Music

Indexes and Databases

Aside from finding relevant books, one method for beginning research is to obtain journal articles on your topic. Finding journal articles should be considered a two-step process:

Step One: Find article citations using print indexes and/or electronic databases such as those listed below. Also remember that indexes/databases cover specific time periods, so alternate sources may need to be consulted.

Step Two: Once you have found relevant article citations, you need to locate the actual article. It is possible the full-text of the article is available directly from an electronic database. If not, you will need to search CONSORT for the JOURNAL title to determine if Wooster owns it and where it is located. Some journals may be available in multiple formats: print, microfilm, microfiche, or electronic/online.

Academic Search Complete (1970's-present): This database provides indexing and abstracts to over 4360 scholarly journals, popular magazines, and journals of commentary, including full text access to more than 3,430 of those publications/journals. It covers a wide variety of academic areas of study, including social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts, music, literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies. This database is updated on a daily basis.
The Music Index (1949-1967) WOO Reference ML118 .M84: This is Wooster's primary research index in music in books and journals for the years listed. Recent years are covered in RILM.
RILM Music Abstracts (1969- )
RILM Abstracts of Musical Literature (print volumes) (1967- ) WOO Reference ML1 .I83: This is Wooster's primary research index and database in the field of music for recent years and is generally known to be a primary index/database in most music collections. It includes references to books, journal articles, essays in books, dissertations, catalogs, iconographies, etc.
Article 1st (1990- ): This searchable, comprehensive, interdisciplinary magazine and journal article references database is useful primarily as a current awareness tool. It indexes over 12,500 journals and magazines by key words of article titles. The database also allows the user to browse references by journal title and issue.
ERIC: This is the primary database in the field of education and should be consulted for music education and music therapy topics. It indexes scholarly journals as well as ERIC documents that are readily available from many libraries.
Essay & General Literature Index (print edition) (1900- ) WOO Reference AI3 .E752: This interdisciplinary index/database provides access and indexing to essays that are found in books. Many music topics are represented in this source.
Humanities Index (print edition) (1974-1984) WOO Reference AI3 .R494: Previous title: Social Sciences & Humanities Index (1965-1974) WOO Reference AI3 .R49
Previous title: International Index (1955-1965) WOO Reference AI3 .R49
Previous title: International Index to Periodicals (1920-1955) WOO Reference AI3 .R49
Previous title: Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. Supplement (1907-1919) WOO Reference AI3 .R49; The recent years of this interdisciplinary humanities database and print index provides indexing to scholarly journals in the humanities, including music and related fields. All of the previous titles back to 1907 cover both the humanities and the social science disciplines prior to the split between the more recent Humanities Index / Humanities Abstracts and Social Sciences Index (1974-1983) WOO Reference AI3 .R497.
Periodicals Index Online (1770-1995): Indexes articles in scholarly journals from their initial inception through approximately seven years prior to the current date (e.g., in 2002, indexes through 1995). It indexes by article title keyword, very broad subject categories, author, journal title, and general keyword. An exceptionally useful tool for research on topics that require using older, scholarly periodicals.

Reference Sources

Reference sources are particularly useful for background information on topics, as well as definitions on concepts and specialized terminology. The list of sources below the description of music call numbers provides descriptions of music encyclopedias and dictionaries, bibliographies of standard classical music sets, and research methods bibliographies. It DOES NOT LIST the hundreds of discographies, music and song indexes, and other topical dictionaries, handbooks, and guides that are also found in our reference collection. Browsing the collection as described below can be an effective method of discovery for this type of tool. But better yet, asking advice of a librarian as to how to find particular music scores, recordings, or facts might be more efficient if the standard sources listed below do not provide the information needed.

In addition, to browse our music reference and general music collections, students might find the Library of Congress Classification Outline for the call numbers beginning with M - Music of some assistance. This gives a thorough outline of the call number system in the area of music and and will help students browse both the reference and circulating book collections with a better understanding of where to look for needed information.

Following is a brief outline of music call numbers, but the link above gives much more detail if a more specific browsing area is being sought:

M Music (scores) ML Literature on Music (music history, biography, etc.) MT Musical Instruction and Study

Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians WOO Reference ML105 .B16 2001

8th edition. Nicolas Slonimsky, editor emeritus. New York: Schirmer Books, 2001. This 6-volume, biographical dictionary has earned it's name as a standard in the field of music and is often consulted first for biographical information, along with the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

Collected Editions, Historical Series & Sets & Monuments of Music: A Bibliography WOO Reference ML113 .H55 1997

By George R. Hill and Norris L. Stephens. Berkeley, CA: Fallen Leaf Press, 1997.This timely bibliography of classical works published in major, authoritative sets updates Heyer's 1980 edition Historical Sets, Collected Editions, and Monuments of Music: A Guide to Their Contents.

Encyclopaedia Britannica Online

New Encyclopaedia Britannica – print edition WOO Reference AE5 .E363 2002

This interdisciplinary encyclopedia contains a wide variety of related to music and musicians. In addition, in its online environment, it links to web sites that are relevant to specific topics, making it a convenient way to discover some useful, authoritative web sites on a given topic.

The Encyclopedia of Popular Music WOO Reference ML102 .P66 G84 1998

Compiled & edited by Colin Larkin. 3rd ed. London: Muze UK; New York: Distributed in the USA by Grove's Dictionaries Inc., 1998. .This 8-volume, authoritative, comprehensive encyclopedia serves as a popular music complement to the standard New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning: A Project of the Music Educators National Conference WOO Reference MT1 .H138 1992

Edited by Richard Colwell. New York: Schirmer Books; Toronto: Maxwell Macmillan Canada; New York: Maxwell Macmillan International, 1992.This authoritative, annotated bibliography of research on music education was compiled by a group effort of music educators.

Historical Musicology: A Reference Manual for Research in Music WOO Reference ML3797 .S7 1980

By Lincoln Bunce Spiess ; with articles by Ernst C. Krohn ... [et al.]. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1980. This research bibliography serves as an authoritative guide to music history research for materials published up until 1980. Later bibliographies should be checked to update the materials found here.

Historical Sets, Collected Editions, and Monuments of Music: A Guide to Their Contents WOO Reference ML113 .H52 1980

Compiled by Anna Harriet Heyer. 3d ed. Chicago: American Library Association, 1980. This classic music bibliography is one of the most comprehensive listings of classical music composers' works published in major, authoritative sets.

Music Reference and Research Materials: An Annotated Bibliography 5th ed. WOO Reference ML113 .D83 1997

Edited by Vincent H. Duckles and Ida Reed; Michael A. Keller. New York: Schirmer Books; London: Prentice Hall International, 1997. This is a standard research guide to music reference and research materials that is a good starting point when one is unsure of which sources to use to begin research on a topic or particular research area.

The New Grove Dictionary of American Music WOO Reference ML101 .U6 N48 1986

Edited by H. Wiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie. New York: Grove's Dictionaries of Music, 1986. WOO Reference This 4-volume, authoritative encyclopedia serves as a worthy supplement to the standard New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

The New Grove dictionary of Jazz WOO Reference ML102 .J3 N48 2001

Edited by Barry Kernfeld. 2nd ed. New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc., 2001. This 3-volume, authoritative encyclopedia serves as a worthy supplement to the standard New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians WOO Reference ML100 .N48 2001

Edited by Stanley Sadie; executive editor, John Tyrrell. 2nd ed. New York: Grove's Dictionaries, 2001. This well-respected, scholarly, multi-volume encyclopedia is often the first place to check on music history topics. Articles are signed with comprehensive bibliographies, discographies, and lists of musical scores.

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera WOO Reference ML102 .O6 N5 1992

Edited by Stanley Sadie. New York: Grove's Dictionaries of Music, 1992. This 4-volume, authoritative encyclopedia serves as a worthy supplement to the standard New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

Finding Journals…

…by the TITLE of the journal: Finding the actual articles identified through other sources, such as indexes, databases, and lists of references at the end of other articles, can be a challenge. The most direct method is to search the title of the journal from the CONSORT catalog Journal Title search page.

…by the PUBLISHER or the FOCUS of the journal: Occasionally, you may want to find journals by a particular PUBLISHER or journals that have a particular FOCUS. The following are two sample CONSORT Word searches that demonstrate both of these types of approaches:

…finding journals by a particular PUBLISHER (e.g., journals published by the Music Educators National Conference):

CONSORT WORD SEARCH: a music educators national conference and periodicals

…finding journals with a particular FOCUS (e.g., music, music therapy, music theory, or music education):

CONSORT WORD SEARCHES:; s:music and s:periodicals
s:music therapy and s:periodicals
s:music theory and s:periodicals
s:music instruction and study and s:periodicals

Selected Internet Sites

Music, music education, music theory, and music therapy web sites are too numerous to list in this brief-format guide to internet sites. Below are listed some of the most well-known and well-respected music gateway or other sites in these areas.

All-Music Guide

Comprehensive entertainment information database for music offering expert reviews, biographies, ratings, pictures, credits, etc.

American Memory: Historical Collections for the Digital National Library (U.S. Library of Congress)

Contains a growing collection of digitized images, sounds, publications, and photographs, including many American sheet music projects. The collections can each be browsed and searched separately.

The American Music Center

Organization that encourages the composition and distribution of American music. Includes an extensive set of internet links related to all genres of current American music.

American Musicological Society

Web site of this non-profit organization that exists to advance research in the various fields of music as a branch of learning and scholarship.

Archives of African Music and Culture (Indiana University, Bloomington)

Organization devoted to the collection, preservation, dissemination of materials of african-american music and culture.

Beethoven Bibliography Database (San Jose State University) [telnet]

(Select option O, then B) Lists books, articles, and scores about Beethoven.

ChoralNet (The Internet Center for Choral Music)

E-mail lists, organization information, repertoire advice, choral music publishers and suppliers, and links to other related web sites.

Classical Net

Extensive links to both commercial and noncommercial sites of broad ranging aspects of classical music.

DW3 Classical Music Resources: The World's Most Comprehensive Collection of Classical Music Links (Duke University Music Library)

Includes links to everything from composer, genre, and theory pages to association web sites and free access research databases.

Ethnomusicology, Folk Music, and World Music (University of Washington Music Library)

Large listing of sites including lists of organizations, periodicals, and music by continent/region.

G. Schirmer, Inc. and Associated Music Publishers, Inc.

This commercial site is a great jump-start to music publishers and retailers for sheet music, as well as a source of links to a wide variety of music web sites.

Gilbert and Sullivan Archive

Related clip art, librettos, plot summaries, pictures of the original G&S stars, song scores, midi and mpeg audio files.

International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM)

An alliance of three organizations that promote performances of women composers and research on women in music topics.

J. W. Pepper & Son, Inc.

Extensive commercial site that has composer information, movie music, music for large ensembles, etc. Claims to be the "world's largest sheet music retailer."

MENC: The National Association for Music Education

This association's mission "is to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all." The web site includes information on genre discussion and chat groups, research information, etc.

Music Education in the Yahoo! Directory

Musicals101.com: The CyberEncyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV, and Film.

Oberlin Conservatory Library

Affiliated with Oberlin College, this well known library is located about 1 hour north of Wooster. Includes information on hours, collections, staff, resources on the internet guide, etc.

Operabase

News, recordings database, opera houses and festival listings, performance and artist searches.

The Red Hot Jazz Archive

Site to study and enjoy the music of early jazz musicians.

Worldwide Internet Music Resources (Indiana University)

Extensive, authoritative list of Internet sites, including composers, musicians, journals, and miscellaneous information.

WWW Virtual Library: Classical Music

Information on composers, artists, organizations, periodicals, reviews, reference material, software, discussion forums.

WWW Virtual Library: Music

A searchable database of internet resources, sorted by various categories.

Course/Research Guides

None available at this time.

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Julia Gustafson
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330/263-2315