Published Literature

This page describes literature on music in television, including reference resources and academic texts. These resources offer access to basic information, quick facts concerning production history and creative artists, and more in-depth analyses. Because research on music for television requires an interdisciplinary approach of both aural and visual studies, relevant books can be found under many different call number and class schedules.

Class ML

There are four primary classes in the ML schedule for books about music in television:

ML68: Radio, television, etc., and music
ML102 .T47: Dictionaries and encyclopedias, television music
ML128 .T4: Bibliographies, television music
ML2080: Television music, history and criticism

Some items may also be classed in the PN or Z classification schedules. The items on this page provide a representative sample.

All titles with call numbers beginning with subclass ML are housed in the Performing Arts Reading Room. All titles with call numbers beginning with subclasses PN or Z are housed in the Main Reading Room of the Thomas Jefferson Building. Although not focused primarily on music, texts under subclasses PN or Z provide an interdisciplinary context to music's many roles and functions in television.

The following titles offer a representative sample and link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

Bridges, moods, interludes; an index of outstanding symphonic and orchestral works by Henry Katzman
Call Number: ML68 .K3
This resource is an index of symphonic and orchestral works that have been classified and cross-indexed as an aid to radio and television programming and wherever appropriate background music may be desired.
Encyclopedia of Television Theme Songs by Mark A. Robinson
Call Number: ML102.T47 R63 2011
ISBN: 9780786465170
Published/Created: 2011-09-30
Featuring 1,000 detailed entries, this encylopedia examines the phenomenon of television theme songs. Organized alphabetically by TV series from The A-Team to Zorro, the individual themes are designated by title, composer, lyricist and performer, with an analysis of how the theme captured the show's spirit. Each entry also includes the series' cast credits, its network, the years of its original run, and an in-depth program description.
Film and Television Music by Warren M. Sherk
Call Number: ML128.M7 S545 2011
ISBN: 9780810876866
Published/Created: 2010-12-29
This resource compiles over 100 years of writings devoted to the subject of film and television music and its practitioners, offering an awareness of the vast literature on film and television music to a larger audience. This indispensable resource tool includes bibliographic citations and supplementary information on books, academic dissertations, composer and songwriter biographies, music for the accompaniment of silent films, and a wide range of film, music, and general interest periodicals. Providing context, background, accuracy, and breadth of coverage, the entries in this book assist researchers with thoughtful and succinct synopses of the contents of books and articles from the silent era to the digital age. The material is organized in 11 sections: books on film and television music; academic dissertations and theses; composer, songwriter, and lyricist biographies; books with material on film and television music; music for the accompaniment of silent films; film music periodicals; composer society journals and newsletters; film and media periodicals; music periodicals; and general interest and other periodicals.
Comprehensive Bibliography of Music for Film and Television by Steven D. Wescott
Call Number: ML128.M7 W47 1985
ISBN: 0899900275
Published/Created: 1986-01-01
This resource is a bibliography of music for film and television up to 1985.
Film and Television Composers by Steve Harris
Call Number: ML156.4.M6 H28 1992
ISBN: 0899505538
Published/Created: 1992-02-01
This title has two main sections: a discography which contains each composer's productions listed alphabetically by title and an index of the various film and television production titles.
Television Musicals by Joan Baxter
Call Number: ML2080 .B39 1997
ISBN: 0786402865
Published/Created: 1997-07-01
This book contains entries on 222 musicals developed for television between 1944 and 1996, including musical episodes from nonmusical shows, animated specials, operas, and related works. Entries provide air date, network, running time, cast and credits, and a listing of all songs, along with a synopsis of the plot.
A Research Guide to Film and Television Music in the United States by Leonard Maltin (Foreword by); Jeannie Gayle Pool; H. Stephen Wright
Call Number: ML3797 .P65 2011
ISBN: 0810876884
Published/Created: 2010-12-28
This bibliography presents a detailed description of primary sources in film music and explains how to find and interpret them. The authors tackle the problems of determining film-score authorship and working with recordings of film music. Summarizes the major works and trends in film music research and identifies the most important resources in the field. Includes up-to-date information about prominent collections of film music sources and other research materials.
Les Brown's Encyclopedia of Television by Les Brown
Call Number: PN1992.18 .B7 1992
ISBN: 0810388715
Published/Created: 1992-02-01
The first two editions of this encyclopedia have become established as reference guides to the television industry. Compiled, as before, by television expert Les Brown but published by Gale and revised for the first time in 10 years, this enlarged third edition contains 3,000 detailed entries.
Film and Television by Mark Emmons
Call Number: Z5784.M9 E47 2006
ISBN: 1563089149
Published/Created: 2006-03-30
Although this book does not focus specifically on music in television, its international scope offers 1,244 substantially annotated bibliographic entries, organized by topic. Its focus is movies and television shows: how they are produced; the people who make and appear in them; their content, their distribution and exhibition; and their reception by audiences, reviewers, critics, and scholars. Beginning with general guides, dictionaries and encyclopedias, the book then turns to filmographies, filmmakers, and filmmaking respectively. Filmographies lists films and television shows in the categories of national cinema and genre, made by studios or filmmakers, or featuring various groups of people. Filmmakers includes biographies and credits for filmmakers and actors. Filmmaking includes reference sources on making film and television shows. An indispensable guide for librarians, faculty, students, neophyte filmmakers, and fans everywhere.

These databases provide substantial information on production and air dates for television productions, as well as information on the creative artists behind them. They are not Library of Congress-produced resources, but they are free and available without a subscription. See the "Databases" page of this guide for information about databases available on-site.

Internet Movie Database External
Online database of information related to world films, television programs, home videos and video games, and internet streams, including cast, production crew and personnel biographies, and plot summaries.
SoundtrackNet: The Art of Film and Television Music External
SoundtrackNet was created in 1997. The website features a searchable database of film music on compact disc that surpasses any printed discography yet available.
TuneFind External
Tunefind contains an index of music and songs appearing in popular television shows and movies.

Academic Texts on Television Music

Although academic books focused primarily on the study of music in television fall under the call numbers ML68 and ML2080, books covering music in television may fall under multiple call numbers. Browse and search the Library of Congress Classification - Schedule M to locate additional call numbers.

Sounds, Screens, Speakers by Charles Fairchild
Call Number: ML68 .F36 2019
ISBN: 9781501336249
Published/Created: 2019-01-24
This text provides a broadly comprehensive survey of the emerging field of music and media. From the introduction of the microphone all the way through to music in reality television, the purpose of each section within the book is not simply to move chronologically towards the present, but to focus especially on the tangible social relationships created through specific forms of mediation. With readings at the end of most chapters, key questions to facilitate additional discovery and research, and direction to additional readings and resources on popular websites and news sources, this text serves as the ideal introduction to popular music and media.
Music and the Broadcast Experience by Christina Baade (Editor); James A. Deaville (Editor)
Call Number: ML68 .M845 2016
ISBN: 9780199314713
Published/Created: 2016-09-01
This text explores the complex ways in which music and broadcasting have developed together throughout the twentieth and into the twenty-first centuries. It brings into dialogue researchers working in media and music studies; explores and develops crucial points of contact between studies of music in radio and music in television; and investigates the limits, persistence, and extensions of music broadcasting in the Internet era. The book presents a series of case studies that address key moments and concerns in music broadcasting, past and present, written by leading scholars in the field, who hail from both media and music studies. The chapters address the following topics: the role of live orchestral concerts and opera in the early development of radio and their relation to ideologies of musical uplift; the relation between production culture, music, and television genre; the function of music in sponsored radio during the 1930s; the fortunes of musical celebrity and artistic ambition on television; questions of music format and political economy in the development of online radio; and the negotiation of space, community, and participation among audiences, online and offline, in the early twenty-first century.
Popular Music and Television in Britain by Ian Inglis (Editor)
Call Number: ML68 .P66 2010
ISBN: 9780754668640
Published/Created: 2010-12-14
Through a concentration on four main areas in which TV organizes and presents popular music - history and heritage; performers and performances; comedy and drama; audiences and territories - this book investigates a diverse range of musical genres and styles, factual and fictional programming, historical and geographical demographics, and the constraints of commerce and technology to provide the first systematic account of the place of popular music on British television.
Music in Comedy Television by Liz Giuffre (Editor); Philip Hayward (Editor)
Call Number: ML2080 .M79 2017
ISBN: 9781138193567
Published/Created: 2017-03-22
The study of television and music has expanded greatly in recent years, yet to date no book has focused on the genre of comedy television as it relates to music. Music in Comedy Television: Notes on Laughs fills that gap, breaking new critical ground. With contributions from an array of established and emerging scholars representing a range of disciplines, the twelve essays included cover a wide variety of topics and television shows, spanning nearly fifty years across network, cable, and online structures and capturing the latest research in this growing area of study. From Sesame Street to Saturday Night Live, from Monty Python to Flight of the Conchords, this book offers the perfect introduction for students and scholars in music and media studies seeking to understand the role of music in comedy onscreen and how it relates to the wider culture.
Music in Science Fiction Television by K. J. Donnelly (Editor); Philip Hayward (Editor)
Call Number: ML2080 .M82 2013
ISBN: 9780415641074
Published/Created: 2012-12-11
The music for science fiction television programs, like music for science fiction films, is often highly distinctive, introducing cutting-edge electronic music and soundscapes. There is a highly particular role for sound and music in science fiction, because it regularly has to expand the vistas and imagination of the shows and plays a crucial role in setting up the time and place. Notable for its adoption of electronic instruments and integration of music and effects, science fiction programs explore sonic capabilities offered through the evolution of sound technology and design, which has allowed for the precise control and creation of unique and otherworldly sounds. This collection of essays analyzes the style and context of music and sound design in Science Fiction television. It provides a wide range of in-depth analyses of seminal live-action series such as Doctor Who, The Twilight Zone, and Lost,nbsp; as well as animated series, such as The Jetsons. With thirteen essays from prominent contributors in the field of music and screen media, this anthology will appeal to students of Music and Media, as well as fans of science fiction television.
Music in Television by James Deaville (Editor)
Call Number: ML2080 .M83 2011
ISBN: 9780415881357
Published/Created: 2011-02-28
Music in Television is a collection of essays examining television's production of meaning through music in terms of historical contexts, institutional frameworks, broadcast practices, technologies, and aesthetics. It presents the reader with overviews of major genres and issues, as well as specific case studies of important television programs and events. With contributions from a wide range of scholars, the essays range from historical-analytical surveys of TV sound and genre designations to studies of the music in individual programs.
Tuning In by Ron Rodman
Call Number: ML2080 .R63 2010
ISBN: 9780195340242
Published/Created: 2009-12-17
This book focuses on how music has functioned to serve as a navigator through the flow of television and contributing to structure narrative programs, while also conveying meaning to its viewers by correlating with the images and sounds that it accompanies. Drawing from precedents of the cinema and radio, the book examines music in a number of "classic" television genres by positing a theory of "functional musical spaces" adapted from theories of Charles Morris, Umberto Eco, John Fiske, and others.
The Music of Animaniacs by Lisa Scoggin
Call Number: ML2080 .S26 2016
ISBN: 9781576472422
Published/Created: 2016-09-30
The 1990s television show Animaniacs, with its sharp wit, double entendres, and zany humor reminiscent of the Golden Age Warner Brothers cartoons, was a hit with adults and children alike. The music used in the show played a vital role in its popularity and still does, as is evident from the number of hits on YouTube for songs like "Yakko's World" and "Wakko's America." Lisa Scoggin examines how the music functions in Animaniacs, from its basis in the sounds of Carl Stalling to its role in parody to its use in the educational segments. Through this, the author touches upon musical theatre, country music and nostalgia, Woodstock, censorship, classical music reception, limited animation, and characterization through music, as well as many other topics. Written with both the music scholar and layperson in mind, this book will appeal not only to those who enjoy the show, but also to those who are interested in parody, nostalgia, the study of pop culture, and music in animation in general.

Academic Texts on Television Broadcasting

Within subclass PN, PN1992 is the primary class for television broadcasting, but books covering television may fall under multiple call numbers. Browse and search the Library of Congress Classification - Schedule PN to locate additional call numbers. Although not focused primarily on music, many of these texts provide interdisciplinary context to music's many roles and functions in television. These books are in the general collections resources in the Main Reading Room of the Thomas Jefferson Building. For more information, visit the Library's Researchers page.

A Companion to the History of American Broadcasting by Aniko Bodroghkozy (Editor)
Call Number: PN1990.6.U5 C66 2018
ISBN: 9781118646359
Published/Created: 2018-10-02
Presented in a single volume, this engaging review reflects on the scholarship and the historical development of American broadcasting The text comprehensively evaluates the history of American radio and television and reveals broadcasting's influence on American history in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. With contributions from leading scholars on the topic, this wide-ranging anthology explores the impact of broadcasting on American culture, politics, and society from an historical perspective as well as the effect on our economic and social structures. Topics include the production of broadcast media, the evolution of various television and radio genres, the development of the broadcast ratings system, the rise of Spanish language broadcasting in the United States, broadcast activism, African Americans and broadcasting, and 1950's television.
Television in the Antenna Age by David Marc; Robert Thompson
Call Number: PN1992.3.U5 M265 2005
ISBN: 0631215433
Published/Created: 2004-12-17
Television in the Antenna Age is a brief, accessible, and engaging overview of the medium's history and development in the US. Integrating three major concerns--television as an industry, a technology, and an art--the book is a basic primer on the complex, fascinating, and often overlooked story of television and its impact on American life. The text covers the history of American television, from its urban, middle-class beginnings in the late 40s, to the contemporary impact of new technologies and consolidated corporate. Includes interview segments with industry insiders, pictures, and sidebars to illustrate important figures, trends, and events
Defining Visions by Mary Ann Watson
Call Number: PN1992.3.U5 W39 2008
ISBN: 9781405170536
Published/Created: 2008-01-29
Defining Visions is a powerful narrative social history that examines television's rise as the great "certifying agent" in American life. This newly updated and fully revised edition extends its coverage to the end of the 20th century. It defines the "Television Age" as a discrete period in American history bracketed by monumental events--the triumph of the Allied victory of WWII and the devastation of 9/11. A powerful narrative social history that examines television's rise as the great 'certifying agent' in American life Extends its coverage to the end of the twentieth century, and defines the 'Television Age' as a discrete period in American history that is bracketed by the end of WWII and 9/11. This text includes discussions of the Monica Lewinsky scandal and Clinton impeachment; the massacre at Columbine High School; the 2000 presidential election; and the tragic events of September 11, 2001, It also considers the cultural impact of recent prime-time programs such as Seinfeld, CSI and Will & Grace.
Watching TV by Harry Castleman; Walter J. Podrazik
Call Number: PN1992.5.U5 C37 2016
ISBN: 9780815634386
Published/Created: 2016-01-04
This text is a detailed, season-by-season chronology of American television programming from the medium's inception to the present, including every prime time fall schedule since 1944. This third edition includes coverage up through the mid-2010s and looks ahead to the next waves of change.
Critical dictionary of film and television theory by edited by Roberta E. Pearson and Philip Simpson
Call Number: PN1993.45 .C75 2001
ISBN: 0415162181y
Published/Created: 2001
This text explains the major theoretical approaches and definitions now deployed in the study of screen media. Entries range from longer overview essays which summarize the central paradigms of film and television theory, to shorter definitions of key concepts and introductions to major influential figures. The text includes cross-references, bibliographies, and an index.

Television Music: A Guide to Resources at the Library of Congress

Performing Arts: Ask a Librarian

Published Literature

Class ML

Reference Resources

Academic Texts on Television Music

Academic Texts on Television Broadcasting