Research Guides: Music Research Tools: Welcome

Welcome

Welcome to the Music Research Tools guide. Here you will learn about the various tools available to you through the library to start research for various projects. Music materials are found in a variety of places through Campbell Library and through the library website:

The Performing Arts Collection of Campbell Library is where you will find all of the scores, CDs, and most of the reference books (encyclopedias, special music dictionaries, catalogs, and introductory research books), and some of the books on music education and performance.

Campbell Library contains the majority of our books on music history, music performance, music education, the music industry, and music therapy. Check with a librarian or a library assistant to see where your resources might be located.

This guide, the guides linked below, and many of the library databases provide access to lots of materials that you cannot find for free online.

Best Places to Start

Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
Use Oxford Music Online as a starting point for research! It serves as a music-specific dictionary and biographical encyclopedia.
This is a continuously updated online version of the former historically significant print references: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, and The Grove Dictionary of American Music. Articles include biographies, bibliographies, composers’ works lists, and illustrations. It includes numerous “tools and resources,” or indexes, for accessing the textual and musical content as well as links to related sites, sound archives, illustrations.

Library Search
Use Library Search to search most of the physical and online holdings that the library has access to in all disciplines.

RILM Abstracts of Music Literature This link opens in a new window
Use RILM Abstracts to search academic literature about music.
A product of the Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale. RILM Abstracts is a comprehensive music bibliography features citations, abstracts and subject indexing.
Music Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window
Use the Music Periodicals Database to search for scholarly and journalistic writing about music.
Indexing and abstracts for many international music periodicals with some coverage from 1874. Subjects include history, education, performance, composition, theory, ethnomusicology, popular music.
Naxos Music Library This link opens in a new window
Stream mostly classical music from this high-quality library, and read the liner notes for information about the pieces.
Provides streaming audio of music recordings, with genres including classical, jazz, folk, and some non-western world music.
Medici.TV This link opens in a new window
Video library of concerts, operas, ballets and other classical music performances.
A collection of classical music videos including concerts, operas, ballets, archives, documentaries, artist profiles and educational programs, among others.

Music Research Tools

Welcome

Best Places to Start

Library Search

Related Guides