Discovering Classical Music
Discovering Classical Music

Appendix B

Music Titles Guide

Generic Titles
Generic titles like Symphony, Sonata, or Concerto should not be italicized or put in quotations. Pitches and tonal centers in titles should be capitalized. Opus and other catalog numbers are preceded by a comma and typically abbreviated. "Opus" is generally abbreviated "Op."
If a work has also has a descriptive title, the description should be listed at the end, in italics, and preceded by a comma.
Non-Generic Titles
Compositions with a personalize title, including song titles that are not part of a larger work, should be italicized.
For arias and songs from larger works, the title of the song/aria should be put in quotation marks. The larger work should be italicized when used.