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Prepared by Darwin F. Scott
Creative Arts Librarian
August 2005 (3d rev. version)
This guide presents a selective list of basic resources necessary for starting a research project in music. There may be other specialized resources appropriate for your research--please consult a reference librarian for additional assistance. Citations for materials listed in the guide are limited to title and call number only. For complete descriptions, see the full bibliographic record in LOUIS, the Brandeis Libraries' online catalog.
Comments or feedback on this guide are always welcome. Please contact the Creative Arts Department by e-mail.
For help narrowing your subject or in formulating your questions appropriately for online searching, please consult the brief guide to analyzing your research topic in music.
Grove Music Online (Brandeis users only)
Electronic, full-text version of the 2d edition of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, the most authoritative, comprehensive, and up-to-date English-language reference work on music (with frequent updates). Now includes the New Grove Dictionary of Opera and the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2d ed. Provides detailed biographies and assessments of composers, performers, theorists, writers on music, eminent people in others arts whose work is important to music and musicians, patrons, and those involved with the business of music. Articles on composers present excellent overviews of life and works, including comprehensive work lists for many composers. Also includes thorough articles on musical terminology, genres, forms, styles, schools, sources, and instruments; aspects of performance practice; music bibliography; non-Western, folk, and popular music; institutions and geographical locations; topics of broad scope; and theoretical issues.
Print version (29 vols.): Creative Arts Reference ML 100 N48 2001
Encyclopedia Britannica (Brandeis users only)
Provides electronic access to a wide variety of information on music, including links to selected Web resources. Contains many useful articles on composers, music history, and musical forms and genres.
The Norton/Grove Concise Encyclopedia of Music
Offers concise entries on composers, performers, instruments, terminology, genres, titles, and topics (both specific and general). Excellent single-volume alternative to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians for finding quick information and verifying names, dates, and spellings.
Creative Arts Reference ML 100 .N88 1988
The Oxford Dictionary of Music
Reliable resource for quick references to dates, titles, definitions, translations, and spellings, with short articles on composers, musicians, subjects, terms, and titles of works. Articles on major composers include work lists with dates of composition.
Creative Arts Reference ML 100 .K35 1994
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music - Oxford Reference Online (Brandeis Users Only)
Electronic version of the 1996 4th ed. "Based on the Oxford Dictionary of Music, this searchable database contains entries on musical terms, works, composers, librettists, musicians, singers, and orchestras." Also includes descriptions of musical instruments and their histories.
The New Oxford Companion to Music
Provides succinct, uncomplicated articles on composers, musicians, subjects, geographical locations, historical periods, terms, and titles of works. Geographical articles are helpful in pinpointing the major composers and types of music during a particular period of music. No work lists and the few bibliographies are very limited.
Creative Arts Reference ML 100 .N5 1983
The New Harvard Dictionary of Music.
The standard resource for information on music terminology and topics. The focus is the tradition of Western art music, but this nonbiographical dictionary provides adequate coverage of non-Western and popular music and of musical instruments from all cultures. Outstanding survey articles under broad topical terms and geographical locations offer excellent introductions, with many music examples, charts, and illustrations.
Creative Arts Reference ML 100 .N485 1986
The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments.
Definitive articles not only on the history, structure, and use of classical Western, non-Western, and folk (or traditional) musical instruments, but also on modern (largely electronic) instruments, instrument makers, and all aspects of music related to instrumental performance, such as bow/bowstrokes, continuo, vibrato, etc.
Creative Arts Reference ML 102 .I5N48 1984
Music Reference and Research Materials: An Annotated Bibliography.
The standard annotated bibliography of reference resources and bibliographies in music, presenting "classic historic titles, dependable standard works, and important newly written tools." Cutoff date of publication for inclusion is December 1995. Commonly known as "Duckles."
Creative Arts Reference ML 113 .D83 1997
Performance Practice, Medieval to Contemporary: A Bibliographic Guide.
Annotated bibliography of writings concerning the performance of music arranged chronologically, with individual chapters representing particular historical periods. Each chapter divides into a number of larger categories (general studies, composers, forms and genres, medium, tempo, added notes, altered notes, pitch and tuning), which in turn divide into still further subcategories. Annual supplements for 1987-1997 are published in Performance Practice Review ML 1 .P10876 under the title "Performance Practice Bibliography."
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .P235 J3 1988
Music Theory from Zarlino to Schenker: A Bibliography and Guide.
Presents a complete and authoritative dictionary of the writings of more that 225 music theorists from the 16th to the 20th centuries, including all editions and translations, and a selective list of literature about each theorist and the treatises. Also includes indexes by topic, chronology, title, and name.
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .T5 D27 1990
Tudor Music: A Research and Information Guide.
Annotated bibliography of the literature written through 1991 on English and Scottish music composed from the late 15th through early 17th centuries, arranged into twelve broad subject categories. Includes an appendix updating William Byrd: A Guide to Research (Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .B96 T9 1987)
Creative Arts Reference ML 114 .T887 1994
The Resource Book of Jewish Music: A Bibliographical and Topical Guide to the Book and Journal Literature and Program Materials.
An annotated roster of English-language resources on Jewish music published to early 1984 based on a broad overview comprising the Bible, history, religion, folk-expression, scholarship, musicianship, education, and sociological developments. Divided by types of publications (reference works, books and monographs, articles, periodicals, instruction manuals, music collections, and dance materials). An extensive topical index provides additional subject access to the 1,200 entries.
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .J4 H48 1985
Ethnomusicology Research: A Select Annotated Bibliography.
A guide to the most significant and representative recent literature in the field of ethnomusicology. The annotated citations divide into 5 subject categories: history of ethnomusicology; theory and method; fieldwork methods; musical analysis; and sources from related disciplines.
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .E8 S4 1992
Bibliographies and research guides devoted to one (or occasionally two or more composers) offer selective, annotated bibliographies of writings about the composer (usually arranged in a subject-based order); a list of works by the composer (often detailed and usually with references to where these works are located within the composer's complete edition or editions); a biographical sketch; an overview of the composer's creative output; descriptions of the important editions; usually a discography; and various indexes. An excellent resource to start your research on a particular composer. Most of these bibliographies and research guides have call numbers beginning with ML 134 and are arranged alphabetically by composer in the Creative Arts Reference Section. The more well-known composers with available research guides are located below; many other composers also have research guides.
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Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134.A45 C53 1998 |
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Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 410 .B1 J15 1999 |
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Samuel Barber (1910-1981
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .B175 H4 1985 |
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Béla Bartók (1881-1945)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .B18 A7 1997 |
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Alban Berg (1885-1935)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .B48 S56 1996 |
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Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .B5 L3 1989 |
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Ernest Bloch (1880-1959)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .B623 K9 1988 |
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Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .B8 Q53 1998 |
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William Byrd (1542 or 3-1623)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .B96 T9 1987 |
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Elliott Carter (1908- )
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .C19 D6 1993 |
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Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .C66 R63 2001 |
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Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .D26 B7 1990 |
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Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .F18 H37 1998 |
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Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .F85 H37 1987 |
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George Gershwin (1898-1937)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .G29 C37 2000 |
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Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .G56 H7 1987 |
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Enrique Granados (1867-1916)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .G79 H5 1991 |
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George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .H16 P37 1988 |
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Roy Harris (1898-1979)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .I9 B6 1988 |
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Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .H272 G74 1990 |
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Heinrich Isaac (ca. 1450-1517)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .I8 P5 1991 |
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Charles Ives (1874-1954)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .I9 B6 1988 |
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Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .K62 H68 1998 |
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Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .L3 E7 1990 |
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György Ligeti (1923-)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .L57 R5 1990 |
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Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .L7 S2 1991 |
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Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .L97 B43 2000 |
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Guillaume de Machaut (ca. 1300-1372)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .G956 E3 1995 |
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Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .M34 F54 1989 |
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Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .M66 A5 1989 |
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .M9 H34 1989 |
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Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .N42 M5 1987 |
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Jacob Obrecht (d. 1505)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .O3 P5 1988 |
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Johannes Ockeghem (d. 1496?)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .O3 P5 1988 |
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Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .P613P4 1989 |
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Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .P87 K3 1990 |
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Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .P94 F35 1999 |
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Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .P95 Z55 1989 |
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Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .R12 C86 2001 |
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Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .R14 F7 1989 |
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Max Reger (1873-1916)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .R33 G7 1988 |
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Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .R57 S4 1988 |
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Ned Rorem (1923-)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .S412 S5 |
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Carl Ruggles (1876-1971)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .R84 G74 1995 |
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Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .S218 V5 1993 |
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Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .S412 S5 |
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William Schuman (1910-1992)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .S3986 A33 1998 |
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Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .S485 H8 1991 |
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Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .W25 S6 1988 |
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Virgil Thomson (1896-1989)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .T43 M4 1986 |
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Michael Tippett (1905-1998)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .W75 O87 1988 |
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Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .W25 S6 1988 |
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Tomás Luis de Victoria (ca. 1548-1611)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .V6 C73 1998 |
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Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .V65 A7 1988 |
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Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .V7 T34 1988 |
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William Walton (1902-1983)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .W25 S6 1988 |
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Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .W39 H4 1990 |
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Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .W75 O87 1988 |
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Charles Wuorinen (1938- )
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Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .W86 B87 1994 |
Musical America. International Directory of the Performing Arts.
Annual directory includes listings of artists' managers; orchestras; opera companies; choral groups; dance companies; performing arts series; festivals; arts administration degree programs; music schools and departments; summer music camps and special programs; contests, foundations, and awards; record companies; services, products, and professional music organizations; state arts agencies; music publishers; facilities; music magazines; newspaper music critics; and radio stations. Scope is international but primary focus is on the United States. and Canada.
Creative Arts Reference ML 12 .M88
International Who's Who in Music and Musicians' Directory.
Useful source for information on living contemporary musicians (composers, performers, educators, etc.) in the classical and light classical fields. Appendixes include international directories of orchestras, opera companies, festivals, music organizations, major competitions and awards, music libraries, and conservatories.
Creative Arts Reference ML 106 .G7 W45
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians.
9th, centennial edition. Authoritative and extensive biographical dictionary of composers, performers, and other musical figures (both of classical and popular music), originally compiled by noted music lexicographer Nicholas Slonimsky (whose wit infuses the entries). Includes work lists for composers.
Creative Arts Reference ML 105 .B16 2001
The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music.
Presents brief biographical entries on the most important composers and performers of Western art music. Includes some coverage of American jazz and popular musicians. Forms the biographical counterpart to the New Harvard Dictionary of Music.
Creative Arts Reference ML 105 .H38 1996
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Classical Musicians
Extensive biographical dictionary of 20th-century classical composers, performers, and other musicians, with complete work lists and selected bibliographies. Includes many musicians absent from the Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians.
Creative Arts Reference ML 105 .B16 1992
Contemporary Composers.
Offers thorough overviews of 500 significant living or recently deceased composers. Entries include a brief biography, a list of works (often comprehensive), a short article assessing the composer "within contemporary styles and movements, discussing particular influences and innovations, and analyzing one or more major works," a selective bibliography and discography, and usually a short personal statement by the composer.
Creative Arts Reference ML 105 .C75 1992
A Dictionary-Catalog of Modern British Composers.
An outstanding resource providing complete chronological listings of 54 British composers born between 1893 and 1923.
Creative Arts Reference ML 120 .GA PA 2000
Notable Twentieth-Century Pianists: A Bio-Critical Sourcebook.
Contains biographical data, style analyses, pedagogical history and methods, lists of selected references and reviews, and a representative discography for 100 well-known pianists of the 20th century.
Creative Arts Reference ML 397 .G45 1995
The Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers.
Provides authoritative entries on 875 women composers of Western classical music. Entries include lists of works and selective bibliographies. Includes a chronology of women's achievements in music.
Creative Arts Reference ML 105 .N38 1995
The Pandora Guide to Women Composers: Britain and the United States 1629-present.
Presents thorough summary biographies of 100 women composers who for the significant part of their careers, lived and worked in Britain, Ireland, or the United States and composed within the tradition of Western classical music.
Creative Arts Reference ML 390 .F94 1994
Women and Music: A Selective Annotated Bibliography on Women and Gender Issues in Music, 1987-1992.
Annotated guide to books, essays, periodical articles, theses, conference papers, newspaper articles, score anthologies, sound recording anthologies, media, and online information sources complied between 1987 and 1992 (plus some important new publications issued in 1993) that investigate issues regarding women, gender, and music in a collective sense. This resource does not include bibliographical studies of individual women musicians.
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .W7 E75 1996
Women in American Music: A Bibliography of Music and Literature.
A select bibliography of writings through 1978 documenting women's activities as composers, educators, patrons, and performers in American music from colonial times to the present. Also includes a bibliography of musical works composed to 1978 by American women or by women who have spent 10 or more years of their active lives in the United States.
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .W7 B6
The Musical Women: An International Perspective.
A continuing publication chronicling women's achievements in all aspects of music except solo performance. Each volume divides into two parts: a gazette (with lists by year of major events such as honors and awards, important performances, published music, recordings issued, and information on national and international conferences and festivals); and a section of essays (including critical appraisals, surveys, overviews for particular groups of music professionals, and detailed studies on special topics).
Creative Arts Reference ML 390 .M92
The New Grove Dictionary of American Music.
"A critically organized repository of historically significant information" in four volumes on the music of the United States, including traditions corresponding to those of European art music and to those of jazz, popular music (musical theater, popular song, band music, rock, gospel hymnody, country and dance music, etc.), religious music, and Native Americans. Articles on terminology, concepts, repertories, and genres address specifically American aspects only. Entries on musicians (including composers, conductors, singers, instrumentalists, teachers, and musicologists) include both American born and foreigners who settled in the United States or paid prolonged visits, and many composer entries include extensive work lists. Also includes articles on American cities with significant music traditions, musical institutions, literary figures, impresarios, stage directors, lyricists, administrators, music publishers, and instrument makers. Bibliographies conclude most entries, and some performer articles include selective discographies.
Creative Arts Reference ML 101 .U6 N48 1986
American Composers: A Biographical Dictionary.
Presents in-depth coverage of 300 United States composers (by birth or citizenship) dating from colonial times to young contemporary composers (in 1980) whose achievements have received national attention. Each biography concludes with a detailed list of principal works followed by a select bibliography.
Creative Arts Reference ML 390 .E815
American Songwriters: An H. W. Wilson Biographical Dictionary.
Consists of 146 detailed biographies of American composers, lyricists, and composer-lyricists of popular songs spanning two centuries. Entries include the performance history of individual songs and major stage musicals; an index lists the 5,600 songs mentioned in the biographies.
Creative Arts Reference ML 390 .E825 1987
Hollywood Songsters: A Biographical Dictionary.
Includes detailed biographies of over 100 performers with successful careers as both singers and film stars since the late 1920s. Each entry includes a filmography and discography.
Creative Arts Reference ML 400 .P295 1991
Folk Music in America: A Reference Guide.
An annotated bibliography of books, dissertations, scholarly articles, and articles in certain important encyclopedias on folk music in the United States published from 1900 to early 1986. Divides into nine sections on general resources, music of native Americans, Anglo-American folk songs and ballads, later developments in Anglo-American folk music, traditional instruments and instrumental music, American psalmody and hymnody, the singing school and shape-note tradition, African American music, and music of various ethnic traditions.
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .F74 M5 1986
Periodical Literature on American Music, 1620-1920: A Classified Bibliography with Annotations.
An extensive bibliography (with very brief annotations) of periodical articles on American music and musical activities in America from 1620 to 1920.
Creative Arts Reference ML 120 .U5 W18 1988
Bibliographical Handbook of American Music.
A broadly scoped overview of the bibliographic sources of American music, divided into the categories of chronological perspectives (music from 1698 to current), contextual perspectives (regional, group, and personal bibliographies), musical mediums and genres (concert music, vernacular music, popular song, and sacred music), and bibliographical forms (source materials, writings about music, discography, music bibliography, and bibliographic guides).
Creative Arts Reference ML 120 .U5 K78 1987
Early American Music: A Research and Information Guide.
Compiles a core collection of bibliographical and informative materials (with references to other relevant works) to form an introduction to the materials available for research and information on early American music to 1820. Many of the citations include annotations.
Creative Arts Reference ML 120 .U5 H46 1990
Resources of American Music History: A Directory of Source Materials from Colonial Times to World War II.
Surveys the documents of American music (printed and manuscript music, programs and catalogs, institutional and personal papers, photographs, sound recordings, etc.) from the 1600s through 1941 located in 3,000 libraries and other repositories in the United States and abroad. Geographically organized with an index of personal and institutional names.
Creative Arts Reference ML 120 .U5 R47
The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music.
The most extensive resource available on popular music from 1900 to the present. The 14,500 entries are mostly biographical, covering a wide international spectrum of popular music in a broad variety of genres. There are also entries under certain key terms and musical and film titles. The artist entries conclude with discographies.
Creative Arts Reference ML 102 .P66 G84 1995
The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz.
A comprehensive, international treatment of jazz, with articles on individuals, groups, styles, terminology, theory, musical instruments, record labels, festivals, venues, films, institutions, and nonperforming individuals associated with jazz. Includes articles on individuals whose careers, though focused primarily on various genres of popular music, included significant associations with jazz musicians or certain jazz styles but excludes musicians not directly associated with jazz. Attempts "to give detailed attention to all periods and styles of jazz from many countries in an effort to counteract the factionalism noticeable in some jazz literature." Most articles include bibliographies and many also have selective discographies.
Creative Arts Reference ML 102 .J3 N48 1988
Country Music: The Encyclopedia.
Contains detailed biographical entries on the major figures of country music. Includes copious lists of awards, bibliography, and indexes of artists, album and song titles, and general subjects.
Creative Arts Reference ML 102 .C7 S7 1997
Popular Music Studies: A Select International Bibliography.
A select, international bibliography of popular music studies dedicated primarily to nonbiographical scholarship, covering genres, the industry, social and cultural contexts, musical practices, locations, and theory and method on an international scope. Does not include annotations.
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .P63 P67 1997
Jazz Research and Performance Materials : A Select Annotated Bibliography.
A comprehensive, annotated listing of books on jazz published in all languages from the early 1920s to early 1995. The materials are divided into 14 major subject categories.
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .J3 M33 1995
Rock Music Scholarship: An Interdisciplinary Bibliography.
An annotated guide to interpretive and analytical studies of rock music that address the sociological, psychological, and political impact of rock music on censorship, violence, the performing arts, fashion, literature, women's issues, diversity, and ethnomusicology from the mid-1950s to 1994.
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .R6 G37 1995
The Blues: A Bibliographic Guide.
Cites a large body of scholarly and more informal literature written on the blues, with coverage generally extending through 1985. Divides into sections on background, music, poetry, blues and society, blues in American literature, biographies, blues instruction, film, and research (methodology and reference).
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .B49 H3 1989
Popular Music: An Annotated Guide to American Popular Songs.
Establishes a selective, annotated list of the significant popular songs of the 20th century. Each volume includes an introductory essay, indexes of lyricists, composers, important performances and awards, and a list of publishers. Published annually from 1990, with cumulations for 1900-1919, 1920-1979, and 1980-1989. The cumulations also include chronological indexes.
Creative Arts Reference ML 120 .U5 S4 1988 (1900-1919)
Creative Arts Reference ML 120 .U5 S41 1985 (1920-1979)
Creative Arts Reference ML 120 .U5 S2 1995 (1980-1989)
Creative Arts Reference ML 120 .U5 S5 (1990-)
The Green Book of Songs by Subject: The Thematic Guide to Popular Music.
"The first major effort to organize the popular music of this century by topic." Classifies over 21,000 popular songs by over 800 subjects and subcategories. Organized as a discography in three sections: alphabetical arrangement by subject category; record label codes listing; and subject index.
Creative Arts Reference ML 156.4 .P6 G73 1995
The Great Song Thesaurus.
"Designed to select from all divisions of song literature the best-known popular and/or significant songs and themes in English-speaking countries from the areas of folk songs and ballads; contemporary pop songs; nursery rhymes; sea chanteys; music-hall ballads; works from musical theater, film, radio, and television; political campaign songs; church carillons; school, college, and university songs; bugle calls; and advertising and commercial jingles." Also includes certain classical, ballet, and symphonic themes that have become world standards. Chapter 9 (pp. 621-719) is a very useful "Thesaurus of Song Titles by Subject, Key Word, and Category."
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .S3 L4 1989
The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. (Brandeis Users Only)
Definitive, comprehensive encyclopedia on all aspects of opera and opera production. The electronic version is now part of Grove Music. Includes biographical articles (composers, librettists, singers, conductors, designers, producers, patrons, impresarios, etc.), entries on opera houses, national opera traditions, the terminology related to opera, topics relating to the history, practice, and reception of opera and individual operas, and also aspects of performance practice related to vocal music (such as ornamentation, recitative, etc.). The articles on individual operas include historical aspects and plot synopses. Most articles include bibliographies. Vol. 4 includes indexes of role names and incipits of arias, ensembles, etc.
Electronic Databases
Print version (4 vols.): Creative Arts Reference ML 102 .O6N5 1992
Baker's Dictionary of Opera.
A very thorough biographical dictionary of opera composers, singers, conductors, librettists, scholars, and other personages. The appendix of opera synopses includes many obscure and rarely performed works.
Creative Arts Reference ML 102 .O6 B26 2000
International Dictionary of Opera.
Includes entries on individual operas and on the influential composers, librettists, performers, conductors, designers, directors, and producers of opera. Includes title and nationality indexes.
Creative Arts Reference ML 102 .O6I6 1993
The Oxford Dictionary of Opera.
Excellent one-volume dictionary of opera, with concise articles on composers, titles, subjects, terms, and characters in the operas. Includes brief synopses of the major operas.
Creative Arts Reference ML 102 .O6W37 1992
The New Grove Book of Operas.
Offers synopses of 264 of the most popular and most commonly performed operas. Includes a glossary and indexes of role names, incipits of arias, ensembles, etc., and composers.
Creative Arts Reference ML 102 .O6N52 1996
Annals of Opera, 1597-1940.
A dictionary of opera dates and facts arranged chronologically in order of the first performance of each opera, covering the years 1597 to 1940. Entries include some background information and often copious notes on later revivals. Includes an index of opera titles, composers, librettists, and others names, subjects, and geographical locations.
Creative Arts Reference ML 102 .O6 L6 1978
Opera: A Research and Information Guide.
A selective but thorough bibliography (with 2,822 entries) of the significant literature on opera. Sections include bibliographies, dictionaries and encyclopedias, histories, editions and excerpts, libraries, opera houses, international directories, periodicals, opera plots, librettos and librettists, production, philosophy and theory, analysis, critics and criticism, discography, composers and their operas, and countries.
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .O4 M28 2001
The Metropolitan Opera Stories of the Great Operas.
Makes available in two volumes detailed plot summaries of 275 operas, both from the standard repertory and those likely to be performed occasionally.
Creative Arts Reference MT 95 .M49 1984
The New Kobbé's Opera Book.
Presents excellent plot synopses and some descriptive analysis of a very large number of operas composed from 1607 through the early 1990s. Includes all of the standard operas and many lesser known works.
Creative Arts Reference MT 95 .K52 1997
Twentieth Century Opera: A Guide.
Contains detailed plot for the 90 most performed and recorded operas composed from ca. 1910 until the end of the 20th century. Part 3 offers a compendium and glossary of composers, critical terms, and miscellanea pertinent to 20th-century opera.
Creative Arts Reference MT 95 .M253 1999
The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre.
Outstanding resource that primarily covers the most successful, prolific, and extensively heard writers and composers of musicals and operettas and the most successful and widely traveled productions in the mainstream of Western musical theater. Includes both biographical and title entries, which mostly focus on the history of the work.
Creative Arts Reference ML 102 .M88 G3 2001
Gänzl's Book of the Musical Theatre.
Source of information on about 300 major works of musical theater of the 19th and 20th centuries from Great Britain, France, the United States, Austria, Germany, Hungary; and Spain. Provides the dates and leading artists of principal productions, detailed plot synopses, and lists of characters.
Creative Arts Reference MT 95 .G2 1989
Gänzl's Book of the Broadway Musical: 75 Favorite Shows, from H.M.S. Pinafore to Sunset Boulevard.
Includes synopses and production details for 75 English-language musicals produced on Broadway between 1879 and 1994, arranged in chronological order. Includes an appendix of compact disc recordings. Profusely illustrated with photographs from Broadway productions.
Creative Arts Reference MT 95 .G19 1995
American Song: The Complete Musical Theatre Companion.
Includes data on over 4,800 American musicals from 1877 to 1995. Part 1 lists all shows alphabetically; part 2 presents indexes to songs and personnel and a chronological listing of titles; part 3 includes entries on 164 composers and lyricists, including all songs listed by date; part 4 comprises three large indexes: collaborators, songs, and chronology.
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .M78 B6 1996
Hollywood Song: The Complete Film and Musical Companion.
Includes data on songs from almost 7,000 American and foreign films. Vols. 1-2 list all movies alphabetically; vol. 3 contains a chronological listing of titles and complete indexes to personnel and songs. Includes all films except concert films (unless they contain original songs).
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .M7 B6 1995
A Treasury of Opera Librettos.
Includes original librettos and English singing translations of 21 of the most familiar operas by Bizet, Debussy, Gounod, Leoncavallo, Mascagni, Mussorgsky, Mozart, Puccini, Rossini, Verdi, and Wagner.
Creative Arts Reference ML 48 .L37 T7 1962
The Metropolitan Opera Book of Mozart Operas.
Includes the librettos in Italian or German with English translations of the 7 most famous operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and authoritative historical introductions for each opera. The translations convey as precisely as possible the meaning and nuances of the original texts.
Creative Arts Reference ML 49 .M83 M42 1991
Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung : A Companion: The Full German Text with a New Translation and Commentaries.
series of introductory essays on the musical, philosophical, literary background, and performance history of Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).
Creative Arts Reference ML 50 .W14 R47 1993b
Lieder Line by Line, and Word for Word.
Includes English translations of the most common German songs (lieder) by Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Wagner, Brahms, Wolf, Mahler, and Strauss in both word-for-word and clear prose versions.
Creative Arts Reference ML 54.6 .P55 L5 1996
Masters of the French Art Song: Translations of the Complete Songs of Chausson, Debussy, Duparc, Fauré & Ravel.
Presents the French texts and precise word-for-word and poetic English translations of the texts used by the five most important French art song composers.The Complete Song Texts: Texts of the Lieder and Italian Songs / Schubert.
Collects all of the original German and Italian texts of Franz Schubert's solo songs with straightforward English prose translations. The texts are arranged alphabetically by German or Italian title.
Creative Arts Reference ML 54.6 .S39 W53 1988
Sacred Latin Texts and English Translations for the Choral Conductor and Church Musician: Propers of the Mass.
Provides English translations of the Latin Mass texts of the Proper most frequently found in Gregorian chant and polyphonic motets. The texts are arranged in alphabetical order.
Creative Arts Reference ML 54.8 .S23 1998
Handbook to Bach's Sacred Cantata Texts: An Interlinear Translation with Reference Guide to Biblical Quotations and Allusions.
Provides the original German texts and interlinear, word-for-word English translations for all of Johann Sebastian Bach's church cantatas, with a guide to all of the Biblical quotations and allusions found in the texts.
Creative Arts Reference ML 54 .B15 1996
Music Analyses: An Annotated Guide to the Literature.
Cites and describes selected analyses of Western art music in English-language books, articles, and dissertations. Each annotation describes the nature and level of the analysis.
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .A7D5 1991
Analyses of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Music: 1940-1985.
Provides citations to books, articles, and dissertations written in all languages between 1940 and 1985 that analyze works of Western art music. Most of the cited analyses tend to be technically complex.
Creative Arts Reference ML 128 .A7W47 1987
The Symphony: A Listener's Guide.
A volume of descriptive and analytic essays on the mostly widely known symphonies of the concert repertory.
Creative Arts Reference MT 125 .S79 1995
The Literature of Chamber Music.
Offers separate brief commentaries on each work of nearly the entire repertory of ensemble music composed for groups of two to nine players performed by one player per part from the baroque period through the late 20th century.
Creative Arts Reference ML 1100 .C63 1997
The Book of World-Famous Music: Classical, Popular, and Folk.
Traces nearly 1,000 of the world's best-known melodies from classical, popular, and folk music back to their original printed sources. Includes much documentary information on the sources, copyright dates, composers, librettists, lyricists, and history of the most familiar melodies in Western music. Each entry includes a musical excerpt and the opening line(s) of text (when appropriate).
Creative Arts Reference ML 113 .F8 1985
Balanchine's Complete Stories of the Great Ballets.
Presents background information and the stories of 404 ballets ranging from the established classics to new works of the modern repertory of interest due to their music, choreography, design, or performance.
Creative Arts Reference MT 95 .B3 1977
Music Printing and Publishing.
A specialist handbook on music printing, publishing, collecting, and bibliography. Includes an extensive dictionary of music printers and publishers, glossary, and bibliography.
Creative Arts Reference ML 112 .M86 1990
The Literature of Music Bibliography: An Account of the Writings on the History of Music Printing & Publishing.
An extensively annotated bibliography of the literature about music printing and publishing classified by subject. Excludes writings on individual printers and publishers.
Creative Arts Reference ML 112 .K765 1992
LOUIS, the online catalog of the Brandeis Libraries, is the principal means for locating books in the library collections. LOUIS can be useful for this purpose at two levels of your research. If you have already identified the book(s) you need through other research aids, search LOUIS by Title or by Author to locate the item(s) in the library. If you are trying to identify books that will be useful for your research, search LOUIS by Subject or by Keyword.
Help locating a book in the library
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature (Brandeis users only)
Contains citations and abstracts of the literature in music from 1969 to the present. Fully international coverage includes articles from both music and nonmusic journals; articles published in collections of essays, conference proceedings, and Festschrifts; and books, dissertations, and theses. Areas of coverage encompass historical musicology, ethnomusicology, instruments and voice, librarianship, dance, music therapy and various other fields as they relate to music, including literature, dramatic arts and visual arts as well as anthropology, sociology, philosophy and physics. Updated monthly. Citations correspond to the printed RILM Abstracts of Music Literature. Produced by the Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale. For 1967-68 citations, use the corresponding print volume.
Electronic Databases
Print version (1967-94): Creative Arts Reference ML 118 R15
Academic Search Premier (Brandeis users only)
Provides full text and indexing of thousands of journals in all academic fields. Dates vary according to publication.
Electronic Databases
Other Electronic Databases Covering Music
The databases on this list cover specific aspects of music (e.g. Beethoven or early music theory), or are either interdisciplinary (e.g. history, religion, or women's studies) or multidisciplinary (e.g., dissertations or full-text articles), and cover a wide range of subjects. Most are for Brandeis users only.
Electronic Journals for Music
Found on this list are journals with full text available electronically. Some are entire runs, but most cover only the more recent years of publication. Most deal specifically with music; others are interdisciplinary and may contain articles on music. Most are for Brandeis users only.
Gorham Collection of Early Music Imprints, 1501-1650.
An ongoing collection of printed music and books on or related to music published between 1501 and 1650, a golden age of music printing and publishing. To date, the Gorham Collection comprises 36 editions published between 1512 and 1623.
Special Collections
Reginald DeKoven Music Manuscript Collection.
A collection of both manuscript and published compositions by composer Reginald DeKoven (1859-1920).
Special Collections
Creative Arts Reference ML 138 .B6 D4 1988 [numerical index of collection]
Victor Young Collection.
A collection of music manuscripts, phonodiscs, and memorabilia relating to film composer Victor Young (1900-1956).
Special Collections
Creative Arts Reference ML 134 .Y65 B79 1983 [inventory of collection]
A Short Guide to Writing about Music.
An excellent style guide, largely organized by task, such as writing reviews, analyses, essays, research papers, and preparing a final manuscript
Creative Arts Reference ML 3797 .B4 2000
Irvine's Writing about Music.
3rd edition, updated by Mark A. Radice, of Demar Irvine's thorough style manual for writing about music. Divides into three large sections: "Style in the Manuscript," "Writing Skills," and "Combining Words and Music."
Creative Arts Reference ML 3797 .I79 1999
Writing about Music: An Introductory Guide.
A handbook for undergraduate students in music classes on writing and research methods.
Creative Arts Reference ML 3797 .W54 1996
Writing about Music: A Style Sheet from the editors of 19th-Century Music.
An expanded style sheet used for the journal 19th-Century Music, providing answers to the common problems editorial problems encountered when writing about music. Includes chapters on music terminology, narrative text, citations, music examples, tables and illustrations, and the printed program.
Creative Arts Reference Creative Arts Reference ML 3797 .H6 W6 1988
A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.
Essential style guidelines for undergraduate and graduate students writing term papers, theses, and dissertations in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Based on the Chicago Manual of Style
Creative Arts Reference LB 2369 .T8 1996
The Chicago Manual of Style.
The standard guide to English editorial practice, offering guidelines for bibliographic citations and writing style. Excellent indexing accesses specific details for citing documentation in formal papers, theses and dissertations, and submissions for publication.
Creative Arts Reference Z 253 .U69 1993
The Oxford English Grammar.
An easy-to-use, comprehensive guide to correct grammar in the English language.
Main Reference PE 1106 .G744 1996
The Notes Style Sheet
Maintained by the editors of Notes: The Journal of the Music Library Association.
http://libdra.hartford.edu/html/notes/stylesheet.html
A Brief Citation Guide for Internet Sources in History and the Humanities.
Offers suggestions for citations of Internet sources in history and the historically based humanities derived from the essential principles academic citation.
http://library.byu.edu/~rdh/eurodocs/cite.html
The Columbia Guide to Online Style: MLA Style Citations of Electronic Sources.
Endorsed by the Alliance for Computers & Writing.
http://www.cas.usf.edu/english/walker/mla.html
Music in the Net (Music Resources).
Outstanding and up-to-date international directory to a vast array of Internet resources on all aspects of music. Maintained by the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland.
http://www.siba.fi/Kulttuuripalvelut/music.html
Classical Music Library.
Points to scholarly and recreational Web sites dealing with a wide scope of classical music. British-based but internationally focused, up-to-date, and continually expanding. Part of the World Wide Web Virtual Library.
http://www.gprep.org/classical
Internet Resources for Music Scholars.
A selective directory of Internet resources for music research. Maintained by the Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library, Harvard University.
http://hcl.harvard.edu/loebmusic/online-ir-intro.html
Worldwide Internet Music Resources.
A copious directory of Internet resources on classical, popular, and ethnic music maintained by the music library at Indiana University.
http://www.music.indiana.edu/music_resources
Web Resources for Jewish Music.
Useful guide to a wide variety of Internet resources on Jewish music.
http://www.jmwc.org/jmwc_webres.html
Evaluating Information on the Web.
This site will help you in evaluating whether a Web site is good or bad.
http://lts.brandeis.edu/research/help/guides/webeval.html
