Recordings of musicals have a special vocabulary:
Original Cast recordings are usually studio recordings (i.e. not live in performance) but they use the cast that popularized the show. The words "original cast" usually appear in the title, but not always. Use these terms as keywords to find recordings, for example:
- West Side Story and original cast and recording
- In Advanced Search, [keywords] cast and [title] west side story and [format] audio
Revival performances are produced years after the original run on Broadway. You can use this term as a keyword for revivial cast recordings.
- revival and audio and musicals
- In Advanced Search, [keywords] revival and [title] show boat and [format] audio
Hollywood musicals may or may not have originated on Broadway.
- The subject terms that the catalog uses generally apply to the plot of the film, e.g., "Dancers--Drama" for "Fame"
- The recording is usually called a "soundtrack" somewhere in the description, but the word won't be found as a subject
- In Advanced Search, [words or phrase] soundtrack and [title] chicago and [format] audio
You can always use the word "audio" to specify recordings in a Basic Search. Add "not score" to avoid vocal scores.