Subject Guide: Music

This subject guide lists music resources available both in print and electronic formats at North Carolina Central University Libraries. This is a selective list of resources that are useful for locating material in this field. Library location and call number are provided for print publications.

Music-Specific Databases

Multi-Disciplinary Databases

Journal Indexes / Abstracts / Union Catalog

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Biographical Resources

Bibliographies and Bibliographies of Music

Genres

Web Links

Music-Specific Databases [ Top ]

African American Music Reference via Alexander Street Press

Coverage: African American Music Reference contains 50,000 pages that offers the first comprehensive coverage of blues, jazz, spirituals, civil rights songs, slave songs, minstrelsy, rhythm and blues, gospel, and other forms of black American musical expression. This release includes 3,323 essays and images from 84 sources, over 23,603 pages.

American Song via Alexander Street Press

Coverage: American Song is a history database that allows people to hear and feel the music from America's past. The database includes songs by and about American Indians, miners, immigrants, slaves, children, pioneers, and cowboys. Included in the database are the songs of Civil Rights, political campaigns, Prohibition, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, anti-war protests, and more.

Classical Music Library via Alexander Street Press

Coverage: Classical Music Library is the world's largest multi-label database of Classical music recordings for listening and learning in libraries. The growing collection of 50,000-plus tracks includes recordings from the world's greatest labels including Hyperion, Bridge Records, Sanctuary Classics, Artemis-Vanguard, Hänssler Classic, Vox and many more. Coverage includes music written from the earliest times (e.g. Gregorian Chant) to the present, including many contemporary composers. Repertoire ranges from vocal and choral music, to chamber, orchestral, solo instrumental, and opera.

Classical Music Reference Library via Alexander Street Press

Coverage: Classical Music Reference Library brings together more than 30,000 pages of essential reference materials, spanning the entire history of Western classical music, in a unified online database. Included are the authoritative reference titles Baker's Dictionary of Music, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, and Baker's Student Encyclopedia of Music, which are available for the first time in electronic form.

Classical Scores Library via Alexander Street Press

Coverage: Classical Scores Library will contain 400,000 pages of the most important classical scores and manuscripts, allowing for the study and analysis of more than 15,000 scores.

Contemporary World Music via Alexander Street Press

Coverage: Contemporary World Music delivers the sounds of all regions from every continent. The database will contain important genres such as reggae, worldbeat, neo-traditional, world fusion, Balkanic jazz, African film, Bollywood, Arab swing and jazz, and other genres such as traditional music - Indian classical, fado, flamenco, klezmer, zydeco, gospel, gagaku, and more.

Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online via Alexander Street Press

Coverage: The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online is the first comprehensive online resource devoted to music research of all the world's peoples. More than 9,000 pages of material, combined with entries by more than 700 expert contributors from all over the world, make this the most complete body of work focused on world music.

Jazz Music Library via Alexander Street Press

Coverage: Jazz Music Library is the largest and most comprehensive collection of jazz available online — with thousands of jazz artists, ensembles, albums, and genres.

JSTOR
Coverage: Archive of over 100 full text scholarly journals in the arts and sciences. Does not include issues from recent volumes usually the last 2-5 years.

Music Index Online

Coverage: The Music Index ONLINE edition features over 1.4 million records. The searchable database is updated quarterly with about 100,000 new records added annually. Covering all styles and genres of music. It duly cites book reviews, obituaries, new periodicals, and news and articles about music, musicians, and the music industry.

Music Online via Alexander Street Press

Coverage: Music Online is the broadest and most comprehensive online music resource that cross-searches all of following Alexander Street Press music databases.

NAXOS JAZZ
Coverage: NAXOS Jazz database includes the Fantasy label, which has the world's best variety of Jazz repertoire and offers the very best in Blues and R & B. the database has over 23,00 tracks, 1,800 albums and 500 renowned artists.

NAXOS Music Library
Coverage: The NAXOS Music Library is a comprehensive collection of Classical music. It includes the complete NAXOS and Marco Polo catalogues of over 130,000 tracks, and also includes other genres such as Jazz, Blues, World and Chinese music. It provides biographical information on composers or artists and it allows you to listen as you read notes on the works being played.

Oxford Music Online
Coverage: Oxford Music Online comprises the full text of the New Oxford Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Oxford Dictionary of Opera, and the New Oxford Dictionary of Jazz. It provides written music examples, biographies, bibliographies, illustrations, sound archives and etc.

RILM Abstracts of Music Literature
Coverage: The RILM Abstracts of Music Literature is a comprehensive international index of scholarly writings on all types and aspects of music. It provides citations and abstracts for journal articles, books, bibliographies, catalogues, dissertations, festschriften, films, videos, iconographies, ethnographic recording, concert reviews and etc. from 1967 to the present.

Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries via Alexander Street Press

Coverage: Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries is a virtual encyclopedia of the world's musical and aural traditions. The collection provides educators, students, and interested listeners with an unprecedented variety of online resources that support the creation, continuity, and preservation of diverse musical forms

Multi-Disciplinary Databases [ Top ]

Academic Search Premier via EBSCOhost
Coverage: Provides abstracts and indexing for over 3,200 scholarly journals covering a wide variety of subject areas from 1984 to present. Includes many complete articles from over 1,000 journals including 380 journals dating back to 1990.

Biography and Genealogy Master Index via the Gale Group.
Coverage: Provides a comprehensive compilation of bibliographical citations indexing over four million contemporary and historical figures from around the world.

Business and Company Resource Center via Gale Group
Coverage: Business and Company Resource Center is a fully integrated resource bringing together company profiles, brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies and periodicals. Search this database to find detailed company, and industry, news and information.

Business NewsBank via NewsBank
Coverage: Full text news sources about business from over 500 sources in the US. 1993-- to present

Business Source Premier via EBSCOhost
Coverage: Provides abstracts and indexing for over 1,500 business magazines and periodicals from 1984 to present, including The Wall Street Journal. Includes many complete articles from more than 750 business periodicals.

CQ Electronic Library via CQ Press
Coverage: CQ Electronic Library provides access to over 3,000 journals, magazines and newspapers articles on current and controversial issues.

CQ Researcher Online via CQ Press
Coverage: The CQ Researcher provides original, comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues shaping our world. Each 12,000-word report is a unique work, investigated and written by a seasoned journalist. Published 44 times a year, CQ Researcher reports offer in-depth, non-biased coverage of political and social issues, with regular reports on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the U.S. economy.

Current Contents Connect via ISI Web of Knowledge
Coverage: 1998 to the present. It covers agriculture, behavioral sciences, clinical medicine, life sciences, computer, technology, electronics, engineering and art & humanities.

Derwent Innovations Index via Web of Knowledge
Coverage:1966 to present. Derwent Innovations Index opens the power of patent and citation searching. It combines value-added patent records from Derwent World Patents Index with patent citation information from Patents Citation Index.

Education Full Text via H.W. Wilson Co.
Coverage: Education Full Text brings you comprehensive coverage of an international range of English-language periodicals, monographs and yearbooks. Full text of articles, with indexing cover to cover, from hundreds of journals, make this a one-stop source for research. Coverage includes about 79 journals (37 with full text) not covered by ERIC’s CIJE. Included are up-to-date subject headings keeping pace with today’s changing issues and terminology. Graphical content also adds a key dimension to research—PDF page images accompany full text articles, offering both words and images.

Education Research Complete via EBSCOhost
Coverage: Education Research Complete is the definitive online resource for education research. This massive file offers the world's largest and most complete collection of full text education journals. It is a bibliographic and full text database covering scholarly research and information relating to all areas of education. Topics covered include all levels of education from early childhood to higher education, and all educational specialties, such as multilingual education, health education, and testing. Education Research Complete also covers areas of curriculum instruction as well as administration, policy, funding, and related social issues. The database provides indexing and abstracts for more than 1,780 journals, as well as full text for more than 870 journals. This database also includes full text for 71 books and monographs, and full text for numerous education-related conference papers.

Encyclopedia Britannica Online
Coverage: Online version of the popular reference tool, Encyclopedia Britannica.

ERIC via EBSCOhost
Coverage: Indexes over 750 journals in the field of education from 1966 to present. Includes full text of ERIC Digests from 1967 to present.

Expanded Academic ASAP via Gale

Coverage: From arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology, this database meets research needs across all academic disciplines. Access scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and images. 1980 - Current.

LexisNexis Academic via LexisNexis
Coverage: Provides full-text documents from over 5,900 news, business, legal, medical, and reference publications. These sources include U.S. Federal and State case law, codes, regulations, Shepard's Citations for all U.S. Supreme Court cases back to 1789, company financial information, and industry and market news.

Library Literature & Information Science via H. W. Wilson Co.

Coverage: Reflecting the latest trends in a rapidly evolving field, this database indexes English and foreign-language periodicals, selected state journals, conference proceedings, pamphlets, books, and library school theses, plus over 300 books per year. This invaluable resource delivers full text articles cover to cover from over a hundred select publications. PDF page images of the full text articles bring researchers charts, graphs, photos, and other valuable graphical information. Providing enhanced access to your periodical collection, this database also steers users to valuable information on the Web with hotlinks to sites mentioned in articles.

MasterFile Premier via EBSCOhost
Coverage:Covers a wide variety of topics from about 3,100 magazines and journals from 1984 to present. Includes many complete articles from more than 1500 periodicals from 1990 to present.

MAS Ultra - School Edition via EBSCOhost
Coverage: A comprehensive general reference database designed for high school and junior college libraries. Includes reports and special issues from over 460 of the most wanted K-12 magazines, Essential Documents in American History (a database of over 1,000 original historical documents including The Bill of Rights, The Constitution, The Federalist Papers and the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), over 3,000 charts, tables and graphs, coverage of the CIA World Factbook, Magill's Book Reviews, and searchable full text for 145 Macmillan Books. Total coverage includes over 1 million articles.

Middle Search Plus via EBSCOhost
Coverage: Designed to assist middle and junior high school students in learning how to research current events and information on a wide range of general topics. Also includes the Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, The Encyclopedia of Animals, Essential Documents in American History, and coverage of the CIA World Factbook. Includes nearly 400,000 articles.

netLibrary via netLibrary
Coverage: Provides easy access to the full text of more than 10,000 reference, scholarly, and professional books.

PBS Video Collection via NC LIVE

Coverage: A selection of nearly 250 PBS programs, including films from award winning

documentarian Ken Burns, and series such as Scientific American Frontiers, American

Experience, and Frontline. These videos are available using video stream and require Adobe

Flash Player Version 9.0 or higher.

Project Muse via Johns Hopkins University
Coverage: Provides online access to the full text of the John Hopkins University Press's 40+ scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences and Mathematics.

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) via ProQuest

Coverage: Includes over 2 million master's theses and dissertations, with over 60,000 titles added every year. It's a great resource for researchers in a wide variety of fields.

WorldCat via OCLC FirstSearch
Coverage: Union catalog of materials held in libraries world-wide.

Journal Indexes / Abstracts / Union Catalog [ Top ]

JSTOR
Coverage: Archive of over 100 full text scholarly journals in the arts and sciences. Does not include issues from recent volumes usually the last 2-5 years.

Music Index Online

WorldCat via OCLC FirstSearch
Coverage: Union catalog of materials held in libraries world-wide.

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias [ Top ]

The American Musical Theatre Song Encyclopedia. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1995. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .M88 H59 1995]

The Dictionary of American Pop/Rock: rock, pop, rhythm & blues, folk, country, blues, gospel, jazz, films, musical theater, recording & music business. New York: Schirmer Books, 1982. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .P66 S5]

The Dictionary of Opera. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1983. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .O6 O8]

Encyclopedia of Big Band Classics. New Jersey: Warner Brothers, 1988. [MUSIC Ref. M1507 .E572]

Encyclopedia of Keyboard Instruments: The Piano. New York: Garland, 1994. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .K5 E53]

Encyclopedia of Percussion. New York: Garland, 1995. [MUSIC Ref. ML102.P4 E5]

Encyclopedia of Rock. New York: Schirmer Books, 1988. [MUSIC Ref. ML102.R6 E5 1988]

Encyclopedia of Rhythm & Blues and Doo-Wop Vocal Groups. Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2000. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .P66 R67 2000]

The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre. New York: Schirmer Books, 1994. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .M88 1994]

The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. New York: Garland Publications, 1997 [MUSIC Ref. ML100 .G18]

The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. New York: Stockton Press, 1995. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .P66 G84 1995]

The La Scala Encyclopedia of the Opera. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .O6 L14 1993]

The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. New York: MacMillan Publishers Limited, 2002. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .J3 N48 2002]

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Oxford: Grove, 2001. [MUSIC Ref. ML100 .N48 2001]

The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. New York: Grove Dictionaries of Music, 1984. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .I5]

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Oxford: Grove, 1997. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .O6 N5 1997]

The New Oxford Companion to Music. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. [Shepard Ref. ML100 .S37 2002]

Biographical Resources [ Top ]

Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1982. [MUSIC Ref. ML105 .S67 1982]

Biographical Dictionary of Jazz. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1982. [MUSIC Ref. ML390 .C59]

Black Conductors. New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1995. [MUSIC Ref. ML402 .H36 1995]

The Dictionary of Composers and their Music: Every Listener’s Companion: Arranged Chronologically and Alphabetically. New York: Paddington Press, 1978. [MUSIC Ref. ML113 .G4]

The Music Index. Michigan: Information Coordinators, 1949-. [Shepard and Music Ref. ML118 .M84]

Bibliographies and Bibliographies of Music [ Top ]

As the Black School Sings: Black Music Collections at Black Universities and Colleges with a Union List of Book Holding. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1987. [MUSIC Ref. ML128 .B45 S7]

Bibliography of Black Music. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1982. [MUSIC Ref. ML128 .B45 D44]

Blacks in Classical Music: A Bibliographic Guide to Composers, Performers, and Ensembles. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988. [MUSIC Ref. ML128 .B45 G7 1988]

Catalogue of Choral Music Arranged in Biblical Order. Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1996. [MUSIC Ref. ML128 .C54 L4 1996]

Choral Music by Afro-American Composers: A selected, annotated bibliography. New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1981. [MUSIC Ref. ML128 .C48 W5]

Piano Music by Black Women Composers. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1987. [Ref. ML128 .P3 W3 1992]

Salsa and Related Genres: A Bibliographical Guide. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1992. [MUSIC Ref. ML128 .S24 F5 1992]

String Music of Black Composers: A bibliography. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1991. [MUSIC Ref. ML128 .B45 H7 1991]

Genres [ Top ]

Folk Music Resources

Dictionary of American Pop/Rock: rock, pop, rhythm & blues, folk, country, blues, gospel, jazz, films, musical theater, recording, & music business. New York: Collier Macmillan Publishing Company, 1982. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .P66 S5]

The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. New York: Garland Publishing, 2002. [MUSIC Ref. ML100 .G16]

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. New York: Grove Dictionaries Inc., 2001. [MUSIC Ref. ML100 .N48 2001]

Jazz Music Resources

Biographical Dictionary of Jazz. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1982. [MUSIC Ref. ML390 .C59]

The Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Seventies. New York: Horizon Press, 1976. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .F35 E7]

The Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Sixties. New York: Horizon, 1966. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .F35 E6]

Goldmine’s Price Guide to Collectible Jazz Albums 1949-1969. Wisconsin: Krause Publications, 1994. [MUSIC Ref. ML156.4 .J3 U4 1994]

Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz. New York: Harmony Books, 1978. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .J3 C34]

Jazz, A Photo History. New York: Schirmer Books, 1978. [MUSIC Ref. ML3506 .B4173]

Jazz and Blues Lover’s Guide to the U.S. Maryland: Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1994. [MUSIC Ref. ML3508 .B57 1994]

The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. New York: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2002. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .J3 N48 2002]

Talking Jazz: An Illustrated Oral History. California: Pomegranate Artbooks, 1992. [MUSIC Ref. ML394 .S52 1992]

Who’s Who of Jazz: Storyville to Swing Street. Pennsylvania: Chilton Book Company, 1972. [MUSIC Ref. ML106 .U3 C5]

Music Education

A Guide to Research in Music Education. New Jersey: Scarecrow, 1993. [MUSIC Ref. MT1 .P5 1992]

Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning. New York: Schirmer Books, 1992. [MUSIC Ref. MT1 .H138 1992]

Music Education, and Multiculturalism: Foundations and Principles. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. [MUSIC Ref. MT4 V65 1998]

Music Industry

All You Need to Know About the Music Business. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. [MUSIC RESERVE ML3790 .P35 1997]

The Dictionary of Music Business Terms. California: Mixbooks, 1998. [MUSIC Ref. KF4290 .W52]

More About This Business of Music. New York: Billboard Books, 1994. [MUSIC RESERVE ML3790 .K72 1994]

Music, Money, and Success: the Insider’s Guide to the Music Industry. New York: Schirmer Books, 1994. [MUSIC Ref. ML3790 .B72 1994]

The Musician’s Business & Legal Guide. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 2001. [MUSIC Ref. ML3790 .M84 2001]

The Performing Arts Business Encyclopedia. New York: Allworth Press, 1996. [MUSIC Ref. KF4290 .A68 D8 1996]

Popular Music Resources

American Popular Music: A Reference Guide. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1983. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .P66 B65]

The Big Band Almanac. New York: Da Capo Press, 1989. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .B5 W34 1989]

The Complete Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Jazz 1900-1950. New York: Arlington House Publisher, 1974. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .P66 K55 ]

Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock and Soul. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1989. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .P66 S7 1989.]

Encyclopedia of Rock. New York: MacDonald & Company, 1987. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .R6 E5 1988]

From Swing to Soul: An Illustrated History of African American Popular Music from 1930 to 1960. District of Columbia: Ellington & Clark Publishing, 1994. [MUSIC Ref. ML3479 .B37 1994]

The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. New York: Garland Publishers, 1998. [MUSIC Ref. ML100 .G16]

The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. New York: Stockton Press, 1995. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .P66 G84 1995]

The Oxford Companion to Popular Music. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .P66 G35 1991]

Rock Movers & Shakers. New York: Billboards Books, 1991. [MUSIC Ref. ML394 .R43 1991.]

The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll. New York: Random House, 1976. [MUSIC Ref. ML3561 .R62]

Soul Music A-Z. New York: Da Capo Press, 1995. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .S65 G7 1995]

Soul Music: Who’s Who. California: Prima Publishing, 1992. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .S65 T43 1992]

Stars of Soul and Rhythm & Blues. New York: Billboard Books, 1994. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .S65 H55 1994]

Sacred Music

Catalogue of Choral Music Arranged in Biblical Order. Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1996. [MUSIC Ref. ML128 .C54 L4 1996]

Choral Music by African American Composers. Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1996. [MUSIC Ref. ML128 .C48 W5 1996]

A Dictionary of Protestant Church Music. New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1975. [MUSIC Ref. ML102 .C5 D33]

Key Words in Church Music. Missouri: Publishing House, 1978. [MUSIC RESERVE ML102 .C5 K5]

Hymnal Handbook for Standard Hymns and Gospel Songs. New York: AMS, 1975. [MUSIC RESERVE ML3186 .R68]

Other Books of Interest

The History of Jazz. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. [MUSIC RESERVE ML3506 .G56]

A History of Jazz in America. New York: Da Capo Press, 1972. [MUSIC RESERVE ML3561 .J3 U5 1972]

Jazz in theSixties: The Expansion of Musical Resources and Techniques. Iowa: University of Iowa Press, 1978. [MUSIC RESERVE ML3561 .J3 B88]

Jazz Masters in Transition, 1957-69. New York: Da Capo Press, 1980. [MUSIC RESERVE ML3506. W54]

Jazz Masters of the Fifties. New York: Da Capo Press, 1980. [MUSIC RESERVE ML3506 .G64]

Jazz Masters of the Forties. New York: Collier Macmillan Publishers, 1966. [MUSIC RESERVE ML3506 . G58]

Jazz Masters of the Twenties. New York: Da Capo Press, 1986. [MUSIC RESERVE ML394 .H33]

Web Links [ Top ]

Classic Music

Classical Composers Database
A good starting place for anyone looking for information on classical composers, dead, alive, famous or not so famous. A basic biography about the composer is given, as well as links to sites specifically about the composer.

Classical Net
This site features reviews of more than 1800 CDs, as well as 5500 files and over 3800 links to a wide array of classical music sites.

Essentials of Music
Built around the W.W. Norton & Co. Essential Classics series, this website is designed to introduce you to the best music of every period. The site includes a glossary of music terms, brief composer biographies, an overview of periods of music, and musical example soundbites.

Free Classical Sheet Music
This site has free classical sheet music for downloading and classical midi files for listening.

Werner Icking Music Archive
Contains sheet music for classical music.

Folk Music

Contemplator-Folk Music of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and America

FolkLib Index: A Library of Folk Music Links
The FolkLib Index is an on-going attempt to index information on the World Wide Web that is related to Folk Music, Bluegrass and Old-Time Music, Acoustic Blues, Fingerstyle Acoustic Guitarists, Harp Players and a very special emphasis on everything to do with Wisconsin music and musicians.

The Mudcat Café
Lyrics of 9000 songs.

Smithsonian Folkways Record
Smithsonian Folkways Record is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, the national museum of the United States. Topics include traditional, ethnic and contemporary music from around the world; poetry, spoken world and instructional recordings in numerous languages, and documentary recordings of individuals, communities, current events and natural sounds. You can order the music on this website and listen to samples of the online music, as well as access the lyrics transcriptions.

Jazz

A Great Day in Harlem
Photographs and biographies of jazz greats.

Jazz
Online version of Ken Burns’s Jazz documentary.

Jazz Links
Collection of sites of artists, jazz history, labels, photos, online sources, and information for collectors.

Jazz Roots
Contains archives, pictures, timeline, links, and more.

Red Hot Jazz Archive
This site contains articles, films, and audio clips and describes artists and bands of the Jazz Age and earlier.

BigBands
Search by band, musician, song, or keyword to learn about the big band era in this country and abroad; study chords; find out about Dixieland, jazz, the Harlem scene, swing, and Latin bands; learn dances; see the charts; find working bands; and more

Charts All over the World
What's popular in the U.S.A. and abroad.

Music Education

American Orff-Schulwerk Association
Contains information on music and movement.

MENC The National Association for Music Education
Contains information on MENC, state Music Education Associations, the MENC Job Center, classroom resources, industry contacts, meetings and conferences, and more.

Music Teachers National Association
Contains information about their organization, conferences, professional resources, and more.

Music Industry

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) ACE ON THE WEB
ASCAP is music-licensing agent, which can grant permission for performance of songs. Search by song title, Writer, performer, or publisher.

BMI
BMI is a music-licensing agent, which can grant permission for performances of the songs that it licenses. You can search the database by song titles, artists, composers and lyricists, or publishers

Public Domain Music
This site gives you the information you need to decide if a song is in the public domain. It also gives a list of songs known to be copyright free. Be aware that although a song may be in the public domain, a specific arrangement might not, so it is best to check with the copyright owner if listed.

U.S. Copyright Office
The home page of the United States Copyright Office. Copyright terms are explained and telephone help-line numbers are provided. Copyright forms can be printed from this site, filled out and mailed to the copyright office. Follow the directions provided at the web site

Opera

All About Opera
Contains information on more than 600 operas and composers. The site also includes articles from various newspapers and magazines on opera singers and other opera related subjects.

The Metropolitan Opera
One of the world’s leading opera companies.

Opera America
The national service organization for opera, supporting the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera.

OperaGlass
Contains information on operas and an index of over 4,000 opera composers.

Popular Music

Argus Music Searcher
This site allows you to search a wide selection of quality music resources on the World Wide Web in an easy way.

Popular Songs in American History
Contains songs, lyrics and a little history.

Sacred

The Cyber Hymnal
This site contains Christian hymns and Gospel songs from many denomination. It contains lyric, scores, MIDI files, pictures, history, and more.

HymnSite.com
Contains hymns, lyrics and music.

NewSong’s Old Songs…MIDI Hymns
Contains a list of midi soundbytes for hymns.

Sacred Harp Singing
Contains information regarding shape note singing, a style that began in early 1800s. It has various links to other music sources.

SongQuery
An index to books containing Christian songs.

Sheet Music

African American Sheet Music 1850-1920: Selected from the Collections of Brown University
This collection consists of 1,305 pieces of African-American sheet music dating from 1850 through 1920. The collection includes many songs from the heyday of antebellum black face minstrelsy in the 1850s and from the abolitionist movement of the same period.

America Singing Nineteenth Century Song Sheets (Library of Congress)
A collection of song sheets from the turn of the century to the 1880’s.

Freesheetmusic.net
Contains free sheet music and links.

Historic American Sheet Music / Duke
The Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library at Duke University holds a significant collection of 19th and early 20th century American sheet music.

Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music /John Hopkins
Focuses on popular American music spanning the period 1780 to 1960.

Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, 1870-1885 / Library of Congress
Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music contains more than 62,500 pieces of historical sheet music registered for copyright: more than 15,000 registered during the years 1820-1860 and more than 47,000 registered during the years 1870-1885. Included are popular songs, operatic arias, piano music, sacred and tra.secular choral music, solo instrumental music, method books and instructional materials, and music for band and orchestra.

Werner Icking Music Archive
Contains sheet music for classical music.

Additional Internet websites

Billboard Spotlight Reviews
Contains reviews, news, features, columns, and more.

Musical Cast Album Database
Lists of recordings of shows with songs, singers, labels, theater premier data, and associated information.

Musicjobs.com
This site provides links to online job search pages nation-wide.

Solomon's Glossary of Technical Music Terms
From a cappella to whole tone scales, hundreds of terms succinctly explained.

Worldwide Internet Music Resources
This large index from the Music Library at Indiana University includes links to groups and ensembles, performance-related sites, composers and composition, music genres, and many useful links under Research and Study, including scores, journals, music theory, music history, music schools, professional societies, and the commercial world of music.

All Music Guide
A database about music, music reviews, artist biography, and etc.

[ Top ]

<--Back to Subject Guides

<--Back to Library Home

This page was last updated: November 13th, 2009

Send comments to: Library Liaison for Music and Web Liaison