to check whether your ACD membership is current? Can’t remember your ACD username or password? Email our Finance and Membership Manager, Ann Gibbard ann.gibbard@nzcf.org.nz