Research Guides: Music

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Music Reference Items

The following are recommended Reference titles available from Steely Library.

These are suggestions only and do not reflect the full range of materials that may be useful to you. For additional assistance, Ask Steely Library!

Credo Reference
An interdisciplinary collection of online reference works, including such titles as The Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music, The Harvard Dictionary of Music, and The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music.
Oxford Music Online
Oxford Music Online is a new gateway that offers users the ability, for the first time ever, to access and cross-search the vast resources of Oxford's music reference in one location. The cornerstone of Oxford Music Online, Grove Music Online, has been completely redesigned with a number of functional enhancements and new content.
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 29 volumes
Location: REF ML 100 .N48 2001
Now appearing in print and as part of Oxford Music Online, this expanded second edition of the most substantial, comprehensive music encyclopedia in English includes greater coverage of world and popular music, nearly 2000 more articles on 20th-century composers, and more than 29,000 entries (many rewritten or revised) by over 6000 contributors nearly 7000 more entries by 3600 more contributors than graced the 20-volume 1980 edition.
The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, 10 volumes
Location: REF ML 100 .G16 1998
This unique and thoroughly researched resource provides a dynamic and in depth perspective on world music... It strikes a balance between wonderful illustrations and comprehensive, scholarly entries.
Baker's Student Encyclopedia of Music, 3 volumes
Location: REF ML 100 .B26 1999
An essential resource for all collections, this user-friendly, easy-on-the-eyes set lists 5500 entries arranged alphabetically and covering both classical and popular music and musicians, with key time lines for major composers.
Performing Arts Reading Room
The Performing Arts Reading Room is the service point for the broad and diverse collections of the Music Division at the Library of Congress. Numbering approximately 12 million items and spanning more than 800 years of Western music history and practice, these holdings include the classified music and book collections, music and literary manuscripts and related artifacts, music-related periodicals and microforms, copyright deposits, and five collections of musical instruments.
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 8 volumes
Location: REF ML 102 .P66 G84 1998
Recognized as the most comprehensive and authoritative reference work on popular music. This new expanded edition is an essential reference book for anyone who has a query about any aspect of 20th Century popular music, including rock, dance, rap and R&B, as well as blues, soul, country and folk.
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Rock History, 6 volumes
Location: REF ML 3534 .G754 2006
This chronological overview of rock music history is divided into six volumes: The Early Years, 1951-1959; Folk, Pop, Mods, and Rockers, 1960-1966; The Rise of Album Rock, 1967-1973; From Arenas to the Underground, 1974-1980; The Video Generation, 1981-1990; and The Grunge and Post-Grunge Years, 1991-2005. Each book's preface, introduction, and time line explain the scope of the text and set the stage for the thematic chapters that follow. The encyclopedic A-Z of Rock at the end of each volume contains brief biographical entries, information on record companies, and definitions of musical styles. Appendixes of the top-selling and most significant records of the period are included. Each title concludes with an extensive Reference Guide that lists related books, articles, Web sites, organizations, museums, events, films, and recordings, followed by a detailed index.
Baker's Dictionary of Opera
Location: REF ML 102 .O6 B26 2000
Offers 1000 alphabetical entries on opera singers, composers, and selected related artists (e.g., conductors, impresarios, and musicologists).
The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre, 3 volumes
Location: REF ML 102 .M88 G3 2001
Drawing equally from Viennese operetta, Parisian cabaret, vaudeville, and Tin Pan Alley, the American musical theatre has thrived in an unprecedented variety of forms and styles as our truest hybrid art. From Show Boat and Oklahoma! to West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, and A Chorus Line, the musical has attracted our finest actors, composers, writers, directors, and choreographers. The greats and near-greats are finally brought together in this essential reference guide to over 2,000 personalities, productions, and songs of the musical theatre in both New York and London from the late nineteenth century right up to Sweeney Todd and Evita.
Citing Music Sources in Your Essay and Bibliography--the 2007 version
Provides general guidance for citing a variety of music sources.

The Music Research Guide is maintained by Jennifer Smith. Suggestions and comments are welcome.