A Guide to Music: Websites

Offers basic biographical information about composers, both well-known and obscure, and links to information about them on the Web. Includes chronologies and a composer's calendar. Compiled by Jos Smeets.

Maintained by Charles H. Smith of Western Kentucky University, this site provides information on over 400 composers, with works listed by musical genre, a geographical roster, an index of forms and styles, and a glossary of musical terms.

A scholarly resource of recordings, including CD quality audio, liner notes, and essays from New World, Composers Recordings, and other important labels.

The International Music Score Library Project is a virtual library of public domain music scores, based on the wiki principle. The website also includes forums for users to share ideas.

Created by Sherane, Robert, this guide is part of the Internet Public Library. A nicely laid-out chronological survey of music by period, with links to composer profiles. Includes images and audio files. The author is a librarian at the Jullliard School of Music.

A well-organized guide to online resources from the University of Washington Music Library.

From the collections of the University of Washington. Image and sound files of more than 400 musical instruments. Strong representation from Asia and Africa.

A collection of sheets of lyrics (not scores) of popular songs from the turn of the nineteenth century to the 1880s. The majority of the song sheets were published from the 1850s to the 1870s, when song sheets were most popoular. This collection is "an early example of a mass medium and today they offer a unique perspective on the political, social, and economic life of the time, especially during the Civil War." From the Library of Congress's American Memory project.

Over 3,000 pieces of sheet music from Duke University's Special Collections. The cover illustrations alone provide insights into popular contemporary ideas on politics, patriotism, race, religion, love, and sentiment. From the Library of Congress's American Memory project.

The Linked Jazz Project focuses on digital archives of jazz history to expose relationships between musicians in the jazz community. You need to set up a free account to get started.