The following guides have been selected as some of the best in the nation for research advice and support. Although the Thrift Library will not have the same resources, most books, articles, and media can be obtained through Interlibrary Loan.
This Research Guide attempts cover the the history of western music from early times to present. It identifies the best resources and search tools and also provides helpful advice on library research.
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
The Harvard Dictionary of Music by
Includes entries on all the styles and forms in Western music; comprehensive articles on the music of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Near East; descriptions of instruments enriched by historical background; and articles that reflect today's beat, including popular music, jazz, and rock.
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians
Particularly strong for classical music but also covers hundreds of contemporary musicians in all genres.
Garland Encyclopedia of World Music (10 vols)
Covers all the music of the world. (10 volumes).
Oxford history of western music by
1.25 million words, 500 images, and 1,800 musical examples with sophisticated search and browse. LINKS TO AND FROM Oxford Music Online!
The Grove dictionary of American music / edited by Charles Hiroshi Garrett.
The articles of the dictionary range from small definitions of dance styles and musical terms to mid-length biographies of important performers, composers, and music patrons, to longer examinations of larger subjects such as the history of jazz, musical instruments, music education in the US and the American history of the orchestra.
This link opens in a new windowA comprehensive reference resource that includes images, audio files, videos, and more than 600 full-text reference books on most major subject areas. (Infobase)
The Journal of Music History Pedagogy is a bi-annual, peer-reviewed, open-access, on-line journal dedicated to the publication of original articles and reviews related to teaching music history of all levels (undergraduate, graduate, or general studies) and disciplines (western, non-western, concert and popular musics). The JMHP holds no single viewpoint on what constitutes good teaching and endorses all types of scholarship on music history pedagogy that are well-researched, objective, and challenging. The JMHP is a publication of the Pedagogy Study Group of the American Musicological Society; it is indexed in RILM and DOAJ.
Crank Up the Phonograph: Who We Are and Where We Came from in Early Sound Recordings
"A free academic work that attempts to understand how Americans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries viewed themselves, others, and the general world they encountered."
For more information on using Oxford Music Online, click here.
OnMusic Dictionary is the successor of former Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary.
Also includes browsing by Instrument Classifications, Composers, Symbol Charts, and an Appendix with music fundamentals, music history, and performance practice.