Library catalogs contain uniform titles for the purpose of bringing together a musical work that has a variety of titles and spellings. Put simply, a uniform title unites all manifestations of one work. The three types of uniform titles are:
1. Distinctive titles.
2. "Form" titles.
3. Collective titles.
Distinctive titles
Distinctive titles are those which are given by the composer in its original language. Here are some examples of popular titles by composers, and the uniform titles for those works in their original languages:
| COMPOSER | POPULAR TITLE | UNIFORM TITLE |
| Bartók, Béla | Bluebeard's Castle | Kékszakállú herceg vára |
| Messiaen, Olivier | Quartet for the end of time | Quatuor pour la fin du temps |
| Stravinsky, Igor | The rite of spring | Vesna svi︠a︡shchennai︠a︡ |
| Debussy, Claude | Prelude to the afternoon of a faun | Prélude à l'apres-midi d'un faune |
| Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | Magic Flute | Zauberflöte |
Form Titles
Form titles are used when referring to the title of a composition that is a musical form, such as the quartet, the etude, the concerto, the symphony, the mass. The format of the uniform title in form titles is
Form, Instruments, Numbers, Keys:
| COMPOSER | POPULAR TITLE | UNIFORM TITLE |
| Haydn, Joseph | String quartet in C major "the bird" | Quartets, strings, H. III, 39, C major |
| Chopin, Frederic | 12 etudes for piano, op. 10 | Etudes, piano, op. 10 |
| Barber, Samuel | Piano Concerto (2-piano score) | Concertos, piano, orchestra, op. 38; arranged |
| Beethoven, Ludwig Van | Symphony no. 3 in E-flat "Eroica" | Symphonies, no. 3, op. 55, E♭ major |
| Bach, Johann Sebastian | Mass in B minor | Masses, BWV 232, B minor |
Collective Titles
Collective titles contain multiple titles by the same composer (collections). Collective titles can refer to performance medium, form, mixed types:
| COMPOSER | POPULAR TITLE | UNIFORM TITLE |
| Liszt, Franz | Complete works | Works |
| Chopin, Frederic | Complete works for piano | Piano music |
| Mozart | Neue Mozart Ausgabe (scores) | Works, 1995 |
