Music: Books & eBooks
This guide provides starting points for research in Music.
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Welcome
Welcome to the Music Research Guide. This guide will help you to identify resources (books, databases, websites, and more) that will help you research topics in this subject.
Music
What is ethnomusicology?
Although there is no universally accepted definition of ethnomusicology, a few words stand out in most definitions: “sound,” “music,” “performance,” “context,” and “culture.”
Ethnomusicology is “humanly organized sound” (John Blacking, in Byron 1995), “the study of music in culture” (Merriam 1964, p. 7), or more broadly, sound in context. Ethnomusicology also touches on other disciplines, such as linguistics, history, sociology, and the study of dance.
Traditionally, ethnomusicology may involve learning to play what a North American novice might think of as “exotic” music, or it may focus on any music or sound whatsoever in a cultural context. An ethnomusicologist may view music sui generis. She may use music as a metaphor for something outside the music, or focus on an event of which music is a small part.
The picture to the left is a photograph of Lightnin' Hopkins' Country Blues album. The photo was taken by Chris Drumm.
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Reference Resources
eReference Books for Music
- A Biographical Dictionary of Artists, AndromedaCovering over 1300 artists, this comprehensive and detailed reference source will be of great value to anyone researching art and its history. The dictionary is made up of alphabetically arranged entries for painters (such as Monet), architects (such as Aalto), and sculptors (such as Brancusi) from pre-Christian times to the present.
- Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World: LocationsContinuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World's 'Locations' is the most authoritative reference work on the history and current practice of popular music ever published. It covers nation states and is organized according to continental regions. Each discusses the history, development and current practice of popular music in cities, districts, cross-border regions, nation states and diasporic communities around the world.
- Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World: Media, Industry and SocietyThis title contains two major sections: 'Social and Cultural Dimensions' and 'The Industry'. The former contains many entries on social phenomena of relevance to the practise of popular music : entries such as class, deviance, fashion, gender and sexuality, love and courtship, politics, race, religion, spirituality, and youth. It also includes entries on three other sets of phenomena that provide contexts for the practise of popular music: institutions and practises that document popular music; the study of popular music; and stylistic and textual practices that are not themselves musical in nature.
- Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the World of OperaAs its title suggests, this book aspires to be at once a guide to the world of opera, prepared under the auspices of the Metropolitan Opera Guild (a “Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia”), and a compendium of information specifically related to the Metropolitan Opera, its history, repertory, and performers (a “Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia”). While intended to answer a wide range of questions about this international art form, its composers and librettists and their works, its singers and conductors, designers and producers, its terms and the places where it has been most notably practiced, the book also offers, where appropriate, greater detail about their Met-related aspects (and, as the first such book compiled in the United States in some years, also a more generally American focus).
- Opera: The Great Composers and their MasterworksAn introduction to four hundred years of opera and its composers with recommended key recordings for the key opera singers.
- The Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular MusicThe Faber Companion to 20th Century Pop Music has established itself as the classic reference work in this area. From Abba to ZZ Top, through Noel Coward, the Skatalites and The Stone Roses, this book covers the major players in the vast history of popular music in the twentieth century. With varied entries covering everything from bebop to western swing by way of psychedelic rock, Phil Hardy's indispensable book maps out a stimulating and informative cultural history of the century in popular music.
- The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of MusicAn incomparable guide to the thousands of characters, from humble artisan to lofty genius, who people the unfolding history of music, this volume brings together all the pertinent biographical information about composers, performers, music theorists, and instrument makers from the days of praise chants to the bop and pop of today. A long-awaited companion to The New Harvard Dictionary of Music, and compiled with the same meticulous scholarship and delight in detail, this biographical dictionary emphasizes classical and art music, but also gives ample attention to jazz and blues, rock and pop, and hymns and showtunes across the ages - with unusual care devoted to coverage of the twentieth century.
- The New Penguin Dictionary of MusicThe New Penguin Dictionary of Music is the essential A-Z of some 1,000 years of Western music. It explores in detail the lives and achievements of a huge range of composers, and examines such key topics as music history (from medieval plainchant to contemporary minimalism), performers, theory and jargon. Written by an award-winning music critic, and blending scholarship with personal insight and opinion, this dictionary is both a pleasurable read and an invaluable and authoritative reference book for all lovers of music, whether amateur or professional.
eReference Resources
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowProvides full-text online versions of hundreds of top quality reference books in all major subjects from art to medicine, psychology to history, and technology to literature. Includes bilingual and biographical dictionaries.
- Gale eBooks (Virtual Reference Library) This link opens in a new windowFull text database providing subject specific dictionaries, encyclopedias and general reference books as well as the online version of the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Subjects include science, history, medicine, psychology and mental health, literature, drama, film, popular culture, business, law, and more.
Print Reference Books
The Harvard Dictionary of Music by Call Number: REF ML 100 A64 2003ISBN: 0674011635Publication Date: 2003-11-28This classic reference work, the best one-volume music dictionary available, has been brought completely up to date in this new edition.
The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz by Call Number: REF ML 102 J3 N48 2001 V.1ISBN: 1561592846Publication Date: 2003-02-11The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, second edition is the largest, most comprehensive and accurate reference work on jazz ever published, putting the world of jazz at your fingertips.
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians by Call Number: REF ML 100 N48 2001 V.1ISBN: 1561592390Publication Date: 2003-02-11Since its initial publication in 1980, the Dictionary has been widely acclaimed as an indispensable resource and a classic reference.
Hip Hop Culture by Call Number: ML 3531 P75 2006ISBN: 1851098674Publication Date: 2006-05-19This work is a revealing chronicle of Hip Hop culture from its beginnings three decades ago to the present, with an analysis of its influence on people and popular culture in the United States and around the world.
eBook Collections
Books & eBooks
Search the Catalog
Type your keywords into the search box on the library home page, then hit enter. You will be searching not only BCC titles, but books in the entire HELM Library Catalog.
- Bristol Library Learning Commons HomepageThe homepage for the Bristol Library Learning Commons. Start here for your library, research, and academic support needs.
Try These Books
This is just a sampling of the books available to you in BCC Library System. Books may be located in Attleboro, Fall River, or New Bedford. The location is noted in the Call Number.
A Few Honest Words by Call Number: ML 3477.7 K4 H78 2012ISBN: 9780813136455Publication Date: 2012-10-26In industry circles, musicians from Kentucky are known to possess an enviable pedigree--a lineage as prized as the bloodline of any bluegrass-raised Thoroughbred.
It's Bigger Than Hip Hop by Call Number: E 185.61 A725 2008ISBN: 0312373260Publication Date: 2008-09-16In It's Bigger Than Hip Hop, M. K. Asante, Jr. looks at the rise of a generation that sees beyond the smoke and mirrors of corporate-manufactured hip hop and is building a movement that will change not only the face of pop culture, but the world.
Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: a Musical Journey by Call Number: ML 3521 M37 2003ISBN: 0060525444Publication Date: 2003-09-16Rock & roll, jazz, R&B, hip-hop: Without question, today's most popular sounds owe an incalculable debt to that uniquely American musical creation -- The Blues.
Millennials and the Pop Culture by Call Number: HQ796 .S77 2006ISBN: 0971260605Publication Date: 2006-01-01
Rock and Roll by Call Number: ML3534 .F74 2006ISBN: 0813343062Publication Date: 2006-01-03Now updated with two new chapters and an extraordinary collection of photographs, this second edition of Paul Friedlander'sRock and Roll: A Social History is a smash hit.
The Tao of Wu by Call Number: ML 420 R984 A3 2009ISBN: 1594488851Publication Date: 2009-10-15The RZA, the Abbot of the Wu-Tang Clan and hip-hop culture's most dynamic genius, imparts the lessons he learned on the journey that took him from the Staten Island projects to international superstardom, all the while a devout student of knowledge in every form he's found it - on the streets, in religion, in martial arts, in chess or in popular culture.
Useful Handout
Why should I look in books?
Why should you do research in books?
- Books provide in-depth coverage of a topic
- Books often provide valuable background information on a topic
- Books can also provide an overview of all issues pertaining to a topic
- Books can lead readers to other sources through their bibliographies
You do not necessarily have to read an entire book for every research paper you have to do. Utilize the index and the chapter titles to narrow down which section of the book is most pertinent to your research.
Library of Congress Classification System
BCC Libraries shelve books according to the Library of Congress Classification System. Titles for Music can be found under the headings below. You can browse the shelves in the following call number ranges:
- M: Music (scores)
- ML: Literature on music
- MT: Musical instruction
- LB5, MT1-5: Music education
- MT85-88: Choral direction, choirs
- ML430-935: Musical performance
- Library of Congress Classification SystemFind subject headings through the library of congress.
Books
Search the Catalog
Type your keywords into the search box on the library home page, then hit enter. You will be searching not only BCC titles, but books in the entire HELM Library Catalog.
- Bristol Library Learning Commons HomepageThe homepage for the Bristol Library Learning Commons. Start here for your library, research, and academic support needs.
Try These Books
This is just a sampling of the books available to you in BCC Library System. Books may be located in Attleboro, Fall River, or New Bedford. The location is noted in the Call Number.
- A Few Honest Words by Call Number: ML 3477.7 K4 H78 2012ISBN: 9780813136455Publication Date: 2012-10-26In industry circles, musicians from Kentucky are known to possess an enviable pedigree--a lineage as prized as the bloodline of any bluegrass-raised Thoroughbred.
- It's Bigger Than Hip Hop by Call Number: E 185.61 A725 2008ISBN: 0312373260Publication Date: 2008-09-16In It's Bigger Than Hip Hop, M. K. Asante, Jr. looks at the rise of a generation that sees beyond the smoke and mirrors of corporate-manufactured hip hop and is building a movement that will change not only the face of pop culture, but the world.
- Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: a Musical Journey by Call Number: ML 3521 M37 2003ISBN: 0060525444Publication Date: 2003-09-16Rock & roll, jazz, R&B, hip-hop: Without question, today's most popular sounds owe an incalculable debt to that uniquely American musical creation -- The Blues.
- Millennials and the Pop Culture by Call Number: HQ796 .S77 2006ISBN: 0971260605Publication Date: 2006-01-01
- Rock and Roll by Call Number: ML3534 .F74 2006ISBN: 0813343062Publication Date: 2006-01-03Now updated with two new chapters and an extraordinary collection of photographs, this second edition of Paul Friedlander'sRock and Roll: A Social History is a smash hit.
- The Tao of Wu by Call Number: ML 420 R984 A3 2009ISBN: 1594488851Publication Date: 2009-10-15The RZA, the Abbot of the Wu-Tang Clan and hip-hop culture's most dynamic genius, imparts the lessons he learned on the journey that took him from the Staten Island projects to international superstardom, all the while a devout student of knowledge in every form he's found it - on the streets, in religion, in martial arts, in chess or in popular culture.
Useful Handout
Why should I look in books?
Why should you do research in books?
- Books provide in-depth coverage of a topic
- Books often provide valuable background information on a topic
- Books can also provide an overview of all issues pertaining to a topic
- Books can lead readers to other sources through their bibliographies
You do not necessarily have to read an entire book for every research paper you have to do. Utilize the index and the chapter titles to narrow down which section of the book is most pertinent to your research.
Library of Congress Classification System
BCC Libraries shelve books according to the Library of Congress Classification System. Titles for Music can be found under the headings below. You can browse the shelves in the following call number ranges:
- M: Music (scores)
- ML: Literature on music
- MT: Musical instruction
- LB5, MT1-5: Music education
- MT85-88: Choral direction, choirs
- ML430-935: Musical performance
- Library of Congress Classification SystemFind subject headings through the library of congress.
eBooks
ebrary
eBook Central and e-Book Collections are a collection of databases that contain digitized books that you can read online. Use your #900 number to gain access.
- eBook Central This link opens in a new windowChoose from 810,000 ebooks and 1,350 imprints from more than 650 publishers on one platform. ProQuest Ebook Central offers titles from hundreds of trusted publishers on one modern, intuitive platform. Its mobile-optimized design lets researchers get “anytime access” to the content they need – from a single chapter to an entire book.
Music Theory eBooks
Decentering Music by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780195355819Publication Date: 2003-02-01As a work of cultural criticism that recalls the concerns of Foucault, Hayden White, Zizek, and others Decentering Music examines the struggle for the authority to speak about music at a time when the humanities are in crisis.
Hits by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780823234370Publication Date: 2012-04-03Hits: Philosophy in the Jukebox is an extraordinary foray into what apple has convinced us is "the soundtrack of our lives."
Music as a Science of Mankind in Eithteenth-Century Britain by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781409428695Publication Date: 2012-01-28Music as a Science of Mankind offers a philosophical and historical perspective on the intellectual representation of music in British eighteenth-century culture.
Scientific Method in Ptolemy's Harmonics by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780511153822The science called 'harmonics' was one of the major intellectual enterprises of Greek antiquity.
eBooks for assorted music genres
All Shook Up by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780198031918The birth of rock 'n roll ignited a firestorm of controversy--one critic called it "musical riots put to a switchblade beat"--but if it generated much sound and fury, what, if anything, did it signify?
Downhome Gospel by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781604737837Publication Date: 2010-10-05Jerrilyn McGregory explores sacred music and spiritual activism in a little-known region of the South, the Wiregrass Country of Georgia, Alabama, and North Florida
Lightnin' Hopkins by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781569766187Publication Date: 2010-05-01Based on scores of interviews with the artist's relatives, friends, lovers, producers, accompanists, managers, and fans, this brilliant biography reveals a man of many layers and contradictions.
Nobody Knows Where the Blues Come From by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781604737318Publication Date: 2007-06-01Musicians and music scholars rightly focus on the sounds of the blues and the colorful life stories of blues performers.
The Encyclopedia of Country Music by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780199770557Publication Date: 1998-01-01Immediately upon publication in 1998, the Encyclopedia of Country Music became a much-loved reference source, prized for the wealth of information it contained on that most American of musical genres.
The Hip Hop Wars by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780786727193Publication Date: 2008-12-02How hip hop shapes our conversations about race -- and how race influences our consideration of hip hop
Why Jazz Happened by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780520953987Publication Date: 2012-12-10Why Jazz Happened is the first comprehensive social history of jazz.
Articles & Databases
Finding Articles through the BCC Libraries
BCC Libraries offer a variety of databases in which you can locate magazine, newspaper, trade, and scholarly journal articles. The databases below have been chosen especially for research in Music.
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United States Government Document or Publication |
Recommended Databases for Research in Music
- American SongMusic Online: 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 Scores Library, Volume IClassical Scores Library, Volume I contains over 400,000 pages of the most important classical music scores, manuscripts, and previously unpublished material, allowing for the study and analysis of more than 25,000 musical scores. Classical Scores Library serves as an integral resource for music students and faculty, encompassing all major classical musical genres and time periods from medieval to contemporary. With full, study, piano, and vocal scores, this comprehensive collection will enhance the study of music history, performance, appreciation, and theory for a variety of scholars.
- General OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new windowThis multidisciplinary database includes access to articles in nearly 10,200 titles, 6,000 of which offer full text of their contents. More than 3,000 scholarly journals are included in this count as well as 121 newswire services and five newspaper indexes. General interest and news magazines; academic journals, business and technology publications, law journals, health care periodicals, and newspapers are all made accessible through this OneFile. Coverage: 1980 – present.
- Opera in VideoMusic Online: Opera in Video contains five hundred hours of the most important opera performances, captured on video through staged productions, interviews, and documentaries. Selections represent the world’s best performers, conductors, and opera houses and are based on a work’s importance to the operatic canon.
- Smithsonian Global Sound for LibrariesSmithsonian Global Sound for Libraries produced in partnership with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 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.
- Sound Archives of the Boston Public LibraryThe Boston Public Library's Sound Archives has a number of special collections in its holdings. These holdings include "spoken word" as well as music. The Library has begun to make available parts of these collections in a digital format. We expect these collections to grow as more items are available digitally. Due to copyright restrictions, some of the items in these collections can only be accessed in the Main Branch at Copley Square. Samples (30 second clips) of these items can be listened to remotely.
Multi-Discipline Databases
- Academic OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Multi-disciplinary database containing mostly peer-reviewed, scholarly articles from the world's leading journals and reference sources. Over 8,000 academic journal titles are included with extensive coverage of the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature and many other subjects. Also includes hundreds of podcasts and transcripts from NPR, CNN, and CBC, as well as full text New York Times content back to 1995. Coverage 1964 – present.
Search Films on Demand
Search Films on Demand from anywhere to find educational streaming videos.
- Films On Demand This link opens in a new windowA web-based digital video delivery service that allows you instant 24/7 access to over 6,200 full-length programs and 65,800 video segments grouped into prearranged subject-specific categories: Humanities & Social Sciences, Business & Economics, Science & Mathematics, Health & Medicine, Technical Education, Family & Consumer Sciences, Careers & Job Search, and Guidance & Counseling.
Looking for Journals in Music?
The drop-down menu Music Journals (under Articles & Databases) lists journals that publish articles on this and other related topics.
Why should I look for academic articles?
Why should you do research in academic journals?
- Academic journal articles are often authored by scholars active in a particular field
- Academic journal articles provide a close look at a particular topic
- Academic journal articles often provide data to support their findings
- Academic journal articles can lead readers to other sources through their bibliographies
If you find one good article that supports your research, you can use the bibliography at the end of the paper to locate further research.
How do I get into a BPL Database?
If you see this symbol
You will know that the databases is provided through the Boston Public Library. If you live, work, or go to school in the state of Massachusetts, you are eligible for a Boston Public Library eCard. Fill out the form below and you will receive your eCard number.
Just enter your BPL eCard number when prompted every time you access BPL databases.
- Register with the Boston Public LibraryConnect to hundreds of additional databases through the Boston Public Library.
Articles & Databases
Finding Articles through the BCC Libraries
BCC Libraries offer a variety of databases in which you can locate magazine, newspaper, trade, and scholarly journal articles. The databases below have been chosen especially for research in Music.
Icon Legend
|
|
|
|
|
Boston Public Library Resource |
Peer Reviewed Content |
United States Government Document or Publication |
Recommended Databases for Research in Music
- American SongMusic Online: 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 Scores Library, Volume IClassical Scores Library, Volume I contains over 400,000 pages of the most important classical music scores, manuscripts, and previously unpublished material, allowing for the study and analysis of more than 25,000 musical scores. Classical Scores Library serves as an integral resource for music students and faculty, encompassing all major classical musical genres and time periods from medieval to contemporary. With full, study, piano, and vocal scores, this comprehensive collection will enhance the study of music history, performance, appreciation, and theory for a variety of scholars.
- General OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new windowThis multidisciplinary database includes access to articles in nearly 10,200 titles, 6,000 of which offer full text of their contents. More than 3,000 scholarly journals are included in this count as well as 121 newswire services and five newspaper indexes. General interest and news magazines; academic journals, business and technology publications, law journals, health care periodicals, and newspapers are all made accessible through this OneFile. Coverage: 1980 – present.
- Opera in VideoMusic Online: Opera in Video contains five hundred hours of the most important opera performances, captured on video through staged productions, interviews, and documentaries. Selections represent the world’s best performers, conductors, and opera houses and are based on a work’s importance to the operatic canon.
- Smithsonian Global Sound for LibrariesSmithsonian Global Sound for Libraries produced in partnership with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 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.
- Sound Archives of the Boston Public LibraryThe Boston Public Library's Sound Archives has a number of special collections in its holdings. These holdings include "spoken word" as well as music. The Library has begun to make available parts of these collections in a digital format. We expect these collections to grow as more items are available digitally. Due to copyright restrictions, some of the items in these collections can only be accessed in the Main Branch at Copley Square. Samples (30 second clips) of these items can be listened to remotely.
Multi-Discipline Databases
- Academic OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Multi-disciplinary database containing mostly peer-reviewed, scholarly articles from the world's leading journals and reference sources. Over 8,000 academic journal titles are included with extensive coverage of the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature and many other subjects. Also includes hundreds of podcasts and transcripts from NPR, CNN, and CBC, as well as full text New York Times content back to 1995. Coverage 1964 – present.
Search Films on Demand
Search Films on Demand from anywhere to find educational streaming videos.
- Films On Demand This link opens in a new windowA web-based digital video delivery service that allows you instant 24/7 access to over 6,200 full-length programs and 65,800 video segments grouped into prearranged subject-specific categories: Humanities & Social Sciences, Business & Economics, Science & Mathematics, Health & Medicine, Technical Education, Family & Consumer Sciences, Careers & Job Search, and Guidance & Counseling.
Looking for Journals in Music?
The drop-down menu Music Journals (under Articles & Databases) lists journals that publish articles on this and other related topics.
Why should I look for academic articles?
Why should you do research in academic journals?
- Academic journal articles are often authored by scholars active in a particular field
- Academic journal articles provide a close look at a particular topic
- Academic journal articles often provide data to support their findings
- Academic journal articles can lead readers to other sources through their bibliographies
If you find one good article that supports your research, you can use the bibliography at the end of the paper to locate further research.
How do I get into a BPL Database?
If you see this symbol
You will know that the databases is provided through the Boston Public Library. If you live, work, or go to school in the state of Massachusetts, you are eligible for a Boston Public Library eCard. Fill out the form below and you will receive your eCard number.
Just enter your BPL eCard number when prompted every time you access BPL databases.
- Register with the Boston Public LibraryConnect to hundreds of additional databases through the Boston Public Library.
Music Journals
General Music
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- Black Music Research JournalA scholarly journal publishing original contributions on the philosophy, aesthetics, history, and criticism of black music. Most issues are devoted to a single theme. This is the official publication of the Center for Black Music Research (CBMR) at Columbia College in Chicago, a research center devoted to the documentation, collection preservation, and dissemination of information about black music in all parts of the world.
- Computer Music JournalConcentrates on skills, technologies, and promises of digital sound and musical applications of computers.
- Contemporary Music ReviewProvides a forum where new tendencies in composition can be discussed in both breadth & depth.
- Folk Music JournalJournal of traditional song, music, and dance published under the auspices of the English Folk Dance & Song Society.
- General Music TodayContains articles on emerging trends, effective teaching ideas, & new material for teaching general music at all levels.
- Intersections: Canadian Journal of Music/ Revue Canadienne de MusiqueTopics include the traditional fields of music scholarship and research, as well as studies in popular music and culture that are playing a greater role in the journal's output. Disciplines covered include Arts, music, musicology, music theory, music history, ethnomusicology, music cognition, music analysis, composition, music education, music performance, opera, popular music studies, cultural studies.
- Journal of Music and MeaningJMM: The Journal of Music and Meaning is an online, open access, peer-reviewed journal for multidisciplinary research on music and meaning. The editorial profile of JMM accommodates an inclusive plurality of methods and disciplines and welcomes contributions from a variety of fields, such as: philosophy, mathematics, physics, musicology, medicine, acoustics, neurology, theology, literary studies, philosophy of science, music pedagogy, computer science, semiotics, sociology, linguistics, religious studies, anthropology, psychology, biology, education studies, music therapy, culture studies, etc.
- Journal of New Music ResearchEmphasizes an interdisciplinary foundation for music by means of the most advanced technologies. Covers musicology, psychology, information sciences, philosophy and brain sciences.
- Music & LettersA journal covering the full spectrum of music from all time periods for the academic audience.
- Music and the Moving ImageProvides information on the relationship between music and moving images, including film, television, music videos, computer games, performance art, and web-based media.
- Music, Sound and the Moving ImageCovers the study of the interaction between music and sound with the entirety of moving image media film, television, music video, advertising, computer games, mixed-media installation, digital art, live cinema, et alia.
- Music WeekA respected voice and valued source of news, data, analysis and opinion throughout the industry.
- Perspectives of New MusicA journal discussing contemporary music and its analysis for the academic audience.
- Popular Music and SocietyResearch articles and reviews for a general readership about popular music, culture, and sociology.
- Popular Music HistoryOriginal historical & historiographical research that draws on the wide range of disciplines & intellectual trajectories that have contributed to the establishment of popular music studies as a recognized academic enterprise.
Guitar
- Guitar PlayerGuitar Player is the world’s most comprehensive, trusted and insightful guitar publication for passionate guitarists and active musicians of all ages. Every style is covered, including rock, blues, metal, and jazz. Plus, get exclusive monthly features such as interviews with the best guitar players in the world.
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International Music
- Radio & Music (India)Radioandmusic.com is a portal dedicated to the fast growing FM radio and music industries in India. It provides daily news updates, interviews and analysis. Country of origin: India
Music Education
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- American Music TeacherA bimonthly journal focused on music education. Provides articles, news of the field, information, reviews and regular columns designed to inform, educate and challenge music teachers, and to foster excellence in music programs. For music educators.
- Australian Journal of Music EducationPublishes articles that enhance knowledge regarding the teaching and learning of music with a special interest toward the Australian music education community. This may include articles that report results of quantitative or qualitative research studies, summarize bodies of research, present theories, models, or philosophical positions, etc.
- Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music EducationPublishes research and reviews of books of interest to the international music education profession.
- EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech, and Music ProcessingThe aim of EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech, and Music Processing is to bring together researchers, scientists and engineers working on the theory and applications of the processing of various audio signals, with a specific focus on speech and music.
- Illinois Music EducatorInformation & articles directly related to Music Education in Illinois & information on activities sponsored by the Illinois Music Educators Association.
- Journal of Historical Research in Music EducationPublishes articles and reviews pertinent in any way to the history of music education.
- Journal of Music Teacher EducationA semiannual journal devoted to the training of music teachers. Publishes articles on topics of interest such as reform movements, state-mandated curricula, and other issues. Aimed at educators responsible for training music teachers.
- Journal of Research in Music EducationPublishes reports of research studies in the field of music and music education.
- Music Education TechnologyPublication for K-12 music educators focusing on technology available for the music education market.
- Music Educators JournalOriginal articles about all phases of music education in schools and communities, professional philosophy and practical techniques and current teaching and learning aimed at all persons engaged in music teaching or other music educational work.
- Notes (Music Library Association)A journal published by the Music Library Association that covers issues concerning music librarianship for the academic and professional audience.
- Philosophy of Music Education ReviewJournal covering philosophical research in music education for music professionals and scholars.
- Research and Issues in Music EducationA peer-reviewed journal devoted to thorough research and commentary that advances the practice and pedagogy of music teaching.
Music Therapy
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- Australian Journal of Music TherapyIncludes original music therapy research, theoretical perspectives, and case studies.
- Nordic Journal of Music TherapyCovers music therapy in the nordic & Baltic countries; includes philosophical articles, qualitative & quantitative research articles, classical articles, dialogues, reviews, texts from practice, and overviews of new texts in the field of music therapy.
Music Theory
- Music AnalysisConcerned with music theory, critical theory, music history and the cognitive sciences.
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- Intersections: Canadian Journal of Music/ Revue Canadienne de MusiqueTopics include the traditional fields of music scholarship and research, as well as studies in popular music and culture that are playing a greater role in the journal's output. Disciplines covered include Arts, music, musicology, music theory, music history, ethnomusicology, music cognition, music analysis, composition, music education, music performance, opera, popular music studies, cultural studies.
- EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech, and Music ProcessingThe aim of EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech, and Music Processing is to bring together researchers, scientists and engineers working on the theory and applications of the processing of various audio signals, with a specific focus on speech and music.
- Music Theory OnlineFeatures articles, reviews, commentaries, and analytical essays related to the field of professional music theory.
Useful Handout
Why should I look for academic articles?
Why should you do research in academic journals?
- Academic journal articles are often authored by scholars active in a particular field
- Academic journal articles provide a close look at a particular topic
- Academic journal articles often provide data to support their findings
- Academic journal articles can lead readers to other sources through their bibliographies
If you find one good article that supports your research, you can use the bibliography at the end of the paper to locate further research.
Web Resources
Useful Web Resources for Research in Music
- Alan Lomax Channel on YouTubeThe filmwork of Alan Lomax is a resource for students, researchers, filmmakers, and fans of America's traditional music and folkways. Shot throughout the American South and Southwest over the course of seven years (1978--1985) in preparation for a PBS series, "American Patchwork," which aired in 1991, these videos consist of performances, interviews, and folkloric scenes culled from 400 hours of raw footage, many of which have never been seen publicly. The project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
- Alan Lomax Cultural EquityThe Association for Cultural Equity (ACE) was founded by Alan Lomax to explore and preserve the world's expressive traditions with humanistic commitment and scientific engagement. ACE was registered as a charitable organization in the State of New York in 1983, and is housed at New York City's Hunter College.
- The Aria DatabaseThe Aria Database is a collection of information about opera and operatic arias. Besides providing basic information about each aria, the Database includes translations for many arias and aria texts for those that are not affected by copyright restrictions. The Database also provides access to a collection of operatic sound files to give visitors an idea of what each aria sounds like. In addition, the Aria Database contains information on available scores and sound files that can be purchased to aid in study and enjoyment. Currently, the Database holds information on the complete operatic aria collections of Mozart, Verdi, Berlioz, Wagner, and Puccini as well as the partial collections of over 50 other composers.
- Digital MozartThe complete works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with a critical edition of letters, documents, and libretti.
- The Free Music ArchiveFree public domain music clips
- IN Harmony: Sheet Music from Indiana UniversityIN Harmony: Sheet Music from Indiana is a search and discovery system for accessing sheet music from the Indiana University Lilly Library, the Indiana State Library, the Indiana State Museum, and the Indiana Historical Society. Funded through a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), IN Harmony features Indiana-related sheet music - sheet music by Indiana composers, arrangers, lyricists or publishers as well as sheet music about the state.
- International Music Score Library ProjectNow in its ninth year, the International Music Score Library Project holds more than 330,000 scores across 13,000 composers.
- John Cage Unbound: A Living ArchiveBorn the son of an inventor, American composer John Cage died the father of musical invention. John Cage Unbound presents an ever-growing archive of items from our collection of Cage’s original manuscripts—housed at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center—as well as user-submitted videos of musicians, students and performers from all walks of life interpreting Cage’s music. Browse the collections of ephemera, compare interpretations and submit your own video: how do you bring Cage’s music to life?
- Libretto PortalThe site is a new search engine to access the scanned libretti from the Christian Her Collection (approximately 5,600 items) and also scanned libretti from the Deutschen historischen Instituts in Rome (about 1,500 items). The holdings of the combined collections date from the 17th through the 20th centuries. The new portal offers enhanced search capabilities over the previous access available through ViFaMusik.
- Musicals101"A lovingly crafted resource for that uniquely American art form -- the musical. A former Broadway professional and devoted fan has assembled year-by-year stage chronologies from 1930 to the present, and an index of screen musicals for the same period. Opinionated, informative reviews, a bibliography, and an encyclopedic collection of essays cover the glamour and the camp." Also features a history of musicals, bios of musical stars, a musicals calendar, and a photo gallery.
- Musical Scores from the Sibley Music LibraryScores and books in the public domain. Many of these are unique to the Sibley Music Library collection.
- Music Resources from Voice of the ShuttleHundreds of links relating to music. Organized by era, geographic area, composer, and theory.
- MusRefThis site is devoted to music and dance bibliography and reference. At present the bibliography includes more than 7,300 bibliographies and reference sources (both print and online), approximately 1,880 of which are annotated with critiques on use, coverage, organization, and pros and cons (click here for guidelines on writing critiques).
- National JukeboxThe Library of Congress presents the National Jukebox, which makes historical sound recordings available to the public free of charge. The Jukebox includes recordings from the extraordinary collections of the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation and other contributing libraries and archives.
- Petrucci Music Library from the International Music Score Library ProjectThe Petrucci Music Library is an internet-based collaborative music score library. Tens of thousands of scores by thousands of composers, available for free download. A virtual library containing public domain music scores, as well as scores from composers who are willing to share their music with the world without charge. The Petrucci Music Library also encourages the exchange of musical ideas, both in the form of musical works and in their analysis.
- Sound Recordings Catalog (Alan Lomax)The Sound Recordings catalog comprises over 17,400 digital audio files, beginning with Lomax’s first recordings onto (newly invented) tape in 1946 and tracing his career into the 1990s. In addition to a wide spectrum of musical performances from around the world, it includes stories, jokes, sermons, personal narratives, interviews conducted by Lomax and his associates, and unique ambient artifacts captured in transit from radio broadcasts, sometimes inadvertently, when Alan left the tape machine running. Not a single piece of recorded sound in Lomax’s audio archive has been omitted: meaning that microphone checks, partial performances, and false starts are also included
Useful Handout
Website Evaluation
While conducting research on the web, it is imperative to evaluate the website in question for authority, documentation, currency, and bias. Doing so will ensure that you are using the most credible information possible to support your thesis.
Authority and Accuracy
Who produced the site? Are they a credible source? What is the purpose of the site? Why was it created? Is the person, organization, or group qualified to write this content? What is the domain of the URL?
- .com or.biz - a business or commercial website
- .edu - an educational institution
- .gov or .mil - a U.S. military or government website
- .net - a personal website
- .org - a website for a not-for-profit organization
Documentation
Is there adequate documentation for factual statements? Is the documentation reliable, verifiable from a second source? Is there enough information to cite this information in a paper (author, title, source, date)?
Currency
Is the information up to date? When was it created, or last edited? Are the links up to date or dead? Is the author using outdated statistics?
Objectivity and Bias
Is the document biased or slanted? Are there few or no logical errors such as appeal to authority or circular reasoning? If you found this information a printed source, would you trust it?