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Program notes typically start with a heading that includes the full title with appropriate keys, numbers, opus numbers, and catalog numbers, date of composition, the composer’s full name and dates, movements or song titles to be performed, names of instrumentalists/vocalist performing.
In a nutshell, the main steps are: Know who your reader is (clue: it’s not the examiner!) Gather information from sources of authority, covering the musical and historical background to the pieces in your programme (details below). Keep a detailed record of the sources you use.
What are program notes, and why should I write them? Program notes provide information on musical works presented in a concert to enhance audience members’ experiences of the performance.
These program notes should be written in a scholarly, yet interesting, style. They should avoid excessive musical jargon and should not use slang or colloquialisms. They should also be proofread carefully before submitted.
DePaul University Library guide to researching music program notes.
Examples of appropriate topics. How the piece came to be written. The work’s reception. Any connection between the work and biographical details of the composer’s life. The musical form of the work. The piece’s programmatic elements if applicable. Compositional techniques.
Describe the genre or style and how it originated. Is this work a common example of a particular style, movement, or school of composition? What are key musical elements of the piece? This may include elements such as form, rhythm, melody, harmony and accompaniment.