Wikipedia:Naming conventions (music)

This page contains naming conventions for music-related articles, covering both classical musical works and popular bands, albums and songs.

The first step for disambiguating classical compositions is rather a reference to their composer, while popular music is rather disambiguated by a type qualifier. Cross-over rather follows the popular music convention, e.g. Swanee (song), not Swanee (Gershwin).

Apart from some points regarding formatting and disambiguation in, the naming conventions regarding articles on musicians are covered by Naming conventions (people), including what is said there on groups of people (Naming conventions (people)). Orchestras, music production companies, etc. are however also often subject to Naming conventions (companies). See also Naming conventions (definite or indefinite article at beginning of name)

Definitions – italics

 * Generic and non-generic names : Compositions have one or more generic or non-generic names:
 * {| class="wikitable"

! Generic name ! Non-generic name
 * Symphony No. 2 (Mahler)
 * Resurrection Symphony
 * Serenade in G major, K. 525
 * Eine kleine Nachtmusik
 * Aria, BWV 508
 * "Bist du bei mir"
 * song cycle Op. 25 (Schubert)
 * Die schöne Müllerin
 * Variations on a Theme by Haydn
 * Saint Anthony Variations
 * Pavane pour une infante défunte
 * Pavane (Fauré)
 * Quartettsatz, D 103 (Schubert)
 * }
 * Saint Anthony Variations
 * Pavane pour une infante défunte
 * Pavane (Fauré)
 * Quartettsatz, D 103 (Schubert)
 * }
 * Pavane (Fauré)
 * Quartettsatz, D 103 (Schubert)
 * }
 * Quartettsatz, D 103 (Schubert)
 * }
 * }

Non-generic names are italicised, except those of individual dances, songs, hymns, lieder and arias (e.g. "The Blue Danube", "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God", "Heidenröslein", "Madamina, il catalogo è questo"), and separate movements or sections of larger works (e.g. "Ride of the Valkyries").

Also a descriptive name can be a non-generic name that is not italicized (e.g. Music for the Royal Fireworks), unless it is the actual name of the work (e.g. The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Trois mouvements de Petrouchka). Most generic names are, however, nothing else than standardized descriptive names.


 * Generic and non-generic composition types : Most compositions belong to a generic composition type:
 * {| class="wikitable"

! Composition type ! Examples
 * Vexations
 * symphony
 * Sinfonia da Requiem Symphony in C major (Wagner)
 * sonatina
 * Sonatina (Bartók) Sonatine bureaucratique
 * concerto for two pianos and orchestra
 * Piano Concerto No. 10 (Mozart) Concerto for Two Pianos (Stravinsky)
 * incidental music
 * A Midsummer Night's Dream (Mendelssohn) Rosamunde
 * piano quintet
 * Trout Quintet Piano Quintet (Schumann)
 * }
 * incidental music
 * A Midsummer Night's Dream (Mendelssohn) Rosamunde
 * piano quintet
 * Trout Quintet Piano Quintet (Schumann)
 * }
 * Trout Quintet Piano Quintet (Schumann)
 * }

A generic name for a generic composition type is not italicised. This is language-independent, e.g. Liederkreis (German for song cycle) is not italicized in Liederkreis, Op. 24 (Schumann).

Composition titles that are incipits and have been put to music by several composers are usually regarded as generic names, and so not italicized, e.g. Stabat Mater (Dvořák), unless the composition belongs to an otherwise defined composition type like cantata, e.g. Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1.

In some exceptional cases what in the wording looks like a generic name is treated as a non-generic name (this can only be done for primary topics that would need no further disambiguation):
 * Concerto for Group and Orchestra
 * Adagio for Strings

Quotation marks and partially italicized titles
Quotation marks should be avoided, except for the name of a theme in a set of variations in a generic article title:
 * Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman"
 * Variations on "I Got Rhythm"

Otherwise the use of quotation marks in generic artitle titles is limited to a very few cases:
 * Concerto in E-flat "Dumbarton Oaks"

Partially italicized article titles are likewise unusual for compositions (that is, apart from never italicizing comma-separated and parenthetical disambiguators):
 * William Tell Overture ("Overture" not italicized while the composition is a part of a larger work, the opera with the same name – compare Coriolan Overture, not part of a larger work)
 * Porgy and Bess discography

Italics and quotation marks should not be used together in a single article title.

Capitalization of generic names
Generic names of compositions (sonata, partita, quartet, symphony,...) should not be capitalized beyond the first character of an article title in descriptive article titles. Examples:
 * Schubert's last sonatas
 * List of symphonies with names

Similar for article titles of articles on the composition types themselves:
 * Violin sonata

"Fixed set" principle for an article on a group of compositions: in Cello Suites (Bach) the second word is capitalized: it is a generic name for a fixed set of 6 suites belonging to the same group. In the baroque to classical era such set often consisted of 6 or 12 similar works for a single opus number. Cello suites (Britten) is not a fixed set (three different opus numbers, not composed as a single set), so "suites" not capitalized in the article title, it is a descriptive article title.

Generic names of compositions are capitalized in article titles on a single composition,
 * Always when the generic name is part of an English-language non-generic article title:
 * An Alpine Symphony
 * For untranslated and untransliterated article titles from other languages, use the convention of the language of origin:
 * Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale
 * Prélude, Choral et Fugue (Franck)
 * For extinct languages like Latin the convention can be less clear, so depends largely on consensus and how the available sources would generally write the name:
 * Missa Brevis (Britten)
 * Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo
 * Usually in all other cases:
 * Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra (Mozart)
 * Violin Sonata (Franck)
 * However, not always:
 * Violin sonata in A major (HWV 361)

Instrumentation included in generic names:
 * Capitalized as part of the name of the composition:
 * Trio Sonata for Two Flutes (W. F. Bach)
 * Not capitalized as natural disambiguator (after the key signature if there is one):
 * Sonata in G major for two flutes and basso continuo, BWV 1039

Articles not belonging to a series: common name and disambiguation
Compositions that fall under no generic composition type category are rare. Their article title strictly follows the common name principle:
 * Vexations
 * 4′33″

Compositions that are one of a kind and nonetheless have a generic name not requiring additional disambiguation are even more exceptional:
 * Arpeggione Sonata
 * Concerto for Horn and Hardart

When the name of a non-generic composition is neither unique nor the primary topic under this name, add the composer's last name as parenthical disambiguator:
 * Syrinx (Debussy)
 * Poème (Chausson)

Common name always applies when a composer composed only one instance of a generic type of composition:
 * 1. X. 1905
 * Siegfried Idyll
 * Symphony on a French Mountain Air
 * War Requiem
 * Enigma Variations

A non-generic article title for an article on a composition that is unique to a composer is only disambiguated by composer's name or composition type when such disambiguation is needed:
 * A German Requiem (Brahms)
 * Deutsche Messe (Schubert)
 * Jack in the Box (Satie)
 * Ave Maria (Schubert)
 * Wiener Blut (waltz)

When disambiguation is needed for a non-generic article title that applies to several works by the same composer, use composition type or catalogue number:
 * La tempesta di mare (flute concerto); La tempesta di mare (violin concerto)
 * Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61; Nun komm' der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659

Unless the composition type is truly one of a kind (exactly one composer with exactly one instance of the type) or is a set of variations disambiguated by their theme, generic compositions with a generic article title are always disambiguated by catalogue number and/or the name of the composer:
 * Requiem (Fauré)
 * Piano Concerto (Dvořák)
 * Sinfonia Concertante (Haydn)
 * Variations on a Theme of Corelli
 * Symphony in D minor (Franck)
 * Quodlibet, BWV 524

Avoid however disambiguating by composer when the composer is not known with certainty, or a composer's name would be otherwise misleading:
 * Adagio in G minor, not Adagio (Albinoni), which redirects to the former

Key signature, catalogue number, opus number, and other additions to a composition's article title

 * Key signature
 * The key signature of a composition is only added to the article title when it is part of the common name of the composition. For generic names of compositions the formatting of the key signature is as described in Manual of Style/Music, however avoid (♭, ♯) in article titles.
 * As a disambiguating term, key signatures can only be used in natural disambiguation, so they're never enclosed in parentheses, nor after a comma.
 * As key signatures are not always mentioned, can be ambiguous, and are often difficult to remember, they can't serve as an exclusive disambiguating term, unless, exceptionally, as part of a non-generic common name article title, e.g. Te Deum in C.


 * Catalogue number
 * Disambiguation by catalogue number is usually avoided while these numbers have a low recognisability potential, and can only be used for these composers that have a single widely used catalogue covering all of their compositions:
 * Bach: BWV – For Anhang (Anh.) numbers, without the Roman numeral (I, II, III) that indicates the Anhang section, e.g. Gott, gib dein Gerichte dem Könige, BWV Anh. 3, not Gott, gib dein Gerichte dem Könige, BWV Anh. I 3
 * Buxtehude: BuxWV
 * Handel: HWV
 * Mozart: K.: there is another reason to avoid this one as much as possible: there is a lot of variation in the numbers in subsequent editions of the catalogue. When K. numbers are used in article titles nonetheless, use the oldest available catalogue number, usually the one in the original 1862 version of the catalogue, as these oldest numbers appear the most recognisable ones. However, when a composition has as well been numbered in the main catalogue (in one or more editions) and also, in one or more editions, in the Anhang (Anh.) of the catalogue, it is best to differentiate: use the oldest K. Anh. number unless when it is certain that Mozart is the composer of the piece, in which case the oldest main catalogue number should be used. All available K. and K. Anh. numbers should be mentioned in the article.
 * Schubert: D – use Deutsch numbers only according to the latest version of the Deutsch catalogue in article titles, and where applicable explain former numbers in the article.
 * Telemann: TWV – use latest numbers; use also TWV (not TVWV) for catalogue numbers of Telemann's vocal music.
 * An advantage of disambiguation by catalogue number is however that compositions can be uniquely identified without taking a stance on who composed them:
 * Uns ist ein Kind geboren, BWV 142 – composer uncertain, but disambiguated from similar works by, among others, Graupner and Telemann
 * Catalogue numbers can be added as disambiguating term after the common name:
 * Between parentheses: Violin sonata in A major (HWV 361)
 * Separated by a comma: Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12, Kyrie in F major, K. 33, Passacaglia in D minor, BuxWV 161 (note: comma omitted when a non-generic title ends on another punctuation mark, e.g. Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten! BWV 172'')
 * Avoid D u numbers as exclusive disambiguating term, in other words, an article title containing a Deutsch number should always end on "(Schubert)":
 * Adagio and Rondo concertante in F major, D 487 (Schubert)
 * Avoid Deest as a catalogue indicator in an article title: if there is no catalogue number, the catalogue can't be used as part of the disambiguation.


 * Opus number
 * Opus numbers are only part of a generic name when the composition (or group of compositions) is usually indicated in that fashion:
 * String Quartets, Op. 76 (Haydn)
 * Also opus numbers can not be used as exclusive disambiguating term, they're always followed by the last name of the composer in parentheses.


 * Other additions
 * Following types of qualifiers should only be added to an article title when they're part of the common name. For generic titles they are generally not considered sufficient as an exclusive disambiguating term, so would usually require an additional composer/catalogue type of disambiguating term:
 * number of items in a set: Twenty Variations in G major (Haydn), Twelve Violin Sonatas, Op. 2 (Vivaldi), 12 Fantasias for Solo Violin (Telemann)
 * instrumentation: Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments (Stravinsky), Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds (Mozart), Triple Concerto (Beethoven) – only when the named instrument(s) only feature in one single composition the disambiguation can be complete without naming the composer or catalogue number, e.g. Arpeggione Sonata (see above).
 * ethnic and/or stylistic indicators, exceptional: e.g. Overture in the French style, BWV 831; only when the series is exclusive to one composer the name of the composer and/or the catalogue number can be omitted, e.g. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 17 (see below); note that an ethnic qualifier usually indicates a non-generic title: "Bohemian Rhapsody", Rapsodie Espagnole, Italian Concerto (Bach).


 * Disambiguate by last name only?
 * A last name can be ambiguous, in which case it is best to keep an eye on what one is disambiguating from:
 * Composers sharing the same last name...
 * For composers sharing surnames disambiguation by last name only is not usually problematic, e.g.:
 * Liebeslieder, Op. 114 (Strauss) – not disambiguated by the (waltz) epithet while also another composer wrote Liebeslieder Waltzes
 * Oboe Concerto (Strauss) – Richard Strauss, no confusion with Johann Strauss II.
 * Only when period, style, way of naming compositions etc can be confusing the added first name can give additional clarity, e.g. Requiem (Michael Haydn). A particular example of this is Johann Sebastian Bach and his many composing namesakes. Conventionally J. S. Bach's compositions would be the primary topic in any genre, i.e. without disambiguating term (Brandenburg Concertos) if not needed, and disambiguated or serialized by BWV number (Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582) or (Bach) parenthetical disambiguating term (Orchestral suites (Bach)). Only descriptive titles (including category names) would usually give the full name for any composer after "by" (List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, Category:Compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach). For the other Bachs, if parenthetical disambiguation by name of the composer is needed: add the initials (with periods and spaces) in the parenthesis:
 * Trio Sonata for Two Flutes (W. F. Bach)
 * Sonata in G major for two flutes and basso continuo, BWV 1039
 * Last name can signify something completely different...
 * E.g. (Ireland) as a disambiguating term would rather refer to Ireland than to John Ireland, so the precision criterion for article titling calls for (John Ireland) when the name of the composer is used as a parenthetical disambiguating term.


 * Composer uncertain
 * Use (attributed to ) as disambiguating term for a composition when all of the following applies:
 * the composition isn't part of a series that uses the standard series format (see below);
 * its composer isn't known with certainty, but there is at least one name of a composer to whom the composition has been attributed;
 * there is no other way to avoid the composer disambiguating term (e.g. using a primary topic nickname, or disambiguating by a catalogue number that doesn't imply authorship, disambiguating by composition type, etc.)

Articles in series
When a composer wrote more than one composition of a similar type, multiple articles on such compositions form a series. The most standardized format for article names of such a series is as follows:
 * [composition type] No. [number] ([last name of composer])

E.g.,
 * Symphony No. 1 (Mahler)
 * Symphony No. 104 (Haydn) (keep the parenthetical disambiguator even if the article title is unique without it)

For concerto series, composition type includes soloist instrumentation (e.g. "Cello Concerto"). Also for sonata series the (soloist) instrumentation is mentioned in the composition type ("Violin Sonata"). Similar for most other types of chamber music ("Partita for keyboard", "Flute Quartet"). For other numbered series the instrumentation is only mentioned when not what one would usually expect, e.g. "Symphony for Organ". Other additions when well-established, e.g. "Hungarian Rhapsody" for the series of compositions by Liszt.

Deviations from this standardized format are only possible:
 * when the composition is never numbered: e.g. Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in E major (Mendelssohn), Manfred Symphony, Ein Heldenleben, Rhapsody in Blue; If needed with disambiguation to the composer's name: e.g. Also sprach Zarathustra (Strauss)
 * when the numbering is part of a composition's non-generic name, and only that non-generic name is used to indicate the composition, e.g. Second Rhapsody
 * when the article groups several compositions of the series, e.g. Preludes, Op. 23 (Rachmaninoff), Má vlast
 * when numberings are ambiguous, or almost never used, e.g. Piano Sonata in A minor, D 845 (Schubert), Cello Concerto in A major (Dvořák), Eine kleine Nachtmusik
 * when the composition type has only been used in a series by one composer, which makes the composer disambiguator redundant, e.g. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 19

When the usual standardization is not possible for the aforementioned reasons, a common format is nonetheless preferably maintained across related series for a particular composer:
 * Try to stay close to the standardized format: similar layout, capitalization and disambiguator format throughout the series are preferable.
 * Note however that while the standardized format can take some license with regard to recognizability (e.g. Piano Sonata No. 14 (Beethoven), not Moonlight Sonata nor Piano Sonata No. 14 "Moonlight" (Beethoven)), that license to divert from WP:RECOGNIZABLE is forfeited once the standardized series format has been left. However,
 * ... weigh recognizability and serialization benefits with WP:CONCISE, e.g. Motet Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf, BWV 226 might be slightly more recognizable than Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf, BWV 226 but not enough to make the article title that much longer.

Lists
A stand-alone list of a composer's compositions is titled "List of compositions by ". Alternatively, when the main list of a composer's compositions is under the name of a broadly used catalogue for these compositions, "List of compositions by " should be a redirect to that catalogue page. Examples:
 * List of compositions by Malcolm Arnold
 * List of compositions by Joseph Haydn redirects to Hoboken catalogue
 * Two stand-alone lists
 * Having two separate pages listing all compositions of a composer is only possible when one is a bullet list (e.g. grouped by genre) and the other a sortable table. Further: make sure to follow all provisions at Content forking. Examples:
 * Schubert:
 * by genre bullet list: List of compositions by Franz Schubert by genre
 * sortable table: List of compositions by Franz Schubert
 * Mozart:
 * by genre bullet list: List of compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
 * sortable table: Köchel catalogue


 * Partial lists
 * For partial lists, replace "compositions" in the article title by another term that defines the list or add a qualifier at the end of the article title. Examples:
 * List of operas by Gaspare Spontini
 * List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach printed during his lifetime


 * "Anhang" topics : Catalogues of compositions of a composer often contain separate lists of lost works, arrangements, the composer's copies of someone else's compositions, and doubtful and/or spurious works. In most cases such "Anhang"-related items are contained in the main list (e.g. List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach). Exceptionally, when such works take a prominent place in the composer's oeuvre, they are listed on a separate page (e.g. List of adaptations by Ferruccio Busoni).
 * "works" : An article title starting with "List of works ..." implies creative works in multiple media (e.g. List of works published posthumously), otherwise a more precise descriptor of the works contained in the list should be used.

Facilitate easy navigation

 * Redirects: Always consider making redirects to the article from other plausible names to aid searching, and avoid people creating duplicate articles. For example, if you create Piano Trio No. 1 (Schubert), consider making redirects to it from Piano Trio in B-flat major (Schubert) and Piano Trio, D. 898 (Schubert).
 * Navboxes: Compositions may be described under article titles without opus number, catalogue number, nickname and other characteristics that may be highly recognizable to some readers: series should always have navboxes with such additional information and/or link to a list article that contains the details.
 * Category sorting: Choose a clear sorting scheme for all compositions in a category, that is also as intuitive as possible to readers less familiar with the topic.

Bands, albums and songs
Do not replicate stylized typography in logos and album art, though a redirect may be appropriate (for example, KoЯn redirects to Korn).

Capitalization
Capitalization of band names should be consistent with the guidelines for trademarks.

Capitalization of song titles and album titles should be consistent with the guidelines for composition titles; in particular, capitalize the first and last word and all other words except:
 * coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor; also for, yet, so when used as conjunctions)
 * prepositions shorter than five letters (as, in, to, like, over, with;, and keep in mind that some of these words are not always prepositions)
 * indefinite and definite articles (an, a, the)
 * the word to when used to form an infinitive.

Short verbs (Is, Are, and Do) and pronouns (Me, It, and His) are capitalized.

In the rare case that a remix is independently notable and contains "(Remix)" in its track title, "remix" should not be capitalized. The same should be done for other track names with generic parentheticals or generic qualifiers after dashes, although such tracks are unlikely to be notable. (If redirects are categorized or connected to Wikidata items, then the convention should apply to such redirects.)

For more details, see.

Disambiguation
If the title of a musical group or a recording does not share its title with any other topic in Wikipedia, use the base title, for example the Front Bottoms (not the Front Bottoms (band)), The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (not The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (Prince album)), or "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" (not "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" (song)). If the band's name or the recording's title has the same title as other topics (musical or not), determine whether there is a primary topic for the base title by making a comparison. For example, the Beatles are a primary topic due to their historical relevance in sources and is determined to be the primary topic against other articles of the same or similar name, or "Hey Brother", which was determined by discussion to be primary rather than the other articles of the same or similar name. In a case in which the musical group or recording does not meet the primary topic criteria, use the appropriate method of disambiguation.

This is the guideline for disambiguation of non-classical music articles. It is intended only as a guide to assist in the correct methods of disambiguation when there is no primary topic for the base name's title. For disambiguation styles of classical music refer to Compositions (classical music).

General

 * Do not pre-emptively disambiguate pages. If the name of an article about a musical group or a recording does not share its title with any other topic discussed in Wikipedia that it might be confused with, use the base title as a primary topic.
 * If capitalization or grammatical articles help to distinguish one topic from another use the base title, for example Curiosity Killed the Cat or Ice Cube.
 * If there are two or more articles sharing their name, determine if any of those articles is primary relative to the other article(s).
 * If there is no primary topic for the usage of a title, the base title will be occupied by a disambiguation page, for example Next to Me, or it will be redirected to an appropriate page, for example Hurricane.

Musical individuals and groups
For individuals:


 * Use "(singer)" when the person solely sings songs or is mostly known for singing songs (e.g. Ramón (singer))
 * Use "(musician)" when the person is known for their work in other musical fields, like writing songs or producing music for other artists (e.g. Drake (musician))
 * Use "(rapper)" if the person is known for rapping (e.g. Diamond (rapper))
 * Use "(entertainer)" if the person is also well-known in other non-musical entertainment fields (e.g. Rain (entertainer))
 * Use "(composer)" for composers of film scores or classical music (e.g. Tamás Deák (composer))
 * Use "(DJ)" for disc jockeys (e.g. Michael Simon (DJ)), unless "DJ" is part of their pseudonym (e.g. DJ Craze).
 * Use "(music producer)" when the person is mostly known for producing music, especially electronic dance music (e.g. Alan Walker (music producer))

Disambiguation for musical groups should be done by using an appropriate disambiguation term. The most common is "(band)", but it can also be done through other methods:


 * Use "(band)" when the musical ensemble members perform by playing musical instruments, for example Garbage (band)
 * Use "(group)" when the musical ensemble members do not perform by playing musical instruments, the members are mainly vocalists, and other people perform by playing musical instruments. This includes all non-performing boy bands and girl groups, for example TLC (group)
 * Use "(vocal ensemble)" when the musical ensemble performs solely by vocals, for example Tonus Peregrinus (vocal ensemble)
 * Use either "(band)" or "(duo)" when the musical ensemble is a duet, for example Capital Cities (band) or Lu (duo)

In both cases, if a person or a musical group shares their name with another person or musical group, and there is no primary topic, disambiguation may be performed through methods that can help to distinguish one topic from another:


 * The first one is through nationalities, for example: Bleach (American band) v. Bleach (British band) v. Bleach (Japanese band); or through the state in which they were formed: Tennessee Ramblers (Tennessee band) v. Tennessee Ramblers (North Carolina band), or The Rain (Basingstoke band) v. The Rain (Manchester band)
 * Use the musical genres the person or musical group is known for, for example Face to Face (punk band) v. Face to Face (new wave band)
 * Use the year (if available) or the decade in which the person was born, or the musical group performed the most: Justin Young (singer, born 1987) or The Stargazers (1980s group)
 * If an individual shares name with another individual, you can use the band or group(s) they perform to disambiguate: Ian Watkins (Steps) v. Ian Watkins (Lostprophets)
 * If there still a conflict between musicians, you may use two or more disambiguation terms: Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1987) v. Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974)
 * Note that there may be occasional exceptions; these are determined when the community decides there is no benefit in moving a page or retargeting a redirect, or in cases in which a consensus is not reached: Nirvana (band) v. Nirvana (British band)

Albums, extended plays and video albums
Unless more than one article about albums of the same name exist, there is no need to disambiguate any further. For example, it has been determined that there is no primary topic for "Down to Earth", so "Down to Earth" is a disambiguation page. As multiple albums share the same name, "Down to Earth (album)" will redirect there.


 * Use "(album)" for articles that are about studio albums, compilation albums, greatest hits albums, remix albums, cast recording albums, visual albums and live albums
 * Use "(video)" for video albums.
 * Use "(box set)" for box sets.
 * Use either "(soundtrack)" or the full name of a soundtrack for soundtrack albums.
 * Use either "(film score)" or the full name of the film score for film scores.
 * Use "(mixtape)" for mixtapes.
 * For demo albums use either "(album)" (or "(EP)" if it meets the criteria; see below) or "(demo)".
 * For extended plays use "(EP)", unless "EP" is itself part of the title: The Black EP or Another One Rides the Bus (EP). To determine if an album is a studio album or an extended play check the length and the number of songs. In most circumstances, a recent extended play will not last over 35 minutes and will not have more than 8 songs; while an extended play released before the 2000s decade would not last over 25-30 minutes. Note that an EP can include multiple remixes of a same song, for example A (Ayumi Hamasaki EP), so these should be excluded from the final length.
 * Use "(single album)" for Asian "single albums".

If two or more albums share their title, but they are not from the same type, simple disambiguation will still be used, for example Title (album) and Title (EP), or Electric Dreams (album) and Electric Dreams (soundtrack). If two or more albums share their title, and they are of the same type, further disambiguate by band, for example Confessions (Buckcherry album) and Confessions (Usher album). Collaborative albums and split albums—those in which two (or more) performers release an album together and that require disambiguation, will include all performers as they are credited on the album cover (Hands (Dave Holland and Pepe Habichuela album) or December (Gabrielle Aplin and Hannah Grace EP)). Consider that titles should be concise enough and should not be "longer than necessary to identify the article's subject and distinguish it from other subjects", so if an album was released by several people, and it may compromise readability, use another shorter method of disambiguation.

In the event a performer releases two or more albums of the same name, but in different years, the year of its release will be utilized (Patsy Cline (1957 EP), Patsy Cline (1961 EP) and Patsy Cline (1962 EP)). If a performer releases two or more albums of the same name, and other performers also have albums with the same name, use both year and performer (Colours (album) v. Colours (1972 Donovan album), Colours (1987 Donovan album) and Colours (1991 Donovan album)). If they are released in the same year, use a method that can help to be distinguished from each other (Uzi (Muslimgauze studio album) v. Uzi (Muslimgauze compilation album) or The Videos (Kylie Minogue VHS) v. Kylie: The Videos). In the rare event two unrelated performers share the same name (for example Embrace (English band), Embrace (American band)), and they release an album with the same name (example: Embrace), disambiguation will be handled as: "Title of the work (year of release / nationality of the performer / band or singer / name of the performer / type of album)", resulting in: Embrace (English band Embrace album) and Embrace (American band Embrace album).


 * Note that there may be occasional exceptions for redirects; these are determined when an album may not be the primary topic for its title, but results to be the most preferred option for readers' searches and/or it is a highly valued recording by multiple reliable sources, for example Thriller (album). The consensus can be reached through a discussion on the talk page or through Redirects for discussion. An incomplete list of such cases can be found at Partially disambiguated page names.

Songs and compositions (non-classical)
Like with albums above, unless more than one article about songs of the same name exist, there is no need to disambiguate any further.


 * Use the disambiguation "(song)" for articles about songs and acapellas.
 * Use "(instrumental)" or "(composition)" for instrumentals and non-lyrical musical compositions (excepting classical music).
 * If possible, avoid using other terms like "(single)", "(cassette)" or "(CD single)", etc.

If two or more musical compositions share the same title, and disambiguation is necessary:
 * Use the name of the performer who first performed the song ("All I Ever Wanted" (Aranda song)), and not a cover artist name ( "All I Ever Wanted" (Kelly Clarkson song) )
 * If there is no defined performer of an old song (over 50 years), the lyricist(s) and/or the composer(s) are not well-recognized, or multiple notable performers that have covered it are better known than the original recording artist, the year of publication will be used ("Young Love" (1956 song) or "Dancing on the Ceiling" (1930 song))
 * If a performer releases two or more songs of the same name, use the year of release, or the year and name of the artist ("Heaven" (1977 Bonnie Tyler song) and "Heaven" (1998 Bonnie Tyler song))
 * You may include the name of the film or musical a song was released on ("Almost There" (The Princess and the Frog song)), or the studio which owns its rights ("Love Will Find a Way" (Disney song))
 * If two or more musical compositions share their title but they are not of the same type, simple disambiguation may still be used, as long as it does not make a conflict between them, for example "Buckaroo" (song) and "Buckaroo" (instrumental), or "Sandstorm" (Cast song) and "Sandstorm" (instrumental).

Artists who make a guest appearance, those who are credited with a "featuring", are not included in the disambiguation: ("Without You" (David Guetta song) not "Without You" (David Guetta and Usher song)). Collaborative songs—those in which two (or more) performers release a musical composition together (generally include a "and"/"&", "with", "/", "+", "X", or an space between their names in the credits), and those that require disambiguation will include all performers as they are credited in the single cover: ("Whistle" (Kylie Minogue and múm song) or "Bang Bang" (Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj song)). As explained above, consider that titles should be concise enough.


 * Note that there may be occasional exceptions for redirects; these are determined when a song may not be the primary topic for its title, but results to be the most preferred option for readers's searches and/or it is a highly valued recording by multiple reliable sources. The consensus can be reached through a discussion on the talk page or through Redirects for discussion.

Categories
Category names and category tree definitions:
 * The top category of music-related topics is named Category:Music. It contains people categories, such as Category:Music people, subject to the principles of WP:COP, and other categories, e.g. Category:Music by genre. Eponymous music people categories, however, generally don't contain biographical articles apart from the article on the person after which they are named, per WP:COPSEP and WP:OCEPON, as they generally should only contain articles regarding the topics for which the person is known. E.g. Category:Johann Sebastian Bach should not contain articles of his family members, students or on individual Bach scholars. "Family" categories are however fully in the people category tree and only contain biographical articles, e.g. Category:Bach family.
 * Except for the parent category, that is Category:Musical compositions, the term "compositions" is always understood as being musical compositions and needs no further disambiguation. Like for mainspace article titles, "works" should only be used in category names when referring to creations in multiple media or of different type, otherwise more specific descriptors, such as "compositions" should be used, see e.g. Category:Works by musician.
 * The format of category names for subcategories of Category:Compositions by composer is "Category:Compositions by ", where the composer name is written in full, that is usually identical to the name Wikipedia's biographical article about the composer. E.g. Category:Compositions by John Ireland. Parenthetical disambiguators for the mainspace article title can usually be omitted, e.g. Category:Compositions by Engelbert Humperdinck, without the parenthetical disambiguator, "(composer)", of the biographical article Engelbert Humperdinck (composer). In Category:Compositions by composer the subcategories are sorted by last name of the composer whose compositions category is included.
 * Subcategories of categories of the type "Category:Compositions by " are usually of the format "Category: by ", e.g. Category:Suites by Johann Sebastian Bach (note that in this case also "Suites" needs no further disambiguation, see Categories for discussion/Log/2019 November 7). For songs and albums the format is "Category: songs" and "Category: albums" respectively. For songs by songwriter: "Category:Songs written by ". Examples: Category:AAA (band) songs, Category:Songs written by Mick Jagger and Category:Songs written by Jagger/Richards. For songs of which only the music is written by a composer (subcategories of Category:Songs by composer): "Category:Songs with music by ", e.g. Category:Songs with music by Franz Schubert.