Representative Reference Sources for Music
When doing a search for information in music, start by establishing a basic understanding of the terms and concepts in the field. Reference works such as dictionaries, handbooks, manuals and encyclopedias are great sources for this type of information.
American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle R 782.14 B729a 2001
Presents a historical perspective on American musicals. Chapters are arranged chronologically.
Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians R 780.922 B168b
This authoritative source covers musicians from all periods and genres.
Encyclopedia Britannica Online
An online version of the traditional print encyclopedia, it is a great resource for finding basic information in multiple subject areas.
Encyclopedia of Popular Music R 781.6403 E566
Entries cover all types of popular music in the twentieth century. Entries include musicals, films, artists and recording groups.
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians R 780.3 N532g
Twenty-nine volumes offer authoritative articles in all areas of music study. The library has several other dictionaries from Groves that focus on a particular form or topic in music, like American Music, jazz, opera, musical instruments and women composers.
The Oxford Companion to Music Online
Articles range from concise definitions of musical ideas and terms to extended surveys of musical forms and styles. Part of the Oxford Reference Online Premium collection.
The Oxford Companion to the American Musical R 782.14 H673o 2008
Entries on TV, movie, and stage musicals, along with famous actors, directors and other important people.
Finding Books and Other Items in the Library
To find books and other resources (such as recordings or scores) related to music in our general collection start by going to the ALEX online catalog and searching by subject. You can refine your search results by viewing the Related Subjects and associated subheadings. Searching by keyword broadens your search and retrieves more information. Search by author if you want to find works, whether recordings, scores, or books, by a composer or performer.
Browse by call number:
· 780-789 all areas of music
· 781.6 popular forms
· 782 vocal music (782.1 for operas)
· 784 instruments and instrumental ensembles (784.2 symphonies)
· 786 keyboard instruments
Resources for Finding Articles on Music
For the latest information from authoritative sources, use scholarly journals. Some online library databases like Academic Search Complete are general databases that contain information from multiple disciplines. The following databases are other examples, typically more specific in nature, that contain information geared towards this discipline.
Grove Music Online
Includes The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Over 500 musical examples are also available.
Humanities International Complete
Contains full text from over 890 journals, some of which are unique to this database, along with citations from over 2,100 journals. Covers all of the humanities, including Music.
JSTOR
This is a historical database, with the newest articles ranging from 3-5 years ago. Use the browse feature to view the list of journals covering a specific subject area. Or you can use the keyword or other advanced search options to find information. All articles are full text.
Choose the Humanities subject area when searching for citations, abstracts and full text of scholarly journals and popular magazines in music.
Project Muse
This database contains 250 journals covering the Humanities and Social Sciences, including Music.
Journal Finder
If you are having trouble finding the full text of a journal, Journal Finder can help point you towards the right database.
Web Resources in Music
There are a variety of web sites that deal with music. The following are a few examples. For more web resources on this subject you can check out the library's delicious page.
Bridgewater College’s Department of Music
This is the home page for the Music Department at Bridgewater College.
Center for the History of Music Theory and Literature
This site provides several full text databases to writings on music theory including Thesaurus Musicarum Latinarum: "Latin music theory written during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance", and “Texts on Music in English from the Medieval and Early Modern Eras”.
Digital archives of the Beethoven-Haus Bonn
Contains digitized version of thousands of images, texts, and other primary documents related to Beethoven- including audio files.
Hear Here- Classic FM
This site is both an online radio station and a resource for those interested in learning more about classical music and how to best appreciate it. It contains resources and discussions about classical music, and monthly features of specific pieces of music or other topics.
Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, ca 1820-1860 and 1870-1885
A collection of sheet music registered for copyright between the years 1820-1860 and the period 1870-1885. Includes over 62,500 pieces in a variety of different musical forms. Part of the American Memory project at the Library of Congress.
Sound Learning
A site for music educators that provides study guides as well as audio and text for studying classical, jazz and popular music. Produced by Minnesota Public Radio.
WWW Sites of Interest to Musicologists
A large collection of links to resources for studying music. Links are grouped into useful categories to facilitate searching.
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