Music: Reference Sources

This set includes information about almost any musical topic that you can think of. It includes composers and musicians, along with complete bibliographies of all their works. It also includes musical terms, instruments, and even some photos and diagrams that demonstrate how instruments are put together. This would be most useful when you are researching a particular composer and/or you need a starting point for your research.

Alternatively, you can search Oxford Music Online:

Search Oxford Music Online

This dictionary is specifically for musical instruments. It includes the name and functions of almost every instrument, including those from different cultures and times in history. It also includes photos and diagrams to help you understand the instrument better. This dictionary could be useful if you are researching the history of a particular instrument, or if you need to research an uncommon or ethnic instrument.

This book is a collection of entries about composers and musicians throughout history. It contains well known musicians, as well as some that are lesser known. This could be useful if you want to research 20th century musicians and composers.

This annotated bibliography is a comprehensive guide to 3,500 key sources. This book is most useful to help introduce you to the music reference and research materials available.

This book is a list of collected sets and their volumes. It is very useful in helping you navigate the collected works that we have here in the Music Library and to learn more about the contents of each specific volume.

Similar to the previous item, this book contains lists of collected sets and their volumes. It could be beneficial to look through both of these books to help you navigate the collected works that we have here in the Music Library, as they vary in the content and collections included.

This source lists pieces of music, along with books and articles that have been written about each piece. While this is not a source that you would want to cite in a research paper, it could help you find sources to consult about the particular piece of music that you are researching.

This source is a chronology of important events that happened in musical history, pieces that were composed during that time, and so on. This would be very useful for someone who is researching a general time period in music history.

This encyclopedia set includes information about music, including musical examples, from all over the world. Each volume focuses on a specific region of the world. This source is particularly helpful for students in world music classes or music history classes, as it will help you research a particular place in the world.

This encyclopedia set, first published in 1992, covers popular artists and songs from throughout the 20th century. It contains a full bibliography of each artist/band's work. If you're researching a specific artist or song from this time period, this may help you narrow down your search.

This dictionary contains information on a huge number of jazz artists and their works. Each artist's profile includes a brief biography, followed by lists of their works and selected recordings of their works. This source is helpful if you want to learn more about a particular artist, or if you are looking to research a general jazz topic and need a place to start.

This source is a more comprehensive study of jazz. It includes fewer lists and more information on not just the artists, but also different types of jazz from around the world. This would be a good source to consult for an assignment focusing on the history and origins of jazz.

This source is a comprehensive compilation of information about operas and composers of operas. Each opera entry includes the name of the opera, the composer, the date, and descriptions of the setting and each act of the opera. For each composer, all of their works are listed, along with descriptions and summaries of each opera and act. If you want to study a particular opera or a composer who is most well-known for opera, this will help you narrow down your search.

This dictionary includes not only operas and opera composers, but also a list of songs from operas. This can be helpful if you are researching a particular song and need to identify which opera it is a part of and its context within the opera.