MUSL 3239, "Music and Dance"

A primary source is either an original work or evidence provided by a direct observer of an event. The best research relies heavily on primary sources. Some examples of primary sources include:

• Creative works (paintings, musical manuscripts, novels, sculptures, etc.);
• Personal correspondence, diaries, and autobiographies;
• News reports and reviews;
• Photographs, videos, and sound recordings;
• Physical artifacts.

Secondary sources provide commentary on or interpretation of an event after it has occurred. Secondary sources are used to supplement primary sources when doing research. Some examples of secondary sources include:

• An analysis of a musical work;
• Journal articles and books;
• Book reviews.

Primary Sources in Music and Dance

• Manuscripts;
• Early printed editions;
• Sketches;
• Scores and parts used in early performances (markings by performers can be very useful);
• Reviews of performances;
• Early sound recordings;
• Field recordings (often the only source material for ethnography or ethnomusicology);
• Film footage of rehearsals, masterclasses, and performances;
• Correspondence from composers and performers;
• Programs and press clippings;
• In the case of dramatic works and dance, photographs, notes on choreography, staging, costume design, and sets.
• Dance notation
• Costumes
• Dance manuals
• Sketches and drawings
• Choreographic scores

Primary Sources:  

• Library of Congress: An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction Manuals, ca. 1490-1920 

Other Primary Source Collections: 

• USC Dance Heritage Video archive  

• New York Public Library Digital Collections -  

• Dance Oral History Project -NYPL 

• Digital Collections LOC –  

• Pioneers of Chinese Dance – Digital Collection https://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dance1ic?page=index  

• Delia Zapata Olivella Papers – Vanderbilt University Special Collection  

• “The Delia Zapata Olivella collection encompasses her work as an ethnographer, dancer, choreographer, professor, and Colombian folklorist. While she lived in Cartagena, Calí, and spent time researching in the pacific and atlantic regions of Colombia, she built her career in Bogotá. Zapata Olivella was born in Lorica, Colombia to parents with Afro-Colombian and Indigenous heritage, and evidence of her work to explore and promote Colombia’s tri-ethnicroots are provided in the collection. Her performances and those of her dance groups met acclaim from Colombian and international audiences.” 

• This collection may be viewed only in the reading room of Special Collections in the Jean and Alexander Heard Library. Collections should be requested 2-3 days prior to visiting in order to facilitate easier access. For questions or to request a collection, contact specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu. 

Databases with Primary Source Material:  

• HathiTrust 

• Gender: Identity and Social Change – includes etiquette books and handbooks on ballroom dance