This page provides a means of searching a database (containing over 1000 songs)
either by category or for specific words.
The user makes a selection via the two search boxes at the top of the page.
Choose a category from the drop-down list in the Category box
and/or enter one or more words in the Text box. Then press the
Search button and wait for the results to be displayed.
The results are presented as a table with visual highlighting designed to
help narrow the search even further.
If a selection is made in both boxes, only songs that match both
criteria will be displayed.
Note that a Text search works rather like a World Wide Web search
engine, i.e. matching individual words rather than phrases. The words are
not case sensitive and may be entered
in any order. It is not possible at present to search for an exact phrase.
How were the categories decided?
The categories broadly correspond to the headings in a thematic index of the
sort that might typically be found in a larger song or hymn book. The choice of
categories used here, and the allocation of songs
to those categories, is a matter of editorial judgement, but is based on years
of practical use and refinement (the program and database have existed in one
form or another for over 15 years).
While many of the categories relate directly to the content of the song, some
are more to do with musical style and the way in which the song might be used.
For instance, one might be looking for "a quiet song for use in a
time of reflection" rather than just "a song about X".
Every item in the MusicSearch database is classified (by length) as a hymn,
song or chorus, and additionally (by mood) as lively, majestic or reflective.
These two categories form the basis of the visual highlighting used in the
results display, making it easy to pick out (in the above example) reflective
songs and choruses.
How are the search results displayed?
Search results are presented in 4 columns which contain the following
information:
Categories: A list of all the categories into which the song has
been placed. Sometimes additional information is supplied (e.g. Bible reference).
First line with the title (and sometimes first line of chorus)
in brackets where this is different.
OHP where we have one in Christ Church, with any relevant additional
information. This list is nowhere near up to date.
Books and numbers where the song can be found, with additional
information about tunes, keys, variant arrangements etc.
A category search will match information only in the first column,
while a Text search will match any piece of information - a word from the
first line, the name of a book or tune etc. Text searches can therefore
give unwanted matches.
The results table is split into 3 sections so that items in each of the three
Mood categories (Lively, Majestic and Reflective) are grouped together. Each
item is also colour coded according to length, with hymns, songs and choruses
being displayed in blue, green and yellow respectively.
With over 1000 items in the database, the search results table can be very large,
and all the data has to be transferred via the Internet to the user's web browser.
The program is therefore recommended for use only with a direct or broadband
connection.