Music to Soothe the Savage Searcher Classical Music Databases and Web Resources
As is always the case, Dave Mattison offers a solid and well-written webliography in the new issue of Searcher. This is one to keep. Since we’re also avid music searchers at ResourceShelf a few quick comments.

+ AllTheWeb, AltaVista, and Yahoo all share the same database. This has been the case for a couple of years. Often, you’ll find slightly different results but the underlying database is the same. We agree with Mattison that Yahoo’s Audio Search is first rate and one of our favorite new tools of 2005. However, Dave doesn’t mention that Yahoo Audio Search also serves as a comparison shopping tool to compare pricing and features (burning rights, sharing rights, etc.) from many of the large online digital music services. Here’s one example. Our suggestion is to spend time learning the numerous features (and many are available) of Yahoo Audio Search.

+ Lycos Audio Search uses (for the most part) the same database that powers SingingFish. Btw, this is the same database that AOL Audio Search uses. SingingFish is owned by AOL. While most people don’t use advanced search features, SingingFish offers the most.

+ Yes, we all like big numbers. But as Greg Notess and others have said and documented for years, Google and most other engines have issues offering accurate page total estimates. Very likely that number will be different tomorrow, in the next hour and you might be seeing a different number now. Of course, it’s impossible to view all 31-38 million hits (no engine will allow you to see more than the first thousand). Also worth pointing out that Google’s duplicate filter kicks in after 115 results. So, in other words, out of over 30 million hits, all but 150 are dupes? Remember, many searchers will neither notice nor click to turn off the dupe filtering. Page totals from ALL engines are just estimates, some better, some worse, but all nowhere near ideal. Finally, it’s very likely that some of those many million “hits” include pages that don’t contain the actual search terms but, “terms only appear in links pointing to [a specific page]. Again, this is not only a Google issue but again an illustration why accurate page totals and comparisons are so difficult to gather.

+ Ask.com offers fact and linked ”Smart Answers” at the very top of results pages for composers, orchestras, performers, etc., using various sources like Who2.com and All Music Guide. Here are a few examples.
+ G.F. Handel
+ Yo-Yo Ma
+ Eugene Ormandy
+ New York Philharmonic
+ Eroica Trio

OK, if Dave’s amazing collection of resources isn’t enough, here are a few more.

+ Many public radio stations around the world play classical music. PublicRadioFan.com offers a real-time programming guide to many of them along with direct links and a database of stations around the globe. You can even personalize the page.

+ Although Tower Records is a music merchant, their online catalog/database is an excellent reference tool. Here’s the advanced interface for their classical database. As with many sites, you can also listen to samples of many tracks online for free.

+ Finally, it’s one thing to listen to recordings and it’s something else to listen live. This directory from the American Symphony Orchestra League offers direct links to hundreds of orchestras in the U.S., Canada*, and International. This site also offers a few overviews of various works and links to stats from the ASOL. For example, here’s a 260 page (PDF) repertoire report that lists what each orchestra played last year. Even a Top 10/Fast Facts report.

* For additional links to Canadian orchestras, Orchestras Canada has a detailed list.

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