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Getting Started with Research: Reference Sources
Encyclopedias:
- Encyclopedias are available on a broad variety of musical topics.
- Entries range from brief to extremely detailed.
- The bibliographies of encyclopedia articles can point you to in-depth information sources on your topic.
- Example 1: Provine, Robert C., Yosihiko Tokumaru, and J. Lawrence Witzblein, eds. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, v.7, East Asia: China, Japan, and Korea. New York: Routledge, 2002. Available in Music Reference, call no. ML100 .G16 1998 v.7.
- Example 2: Oxford Music Online.
- Thematic catalogs provide a complete list of works by a given composer.
- Compilers of thematic catalogs often assign a numbering system to a composer's works (e.g., BWV = Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, the numbering system for J.S. Bach's compositions).
- Each work has its own entry, and it includes information about the date of publication and publication history.
- Each work also has a thematic incipit, the opening bar(s) of the composition (in the case of large works, there might be an incipit for each movement).
- Example: Fog, Dan, Kirsti Grinde, and Øyvind Norheim. Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) : thematisch-bibliographisches Werkverzeichnis. New York: C.F. Peters, 2008. Available in Music Reference, ML134 .G84 A25 2008.
- Guides to research compile all known sources on a given topic or person.
- Typically organized by type of information source (e.g., reference works, articles, biographical works, etc.)
- Each entry includes an annotation.
- Example: Boyd, Melinda, and Karin Pendle. Women in Music: A Research and Information Guide, 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2012. Available in Music Reference, call no. ML128 .W7 P46 2010.
Music Databases for Research
The following databases are commonly used for research in music. While not every database will be applicable to your topic, these resources are commonly consulted when compiling lists of sources for research.
- Music Index
The Music Index provides citations to scholarly and popular music journals and magazines, indexing more than 690 international music periodicals. Book reviews, reviews of music recordings, tapes, and performances are indexed. - Music Periodicals Database
Music Database (aka International Index to Music Periodicals Full Text) indexes journal literature in all areas of music. Provides indexing and abstracts for more than 425 international music periodicals, plus full text for around 140 journals. - RILM Abstracts of Music Literature
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature features content from the early 1800s through the present with some content coverage extending back as far as the late 18th century. Updated monthly, the database includes coverage of relevant articles from thousands of journals, many of which are not specifically devoted to music.In addition to journal articles, RILM Abstracts of Music Literature covers a variety of publication and media types including essay collections, conference proceedings, critical editions of music, digital media, dissertations, monographs, online resources, reference materials, reviews, and technical drawings of instruments. Sound recordings and motion pictures that present the results of scholarly research or fieldwork are also included. - RIPM Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals with Online Archive
RIPM Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals is an international, annotated database with content analysis of writings on musical history and culture between 1800 and 1950 provided by scholars and editors. RIPM currently indexes the contents of music periodicals including articles, reviews, illustrations, music examples, advertisements, and press reviews. In addition, RIPM offers English-language translations of articles from journals in other languages.
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