The materials examined in the present study represent an overview of the scholarship regarding the life and music of César Franck (1822 – 1890) as well as selected sources associated with nineteenth century French music in general. Studies pertaining to other composers and musical genres connected with Franck have been included to offer the researcher more extensive information regarding the composer's life and times. This monograph is not meant to be an exhaustive collection of material, but rather it consists of a cross section of what has been written about the composer, his music, and the history surrounding him. The purpose of this resource tool is to facilitate further research and deeper inquiry into Franck as a composer, teacher, and organist in addition to his influence upon music history through his works. Every effort has been made to present a variety of views and opinions on the composer and his music when possible and to call the reader's attention to lesser-known writings by musicians, critics, and scholars from the 19th century to the present day.

In any tool such as this, often one of the difficult decisions is determining which items to exclude and occasionally this is akin to Solomon and the baby. Wanting to present a balanced and comprehensive yet concise view of the composer and the period, in addition to including important and valuable primary and secondary sources, some definite guidelines can be drawn. During the immediate post-World War II period and roughly up to the 1970s, a number of master's theses and doctoral dissertations appeared which explored specific aspects of Franck's music. However, since that time much of this work has been updated by others or addressed in new ways and in greater detail in more recent studies. The newer and updated research – monographs, articles, or dissertations – has taken precedence and been included here. Also, some of the briefer biographical sketches of Franck which tend to repeat anecdotes and already well-known accounts of his life and music have also been omitted because this information is also found, and often more accurately documented, in the larger, comprehensive studies of the composer. Pride of place has been given to primary source materials when at all possible to obtain.