Research Guides: Music: Scores, Recordings, & Research: Music Databases and Reference Materials

Best Starting Point - Oxford Music Online

Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
Covers all aspects of music. Includes biographies, plot synopses, definitions of music terms, and other music reference information. Includes The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
3 simultaneous users.

Start here for biographical information, plot synopses, definitions of music terms, and other music reference information.

Classical Music Library

Classical Music Library This link opens in a new window
Contains thousands of classical music tracks for online listening. "Coverage includes music written from the earliest times (e.g. Gregorian Chant) to the present, including many contemporary composers. Repertoire ranges from vocal and choral music, to chamber, orchestral, solo instrumental, and opera." Tracks include program notes on composers, performers, and performances. New tracks are added monthly.

Classical Music Library User Guide

Music Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (9th ed.) Baker's celebrates its 100th anniversary with this six-volume format. The 9th edition covers all musical genres, with new entries written by a distinguished group of area specialists as well as the original articles by Nicolas Slonimsky. This work continues the tradition of offering the most comprehensive and authoritative information on the musicians, along with interesting and insightful evaluations of their contributions to the musical world.
Call Number: Ref ML 105 .B16 2001
Encyclopedia of African American Music (e-book) "Showcases all facets of African American music, including folk, religious, concert, and popular styles of today. Illuminates the profound role that African American music has played in American cultural history."
Call Number: Ref ML101.U6 E53 2011 (print version)
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.) Covers popular music and musicians from 1900 to the present. Includes a five-star rating system of albums. Volume eight includes bibliographies arranged by artists and subject, a list of selected fanzines, a song title index of every song mentioned in the set, a general index for the set, and a quick reference guide to entry titles.
Call Number: Ref ML102 .P66 G84 2006
Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre Covers plays and people "in the mainstream of Western musical theatre." Defines musical theatre as "any original piece with a continuous libretto, lyrics and music" (Preface). Geographical concentration is on Australia, Austria, Britain, France, Germany, Hungary, and the United States. Covers musical theatre from the eighteenth century to the present. Includes color plates and black and white illustrations. Arranged alphabetically with no index.
Call Number: Ref ML102 .M88 G3 2001
The Harvard Dictionary of Music (4th ed.) Standard source for definitions in music. Focuses on Western art music with "coverage of non-Western music, popular music, and musical instruments of all cultures" (Preface). Includes entries on musical genres, periods, and technical terms. Contains no biographical information. Includes black and white illustrations.
Call Number: Ref ML100 .A64 2003
Women and Music in America since 1900: An Encyclopedia Describes "the role of women in all forms of music in the twentieth century in the United States; it includes entries on gender issues, education genres, honors and awards, organizations, individuals, and professions" (Preface). References for further reading are included at the end of each entry. Volume one includes a chronology and a guide to entries arranged by category. Volume two includes a comprehensive bibliography and an index for the the entire set.
Call Number: Ref ML 82 W625 2002

General Reference Databases

Britannica Academic This link opens in a new window
Includes overviews of general historical and cultural events and personalities.
Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
"Contains over 100 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press" (from the database). Covers a range of subject areas (arts and humanities, social sciences, business, science and technology).
Gale E-Books This link opens in a new window
Collection of reference books covering a broad range of subject areas.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography This link opens in a new window
"The national record of men and women who have shaped British history and culture, worldwide, from the Romans to the 21st century. The Dictionary offers concise, up-to-date biographies written by named, specialist authors." Updated three times per year.
Biography and Genealogy Master Index This link opens in a new window
An index to biographical essays published in encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference sources.

Reference Sources on the Open Web

Musicians Necrology
Birth and death dates of musicians
Performing Arts Encyclopedia (Library of Congress)
"Guide to performing arts resources at the Library of Congress. The PAE provides information about the Library's unsurpassed collections of scores, sheet music, audio recordings, films, photographs, and other materials. Users can find digitized items from the collections; special Web presentations on topics and collections; articles and biographical essays; finding aids to collections; databases for performing arts resources; information on concerts at the Library; and a special Performing Arts Resource Guide which contains entries for hundreds of Library collections, Web sites, databases and exhibits." (from the site)

Music: Scores, Recordings, & Research: Music Databases and Reference Materials

Streaming Audio on the Open Web

Best Starting Point - Oxford Music Online

Classical Music Library

Music Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

General Reference Databases

Reference Sources on the Open Web