“Music Inspired by Art” by Gary Evans is a discography published by Scarecrow Press in 2002 in the Music Library Association’s “Index and Bibliography Series,” now out-of-print.  About 800 recorded items are organized by visual artist.  Each work’s title is followed by a composer, the musical work of his it inspired and a representative recording or so, identified by label and number.  Performers’ names are usually included.  Some inspired more than one composer.  

Mr. Evans continued his research after the book went to press, adding each new find to the word document which is the basis of his book, broadening its content by over 200%.  There are now c. 2,500 discrete recordings.  Later entries in the Word document are incomplete.  They await data to be added from this collection.  Additional references are made to items for which he has found only MP3s, limited distribution videos and compositions with no traced recording.  His hopes for a second, expanded edition have not yet materialized.  He has now retired. 

I recently purchased the portion of Mr. Evan’s collection related to this discography.  It includes LPs (c. 400), CDs (over 2,200) and 45s (few).  Each bears a label with a number that matches an item in an entry in his current index (those numbers were omitted from his book.)  Though many of the records were available domestically and will be in most substantial institutional collections, some were specially imported by him.   Approximately 10% is rock, 35% jazz and 10% pop instrumental, soundtracks and other categories, the 45% balance being classical.  A good number are experimental music in various genres.  Some employ electronic processes.  Many are only recordings.  This is a meticulously assembled collection replete with obscurities.   

These CDs and LPs document musical references to visual works, links which may otherwise be unclear or unknown.  They often depict a work of art, its realization through the music recorded, and the printed information that ties them together.  This collection thus functions as a reference tool toward researching the visually inspired musical creative process.   Present cataloging rules allow but do not encourage, much less mandate, inclusion of such references. 

Most CDs appear to be in excellent condition.  The LPs are more variable.   The purchaser would receive the recordings and the current word document though Mr. Evans retains copyright in the latter.  This is an important, valuable and well documented resource carefully compiled by a recognized specialist.

For price and a copy of the first page of Mr. Evan’s more recent list, interested parties may contact me at

Steven Smolian

1 Wormans Mill Court

Frederick, MD 21701

301-694-5134

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The collection can be inspected by appointment here in Frederick, MD