Research Guides: MUSC 210 and 211: Western Art Music: Reference

Music Collection Call Numbers

Floorplan: Stauffer 2nd floor Music Collection. Items are arranged according to the Library of Congress Classification.

Generally, items are shelved alphabetically in author order within each subject class number.

M - Scores. Scores are shelved in 3 sections, by size: miniature (study scores), regular stacks and oversize.
ML - Books on music literature, history and criticism. The BIOGRAPHY/CRITICISM number for composers is ML410. Books are grouped in alphabetical order by the biographee/subject. e.g. Bruckner ML410 .B88
MT - Books on Music Theory, Teaching/pedagogy or Technique for instrumental/vocal study

Essential Reference

The Harvard Dictionary of Music by Don Michael Randel
Classic reference work. Defines key music terms and concepts in concise entries but contains no biographical information. Includes non-Western and popular music and musical instruments of all cultures.
Music Ref. ML100 .A64 2003
Oxford/Grove Music Online
Online version of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. A comprehensive encyclopedia for the history of all genres of music. Includes illustrations and bio-bibliographical information. Updated articles date-stamped in upper right corner of screen.
The Oxford Dictionary of Music by Tim Rutherford-Johnson; Michael Kennedy; Joyce Kennedy
The sixth edition of this classic dictionary revised and updated online. Coverage of composers, librettists, singers, orchestras, important ballets and operas, and musical instruments and their history with expanded coverage of popular music, ethnomusicology, modern and contemporary composers, music analysis, and recording technology.

The Routledge Handbook of Women's Work in Music by Rhiannon Mathias (Editor)
Publication Date: 2021-12-30
Women's contributions to Western and Eastern art music, popular music, world music, music education, ethnomusicology and the music industries. Part II focuses on historical and/or neglected composers. Part III explores feminist aesthetics and music creation and Part IV focuses on questions addressing the performance and reception of music and musicians.

Bibliographic and Historical Reference Tools

Historical sets, collected editions, and monuments of music : a guide to their contents. 3rd ed. / compiled by Anna Harriet Heyer.

Music Ref. ML113 .H52 1980 2 v.

A listing of scholarly or critical published series of complete works of composers, or historical sets of music by time period, musical genre or geographic region. Many volumes-in-progress before 1980 were mapped out in the bibliography and have subsequently been published. Some still are awaiting publication. Check Omni and shelves M1-5 for the contents of these series received on standing order.

Music reference and research materials : an annotated bibliography / V.H. Duckles, I. Reed. 5th ed.
Music Ref. ML113 .D83 1997 and copy in Music Stacks

The Oxford history of Western music / Richard Taruskin.
Music Ref. ML160 .T18 2005 6 vols.

Challenging the received wisdom of the field, musicologist Richard Taruskin sets the details of music and the chronological sweep of figures, works, and musical ideas within the larger context of world affairs and cultural history. Greater attention is given to the full range of 20th century music, including American music as part of the mainstream tradition of western music, women in music, and popular musics.

More Reference Tools

Baker's biographical dictionary of musicians. Enl. ed.
Music Ref. ML105 .B16 2001 6 vols.

Short biographies of musical personalities past and present. Centennial ed. includes popular music figures.

Encyclopedia of Music in Canada

Subsumed by The Canadian Encyclopedia, EMC now freely accessible and updated online by Historica Canada. Most authoritative first point of reference for researching the music of Canada.

Print: Encyclopedia of music in Canada, 2nd ed. - Kallman and Potvin, eds. Music Ref. ML106 .C3 E52 1992t

Encyclopédie de la musique au Canada, 2nd ed. Music Ref. ML106 .C3 E5214 1993 3 v.

The Encyclopaedia of music in Ireland / eds. Harry White & Barra Boydell

Music Ref. ML101.I73 E53 2013 2 vols.

First comprehensive attempt to chart Irish musical experience across recorded history and document Ireland's musical relations with the world at large. Alphabetical listing.

Encyclopedia of Native American Music of North America / Elaine Keillor, Tim Archambault, and John M.H. Kelly

Music Ref. ML102 .N37 K45 2013

The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online

Web access to The Garland encyclopedia of world music, the first encyclopedia devoted to the music of all the world's peoples, with each volume devoted to a single region. Print edition: Music Ref. ML100 .G16 1997- 10 vols., accompanied by 9 CDs (SRCD97-121 v. 1-9) on the CD shelves.

Grove Music Online

Updated web access through Oxford Music Online to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Music Ref. ML100 .N48 2001 29 vols.

Also provides access to the Oxford Dictionary of Music and the Oxford Companion to Music.

Handbook of music terms / Parks Grant
Music Ref. ML108 .G844 H3

Oxford Bibliographies Online - Music

OBO Music lists books, journals, primary documents, web resources, and multimedia resources.

The Oxford companion to music

Can be searched alone or as part of Oxford Music Online. Music Ref. ML100 .O94 2002t

Successor to Percy Scholes' Oxford companion to music and Denis Arnold's The New Oxford companion to music.

Oxford Reference Online - Music

More than 69,000 concise definitions and in-depth, specialist encyclopedic entries on the wide range of subjects within the broad field of music.

RISM (International Inventory of Musical Sources)

Database documenting extant musical sources (manuscripts, printed music, writings on music theory,and libretti, mostly before 1800) available in world libraries, archives, monasteries and private collections.

Selected musical terms of non-Western cultures : a notebook-glossary / Walter Kaufmann

Music Ref. ML108 .K37 1990

Terminorum musicae index septem linguis redactus / Polyglot dictionary of musical terms (1978)
Music Ref. ML108 .T4

Translations of music terminology in seven languages: English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, and Russian.