Research Guides: A Guide to Music: Encyclopedias, Dictionaries

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Quick Facts

Grove Music Online (Oxford Music Online)
The online counterpart to the New Grove Dictionary of Music, this reference source contains articles on composers, performers, styles, genres, world music, instruments, and much more. This title is available through Oxford Music Online and can be cross-searched with The Oxford Dictionary of Music and The Oxford Companion to Music. The print version is also available in the reference collection. Note: This resource is limited to one user at a time.
Music Online: African American Music Reference Library
Music Online: Classical Music Reference Library
Music Online: The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music

Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians - Ref ML 105 .B16 2001
Offers biographies of composers and performers with bibliographies of works by and about them. This reference is good for a quick overview of a musician and his or her impact.
Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World - Ref ML 102 .P66 C66 2003
A comprehensive encyclopedia of popular music, with each volume organized thematically. Topics covered include the media, industry, and society, performance and production, and popular music of various world regions.
Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre - Ref ML 102 .M88 G3 2001
Brief articles on people, productions, composers, etc.
Encyclopedia of Popular Music - Ref ML 102 .P66 G84 2006 (10 vols)
Offers brief information on musicians, bands, musicals, and record labels. Includes a song title index.
Encyclopedia of the Blues - Ref ML 102 .B6 E53 2006
Offers short, informative entries on blues singers, significant places, musical styles, instruments, aspects of the music business, specific labels, and important songs.
Garland Encyclopedia of World Music - Ref ML 100 .G16 1998 (10 vols)
Covers the music of peoples of the world in regional volumes that offer regional profiles, the social context of music, and in-depth information on the musical traditions of specific nations and ethnic groups. The work includes musical examples in accompanying CDs.
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians - Ref ML 100 .N48 2001
The most definitive source on music and music history. The articles in these volumes are carefully researched and documented and provide information on national music traditions, musical forms, composers and musicians, instruments, and more. There are several more specialized Grove encyclopedias--the New Grove Dictionary of American Music (Ref ML 101 .U6 N48 1986), the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (Ref ML 102 .J3 N48 2002), the New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments (Ref ML 102 .I5 N48 1984), and the New Grove Dictionary of Opera (Ref ML 102 .O6 .N58 1997). This encyclopedia is also available through the Web as Grove Music Online.
Norton/Grove Concise Encyclopedia of Music - Ref ML 100 .N67 1994
Contains short, informative entries on music and musicians; a handy place to pick up dates and other quick facts.
Oxford Companion to Music - Ref ML 100 .S37 2002
Primarily covers Western classical music, offering brief entries on musicians, works, musical terms, movements, and surveys of musical traditions in various countries.
Sage International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture - Ref ML100 .S23 2019
"The SAGE Encyclopedia of Music and Culture presents key concepts in the study of music in its cultural context and provides an introduction to the discipline of ethnomusicology..." 5 volumes

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