Music Research Guide
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Note: Off-campus access to some online sources is restricted to current UCF students, faculty,
and staff via Proxy connection
Books, Multimedia, and Scores
http://library.ucf.edu
Use the online catalog to locate books, multimedia (CDs, audio cassettes, phono records),
and scores in the UCF Libraries. You can search by author, title, keyword, or subject.
- To search for a person, as AUTHOR or SUBJECT, search
by last name, first name without punctuation; for example:
- Beach H H A Mrs
- Bernstein Leonard
- Still William Grant
- To search for a performing group, as AUTHOR or SUBJECT,
simply type the name of the group; for example:
- Beach Boys
- London Symphony Orchestra
- New York Philharmonic
- To limit by FORMAT in order to find multimedia and scores, go to the
Advanced Search in the Library Catalog and use the Limit Search
By option.
- SUBJECT searching requires use of Library of Congress subject headings.
Here are some example subject headings:
- Arrangement (Music)
- Blues (Music)
- Choral music
- Composition (Music)
- Conducting
- Folk music
- Ethnomusicology
- Jazz
- Motion picture music
- Music
- Music theory
- Music trade
- Musical analysis
- Opera
- Piano
- Popular music
- Rock music
- Singing
- Women in music
- Women musicians
- If you are unsure of the exact title or unsure of the correct Library of Congress subject
heading, try a KEYWORD search using two or three of the most significant
words from the title or subject you are trying to find.
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Periodical Articles
Use the following print indexes and electronic databases to find articles (including reviews)
related to music or appearing in music periodicals. Once you have found the articles you want,
in some instances you will need to check the UCF
Library Catalog to determine if we own the periodicals you need.
Database that abstracts and indexes over 3,200 scholarly journals, and offers full text
(often dating back to 1990) for over 1,000 journals. A number of music journals are
covered, such as American Music, Computer Music Journal, Musical
Quarterly, Opera News, PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art.
This is the primary database in the field of education and should be consulted for music
education and music therapy topics. It indexes scholarly journals as well as ERIC documents.
This general database covers the humanities and sciences. It has references and full
text articles from many music journals such as Nineteenth Century Music,
Journal of Research in Music Education, Billboard, Ethnomusicology
and also general publications such as Time.
An electronic database of citations to articles appearing in more than 400 English-language
periodicals dealing with the humanities, including film. Preceded by the print index
Humanities Index (1974+).
Index AI 3 .R493 (1974+)
Lists by subject and author articles from approximately 350 English-language journals.
Continued by the electronic database
Humanities
Full Text (1984+).
Index to Record Reviews: Based on Material Originally Published in Notes, the Journal
of the Musical Library Association between 1949 and 1977
Reference ML 156.9 .M89 1978
Index to Record Reviews, 1978-1983
Reference ML 156.9 .M89 1985
Index to Record Reviews, 1984-1987
Reference ML 156.9 .M89 1989
Index to CD and Record Reviews, 1987-1997
Reference ML 156.9 .P35 1998
A cumulation, with three supplements, of the quarterly column in
Notes.
A guidebook to a huge body of critical writings about music recordings from about 50
periodicals and other sources.
Lexis-Nexis is a full text database containing access to more than 7,000 English language
newspapers, newsletters, magazines, trade journals, wire services and broadcast transcripts.
The database also offers international resources in French, Italian, and German. A good
source to get reviews of recent performances and recordings.
Music Index
Indexes more than 640 international music periodicals. Coverage is broad and includes
classical, world and popular music. It also has reviews of recordings and performances.
Abstracts are drawn from articles, books, conference proceedings, bibliographies, catalogues,
dissertations, festschriften, iconographies, critical commentaries to complete works,
reviews, etc.
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Key Journals
The following journals are devoted exclusively to some aspect of music. Please note, however,
that many other journals not listed here will contain articles about music; thus, the need to
consult a periodical database or
index. Current print issues of periodicals to which the UCF
Libraries subscribe are arranged by title on the third floor; print back issues are shelved
in the general collection by call number, while microform back issues are arranged by call number
on the third floor.
American Music Teacher
Online version (1991+)
Microfilm ML 1 .A5 (1951/52-1966/67)
General Collection ML 1 .A5 (1967+)
Provides articles, reviews and regular columns that inform, educate and challenge music
teachers and foster excellence in the music teaching profession.
Billboard
A leading music industry research and information source, reporting on entertainment
trends, technological developments, legal concerns, marketing, and performing artists.
The famous
Billboard charts (also available online at <
http://www.billboard.com/bb/index.jsp>
list best-selling titles in a variety of categories, including jazz, country, Latin,
and rock.
Early Music
General Collection ML 5 .E18 (1993+)
Covers Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and early classical music history and performance
practice. Includes reviews of books, music, and recordings.
Ethnomusicology
Microfilm ML 1 .E77 (1990-99)
General Collection ML 1 .E77 (2001+)
Articles of interest to musicians, cultural anthropologists, folklorists, and popular
culture scholars. Each issue contains reviews of books, recordings, films, and videos.
Journal of Music Theory
General Collection ML 1 .J68 (1957+)
Publishes scholarly articles on both contemporary and historical music theory and composition,
and covering all time periods.
Journal of Research in
Music Education
Online version (2001+)
Microfilm ML 1 .J6 (1953-67)
General Collection ML 1 .J6 (1968+)
The oldest journal of research in music education, with articles on historical, philosophical,
experimental educational research in the field.
Journal of the American
Musicological Society
Articles focus on music history, criticism, theory, analysis, ethnomusicology, and cultural
studies. Includes book reviews.
Music and Letters
Online version (1998+)
Microfilm ML 5 .M64 (1920-1956)
General Collection ML 5 .M64 (1969+)
The leading British journal of musical scholarship. Coverage embraces all fields of
musical enquiry, from the earliest times to the present day, and its authorship is international.
Musical Quarterly
Microfilm ML 1 .M725 (1915-49)
General Collection ML 1 .M725 (1950+)
The oldest general music journal in America. Over the years it has published the writings
of many important composers and musicologists, including Aaron Copland, Arnold Schoenberg,
and Marc Blitzstein. Regular sections include "American Musics," "Music and Culture,"
"The Twentieth Century," and an "Institutions, Industries, Technologies" section which
examines music and the ways it is created and consumed. Also publishes review essays
on a wide variety of significant new music performances and recordings.
Nineteenth Century Music
Articles on historical musicology, analysis, criticism and interdisciplinary studies.
Also has reviews of books and selected recorded and live performances.
Each issue offers critical reviews of significant books and printed music, as well as
columns providing complete bibliographic citations for new books, music, and music publishers'
catalogs.
Perspectives of New Music
General Collection ML 1 .P109 (1962+)
Focuses on contemporary classical music and its creators. Often includes interviews
with musical scholars and composers.
Psychology of Music
General Collection ML 5 .P82 (1976-1992)
The official journal of the Society for Research in Psychology of Music and Music Education.
Articles include research related to listening, performing, and memorizing music.
Rolling Stone
Online version (1984+)
Microfilm AP 2 .R644 (1967-1987)
Microfiche AP 2 .R644 (1988+)
The primary source for the latest news about American popular culture, music, celebrities,
and politics. Many music and book reviews.
Stereo Review's Sound & Vision
General Collection ML 1 .S74 (1968-84)
Microfiche ML 1 .S74 (1985+)
Formerly titled Stereo Review until 1999. Features reviews of classical, jazz,
popular, and folk music, as well as articles and reviews covering all aspects of hi-fi
equipment.
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Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
The Encyclopedia of Country Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Music
Reference ML 102 .C7 E54 1998
Contains nearly 1,300 alphabetical entries on performers, songwriters, record companies,
influential radio and television programs, industry leaders, and prominent place names
in country music. Ten longer essays probe the historical, cultural, religious, artistic,
and financial forces shaping country music. Twelve appendixes provide lists of country's
all-time best-selling albums, country music stations nationwide, and country music awards.
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Reference ML 102 .P66 G84 1998
A multi-volume set with entries for rock and roll, jazz, film, television and stage
musicals.
Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre
Reference ML 102 .M88 G3 2001
A compilation of over 2,000 entries on people and plays of the musical stage, mostly
from France, Austria, Britain, United States, Hungary and Australia.
Garland Encyclopedia of World Music
Reference ML 100 .G16 1998
A nine-volume set with accompanying compact discs (located at Media/A-V Reserve, 3d
Floor). Each volume covers a large geographic area and is organized into three parts:
an overview of the region, issues and processes, and regional case studies. Each chapter
has an extensive list of references.
- Volume 1: Africa
- Volume 2: South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean
- Volume 3: The United States and Canada
- Volume 4: Southeast Asia
- Volume 5: South Asia: The Indian Subcontinent
- Volume 6: The Middle East
- Volume 7: East Asia: China, Japan, and Korea
- Volume 8: Europe
- Volume 9: Australia and the Pacific Islands
- Volume 10: The World's Music: General Perspectives and Reference Tools
Die Musik in Geschichte
und Gegenwart; allgemeine Enzyklopädie der Musik
Reference ML 100 .M92
Commonly known as "MGG." A 14-volume scholarly work, comprehensive and international
in scope, encompassing about 300,000 names and terms. Extensive bibliographical notes.
The New Grove Dictionary of American Music
Reference ML 101 .U6 N48
Considered the principal reference work on American music, with concise articles summarizing
works for lesser known persons, and broad, illustrated pieces with works lists and lengthy
bibliographies for well-known persons. Detailed coverage of popular styles and genres,
including sketches of important popular groups. Numerous descriptions of uniquely American
musical instruments. Historical sketches of musical publishers. Copiously illustrated,
provided with an excellent introduction and a list of contributors.
Reference ML 102 .J3 N48
The first scholarly encyclopedia on jazz including "a comprehensive treatment of terminology
and theory, articles on musical instruments, record labels, festivals, venues, films,
institutions, individuals who are not performers, ensembles and also an extensive bibliography"
as well as articles on individual performers, ensembles, and styles of jazz. The focus
is on jazz and not on related popular and commercial music. This work carries over entries
from the
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and the
New Grove
Dictionary of American Music as well as information published for the first time.
The full text is available in
Grovemusic.com.
Reference ML 100 .N48 2001
The premier encyclopedia of music and musicians, with articles written by scholars on
composers, performers, theorists, music publishers, instruments, musical terminology,
musical forms and styles, genres, world music and more. Many articles include bibliographies
for further reading. Entries for composers varies from era to era: for example, all
known Medieval composers are included, while Renaissance composers are included only
if five or more works survive or if a substantial number of works survive in manuscript.
Performers are included only if they were involved with the first performance of a major
work or if they had an influence on a composers style or work. Others are included even
more selectively. The full text is available in
Grovemusic.com.
The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments
Reference ML 102 .I5 N48
Articles on historical and modern musical instruments, their makers and performance
practices, many derived (but extensively re-written) from articles in the
New Grove Dictionary of Music
and Musicians. Extensive coverage of folk and ethnic instruments by scholars
expert in the regions in which the instruments are located. Extensive cross references
linking articles and terms to one another make up for the lack of an index by culture
or region. Copiously illustrated. Bibliographies.
Reference ML 102 .O6 N5 1992
Over 1,800 operas are discussed. Other topics covered are composers, singers, directors,
opera terminology, opera houses and companies, etc. The full text is available in
Grovemusic.com (above).
New Harvard Dictionary of Music
Reference ML100 .N485 1986
A standard resource for definitions of music terminology and other topics, it includes
information on musical periods, instruments, musical forms. Many entries are lengthy
and include bibliographies.
The New Oxford History of Music
Reference ML 160 .N44
A survey of music from earliest times to the present, written by authorities in the
field.
- Volume 1: Ancient and Oriental music
- Volume 2: Early Medieval Music up to 1300
- Volume 3: Ars Nova and the Renaissance (1300-1540)
- Volume 4: Age of Humanism (1540-1630)
- Volume 5: Opera and Church Music (1630-1750)
- Volume 6: Growth of Instrumental Music (1630-1750)
- Volume 7: Age of Enlightenment (1745-1790)
- Volume 8: Age of Beethoven (1790-1830)
- Volume 9: Romanticism (1830-1890)
- Volume 10: Modern Age (1890-1960)
- Volume 11: Chronological Tables and General Index
The Oxford Companion to Music
Reference ML 100 .S37 2002
More than 8,000 entries on composers, performers, conductors, individual works, instruments
and notation, forms and genres, music theory, and aesthetics.
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Chronologies
Chronology of Western Classical Music
Reference ML 161 .H227 2002
A two-volume set that covers the years 1751 through 2000.
Music Since 1900
Reference ML 197 .S634 1994
A daily account of significant events in music history through 1991. Although the contents
are international in scope, the emphasis is on events in the United States since 1950.
Variety Music Cavalcade, 1620-1969: A Chronology of Vocal and Instrumental Music Popular
in the United States
Reference ML 128 .V7 M4 1971
Essentially a chronological bibliography of American popular music, with parallel social,
cultural, and political events listed for each year. Title index to musical works.
Year by Year in the Rock Era : Events and Conditions Shaping the Rock Generations that
Reshaped America
Reference ML 3534 .H45
A chronicle of political, social, and popular musical events with bibliography but no
index.
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Quotations
A Dictionary of Musical Quotations
Reference ML 66 .C86 1985
Brief quotations from literary works, composers' writings, newspaper articles, books
on music, and other sources, organized under 291 alphabetically-arranged headings. Author
and subject indexes.
An Encyclopedia of Quotations About Music
Reference ML 66 .E6
A topical arrangement of 2,000 quotations, with indexes to persons, sources, and keywords
and phrases.
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Biographies
There are countless sources for biographical information. In addition to the sources cited
below, also check the sources listed under "Dictionaries
and Encyclopedias."
American Songwriters
Reference ML 390 .E825 1987
One hundred and forty six of the composers and lyricists who created the landmarks of
the American popular song -- from Stephen Foster to Bruce Springsteen. Spans 200 years.
Baker's Biographical
Dictionary of Musicians
Reference ML 105 .B16
The most authoritative biographical dictionary in the field. Entries include a brief
biography and a list of writings and/or compositions.
Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians
Reference ML 105 .S67
According to the preface, "draws together widely dispersed and, in many instances, heretofore
unpublished information on more than 1,500 musicians of African descent...."
Contains biographical information on over one million individuals from all time periods,
geographical locations, and fields of endeavor. The "Biographical Facts Search" allows
searching for people based on one or more personal facts, such as occupation (which
includes such categories as "Composer," "Concert singer," "Conductor," "Pianist," etc.).
Contemporary Musicians: Profiles of the People in Music
Reference ML 197 .C761
Profiles popular musicians and musical groups, although some classical performers are
included. Each two- to three-page entry contains a biographical sketch, often a portrait
of the musician or group, a discography, and bibliography of further sources of information.
The biographies in this set are available online in the
Biography Resource Center database.
Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television
Reference PN 2012 .W5
An ongoing biographical reference series providing brief biographical information and
credits of performers, directors, writers, producers, designers, technicians, composers,
executives, and critics in the United States and Great Britain. The biographies in this
set are available online in the
Biography Resource Center database.
International Dictionary of Black Composers
Reference ML 105 .I5 1999
Provides information about composers of African heritage from around the world. The
two volumes contain biographical sketches, list of compositions, bibliographies, and
critical essays about the composers and some of their most important works.
http://www.musicweb.uk.net/encyclopaedia/
A free Web site with approximately 4,000 brief entries, mainly on popular performers.
The Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers
Reference ML 105 .N67 1994
Entries on nearly 900 women composers writing in the Western classical tradition. Most
entries contain a brief biography, a list of works and a bibliography. There is also
a chronology of women composers from the seventh century to the twentieth.
World Musicians
Reference ML 385 .W67 1999
Profiles approximately 500 of the world’s most renowned and accomplished living performers,
composers, conductors, and band leaders in musical genres from opera to hip-hop. Roughly
2,500 words in length, each article sketches a subject’s life, describes their work
and its significance to its genre, and includes commentary from critics.
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Music and Song Indexes
Listed below are some resources to find music, lyrics, titles, and composers of songs. If
the name of the composer or the name of the song is known, a quick way to find the lyrics and
music is to search the UCF Library Catalog to
determine if the library owns the score.
http://www.ascap.com/ace/search.cfm?mode=search
A database of song titles licensed by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and
Publishers (ASCAP) in the United States. For each title, one can find the names of the
songwriters and the names, contact persons, addresses and, in most cases, phone numbers
of publishers. For most of the titles, you'll find some of the artists who have made
a commercial recording. See also the
BMI Repertoire database
(below).
http://repertoire.bmi.com/startpage.asp
A title database for songs licensed by Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI). Also provides
if applicable names of performer(s) of the song, publisher, and alternate title(s).
The Great Song Thesaurus
Reference ML 128.S3 L4 1989
A compendium of various lists ("greatest songs" from the 16th century to the present,
award winners, song titles) and a thesaurus of songs by subject, keyword and category.
Helpful for identifying the full title, date and composer of a song when only a portion
of the title or the subject is known.
The Green Book of Songs by Subject: The Thematic Guide to Popular Music
Reference ML156.4.P6 G73 1994
Classifies over 35,000 recorded songs from the last hundred years. Covers many genres
including hip hop, popular standards, rock, country, R&B, rap, jazz, Broadway, folk,
blues, new age, television themes, advertising jingles and more. The listings emphasize
singles and albums released from U.S.-based record companies.
Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music: Composers and Their Music
Reference ML 102 .B35 R4 1991
Attempts to document all editions of all music ever published (and some unpublished)
for concert and military bands. Entries arranged by composer, with bibliographical information
frequently included.
Historical Sets, Collected Editions and Monuments of Music: A Guide to Their Contents
Reference ML113 .H62 1980
The primary guide to 1,300 scholarly anthologies and collected works sets of major composers.
Entries provide full bibliographic information and list contents of individual volumes.
Numerous cross-references. An extensive index of composers, editors, and titles provides
access to the contents of the anthologies.
Lissauer's Encyclopedia of Popular Music in America
Reference ML 128 .P63 L57
The main section is an alphabetical list of songs, giving for each the writer(s), date
of introduction, and date of revival (if applicable). Also includes a chronology listing
by year the songs cited in the first section and an index of song writers.
The Mellen Opera Reference Index
Reference ML 102 .O6 P25
Volumes 1-4: Opera Composers and Their Works
Volumes 5-6: Opera Librettists and Their Works
Volume 9: Opera Subjects
Composers are listed alphabetically, their works chronologically within each entry.
Includes birth and death dates, nom de plume if any, opera title, genre, number of acts
and scenes, source, alternate titles, revisions, comments and list of complete manuscripts.
For librettists, gives year of premier, composer, name of the opera, and name of collaborating
librettists. There is a separate list for librettists who also composed the operas,
at the end of volume 6. For the Subjects volume, according to the author, "No
attempt has been made to give a complete listing of subjects, but a subjective list
indicating major trends and interests is provided." This list includes authors whose
works have been adapted, and historical and mythical figures who have been subjects
of operas.
Popular Song Index
Reference ML 128 .S3 H4 1974-1989
Use this index to locate the words and music for folks songs, popular tunes, spirituals,
hymns, children's songs, sea chanteys, and blues. Index is arranged by title, first
line, composer and lyrics and has references to collections published between 1940 and
1988.
Repertoire international des sources musicales = International Inventory of Musical
Sources
Reference ML 113 .I6
An ongoing major bibliographic series for pre-1900 source materials in music. It is
intended to provide a catalogue of all available bibliographical musical works, writings
about music, and textbooks on music from all countries of the world.
Reference ML 128 .S3 D37
Indexes 9,493 songs in 411 collections, with separate sections for composed songs, anonymous
and folk songs, carols, and sea chanteys. Includes an author index. Complements
Song Index (below).
Reference ML 128.S3 S31
Contains titles, first lines, authors' names, and composers' names in one alphabet.
Each song is listed under title, with added entries under composer and author, with
cross-references for first lines and variant or translated titles. Complemented by
Songs in Collections (above).
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Music Industry Information
Dictionary of Music Production and Engineering Terminology
Reference ML 102 .M85 W3 1988
Terms have been taken from the worlds of advertising, business, computers, digital recordings,
engineering, movies, music publishing, the record industry, studio equipment, unions,
and video/television.
Dictionary of Musical Technology
Reference ML 102 .E4 C37 1992
Contains 600 copiously illustrated main entries and 200 subsidiary ones covering such
topics as traditional and electronic instruments, computer music composition, microphone
placement, and psychoacoustics.
Musical America: International Directory of the Performing Arts
Reference ML 12 .M88
While international in scope, it focuses primarily on North America. Lists dance and
opera companies, choral groups, festivals, music schools, contests, foundations and
awards, publishers, professional organizations, managers, and magazines and trade papers.
Songwriter's Market
Reference MT 67 .S657
Contains entries listing music publishers, record companies and producers, audiovisual
firms, managers and agents, classical groups, and theatre companies.
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Internet Sources
http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/perform/new.internet.resources.html
Lists a number of links for freely-available online sources in music, theatre, and dance.
http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2722
Lists numerous sites arranged by time period.
Worldwide Internet Music Resources
http://www.music.indiana.edu/music_resources/
A metasite under the auspices of the School of Music at Indiana University -- Bloomington,
one the the country's premier music schools. Provides hundreds of links under the following
general headings: individual musicians (all genres) and popular groups, composers and
composition, groups and ensembles (except popular), other sites related to performance,
genres and types of music, research and study, journals and magazines, commercial world
of music, general and miscellaneous.
http://dir.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Music/
An excellent metasite of scholarly and popular Internet sources.
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Bibliographies and Style Manuals
Music Reference and
Research Materials: An Annotated Bibliography
Reference ML 113 .D83 1997
"Duckles," as this title is popularly known, provides descriptions of more than 3,000
dictionaries, discographies, and other print and electronic resources. It is the definitive
bibliography in the field. A portion of the text, "Electronic Resources," is available
online via the University of Kansas Libraries <
http://www.lib.ku.edu/musiclib/duckles.shtml>.
Writing About Music: A Style Sheet from the Editors of 19th-Century Music
General Collection ML 63 .W68 1988
Topics include: how to go about describing musical works and procedures in prose, rules
for citations in notes and bibliography, proper preparation of such materials as musical
examples, tables, and illustrations. One section discusses program notes, another explains
the requirements of submitting manuscripts written on a word processor. An appendix
lists common problem words in music.
Writing About Music: An Introductory Guide
General Collection ML 3797 .W54 1990
Designed to assist undergraduate students, both music majors and non-majors, to write
about music. Subjects covered include: choosing a topic, musical analysis, and a step-by-step
guide to writing a research paper.
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Ask a Librarian
If you have questions or need additional assistance,
Ask a Librarian, call the Reference Department
at (407) 823-2562, or e-mail the Department at askalibrarian@mail.ucf.edu.
The library liaison for Music is Marcus Kilman, University Librarian,
mkilman@mail.ucf.edu.
Last Updated:
July 19, 2010
