MCC LIBRARY RESOURCES

MUSIC

This guide has been prepared by the MCC reference librarians to assist you with research for your class. If you need further assistance, please stop by the reference desk to consult with a librarian.

Reference Sources

Reference Sources are a good place to start your research. They can give you a concise overview of your topic, background information, facts & statistics, plus help you define and spell words, and focus your topic. Reference Sources include both books located in the Reference Collection and databases accessible on the Library Web Site under the link Reference Databases.

Call Number Title
General  
REF ML100.A48 The Facts on File Dictionary of Music
REF ML100.A64 The Harvard Dictionary of Music
REF ML100.B38 The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music
REF ML100.G16

The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music

REF ML100.N48 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
Biographical Works  
REF ML82.F76 From Convent to Concert Hall: A Guide to Women Composers
REF ML102.J3 F39 The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz
REF ML102.P66 B35 Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians Since 1990
REF ML105.B16 Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians
REF ML105.H38 The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music
REF ML105.I5 International Dictionary of Black Composers
REF ML390.G82 The Great Composers, Their Lives and Times
REF ML394.I26 Icons of Hip Hop
Broadway Musicals  
REF ML128.M78.B6 American Song : the Complete Musical Theatre Companion
REF ML128.M78.S86 Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers
Country Music, Folk Songs  
REF M1629.L83.F6 The Folk Songs of North America: in the English Language
REF ML102.C7.E54 The Encyclopedia of Country Music
REF ML102.C7.S73 Country Music: the Encyclopedia
REF ML156.4.F5.M43 Country Music Sources: A Biblio-Discography of Commercially Recorded Traditional Music
Opera  
REF ML102.O6 B55 The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Opera
REF ML102.O6 N5 The New Grove Dictionary of Opera
REF MT95.K52 The New Kobbe's Opera Book
Rock, Popular, Contemporary, Jazz  
REF ML102.J3.B55 The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz and Blues
REF ML102.J3.N48 The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz
REF ML102.P66.G84 The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
REF ML128.R6.P65 The Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs of the Rock and Roll Era, 1944-2000
REF ML156.4.J3.A45 All Music Guide to Jazz: the Definitive Guide to Jazz Music
REF ML3534.G754 The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Rock History
Musical Instruments  
REF ML102.I2.I5 Illustrated Encyclopedia of Musical Instruments
REF ML102.I5.B34 The Oxford Companion to Musical Instruments
REF ML102.I5.N48 The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments
REF ML102.P4.E5 Encyclopedia of Percussion
REF ML460.R2813 Musical Instruments: Craftmanship and Traditions from Prehistory to the Present
REF ML1000.C66 The Complete Encyclopedia of the Guitar: The Definitive Guide to the World's Most Popular Instrument

Reference Databases:

Some reference sources are available not only in print, but also online through the library web site. These sources often combine a variety of information found in other sources. They are full-text, and most are available off-campus with passwords you may obtain from the Reference Desk. Some of the reference databases useful for this subject area are listed below:

Database Name

Description

Oxford Music Online

cross-search the vast resources of Oxford's music reference in one location

Books & Media

The Stacks contain books and audiovisual items that may be borrowed or "checked out" of the library. These resources are useful when you need a more in-depth study of a topic than can be provided in reference sources alone. Use the Library's Online Catalog to determine what resources are available on your topic and the call number and location in the library. If our library does not own the necessary resources for your research needs, you may request additional items be ordered through interlibrary loan.

Possible search terms to use for your topic are:

Keywords

Subject Headings

romanticism and music

electronic music

women and composers

music theory

opera and history

folk music

Article Databases

Periodicals consist of popular magazines, newspapers, trade and scholarly journals. Magazine & newspaper articles can be good sources to use for very current information, to focus on specific topics or aspects of a topic, to find reviews, and for opinions. Trade journals are helpful to follow trends and career opportunities within a field, and to find practical tips and techniques to use "on the job". Scholarly journals give details of actual research studies that have been conducted and/or scholarly treatment of discipline specific topics. All of these resources can be located using the article databases located on the library web site.

Recommended Databases for Music

Database Name Description
JSTOR full-text database that includes music journals
Academic Search Premier multi-disciplinary database provides full text for more than 4,500 journals
ArticleFirst OCLC index of articles from the contents pages of journals
ProQuest multi-disciplinary full-text database; includes an Arts Module

Passwords to access the library databases from off-campus are available on the pink handout MCC Library Database Chart. If you have not received this handout, please ask for it at the Reference Desk.

Internet Resources

Recommended web sites for this subject are listed below. For additional web sites on this subject, refer to MCC Library's Web Sites by Subject link on the library web site.

Web Site Address
All About Opera www.allaboutopera.com
Classical Net www.classical.net
Classical Composers Database www.classical-composers.org
Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film www.musicals101.com
Ethnomusicology, Folk Music, and World Music www.lib.washington.edu/music/world.html
Essentials of Music www.essentialsofmusic.com
CHICO Instrument Encyclopedia www.si.umich.edu/chico/instrument/enclpdia1.html
Lester S Levy Collection of Sheet Music levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu
Music History 102: Western Composers and Their Music from the Middle Ages to the Present www.ipl.org/div/mushist/
Music Intervals Tutor www.musicalintervalstutor.info
Romantics Unbound: Romanticism in Music www.romanticsunbound.net/music.html
Worldwide Internet Music Resources (Indiana University) library.music.indiana.edu/music_resources


Remember to carefully evaluate information found on the Internet. Unlike most traditional print sources, Internet sources may not go through any review process before the information is made available to the public. Anyone can create and publish a web site. If you need help evaluating your sources, please ask at the Reference Desk for guidance. For critieria to use to evaluate your sources refer to our handout on Evaluating Sources. It is available at the Reference Desk.

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