Online Encyclopedia
The following is the preferred online encyclopedia in your field. You can read it anytime, 24/7.
- Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new windowOxford Music Online comprises the full text of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London, 2001), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, edited by Stanley Sadie (London, 1992), and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, second edition, edited by Barry Kernfeld (London, 2002). Articles that have been updated since their appearance in print are date-stamped in the upper right corner of the screen. The publisher has also added The Oxford Dictionary of Music and The Oxford Companion to Music to this online resource.
Why Use Encyclopedias?
Background sources like encyclopedias can provide context for your topic, or even help you choose one. They are great places to start because:
- they explain topics in simpler language than scholarly articles
- they are much shorter (often just a just a page or two, instead of the 20 pages or more found in a scholarly article or the hundreds of pages found in a book)
- they highlight important issues, figures, dates, and/or events that you may want to focus on in your paper or project
- they give you suggested sources for further research in the form of bibliographies or works cited
Print Encyclopedias
Hutchins Library also has a large collection of print encyclopedias that you can access in person in the Reference area on the main floor. Here are a few of our favorites:
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians
Call Number: 780.922 B168 2001 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 2000Baker's celebrates its 100th anniversary with this six-volume format. The 9th edition covers all musical genres, with new entries written by a distinguished group of area specialists as well as the original articles by Nicolas Slonimsky. This work continues the tradition of offering the most comprehensive and authoritative information on the musicians, along with interesting and insightful evaluations of their contributions to the musical world.
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Call Number: 781.6403 E56 2006 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 2006This authoritative biographical encyclopedia of rock, pop, and jazz artists covers popular music from 1900 to the present, including folk, blues, world music, rock, heavy metal, techno, reggae, and hip hop. It is exhaustive, meticulous, authoritative - and incredibly fun to read. Critically lauded in its previous three editions, the Fourth Edition will not disappoint fans seeking authoritative and reliable information about popular music from around the world. In addition to thousands of biographical entries, this A-Z reference also includes entries covering popular music genres, trends, styles, record labels, venues, and festivals. Key dates, biographies, and further reading are provided for artists covered, along with complete discographies that include record labels, release dates, and a 5-star album rating system.
The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music by Call Number: 780.9 G233 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 1998Major resource for ethnomusicology, aiming to summarize in one place, for the first time, the major findings resulting from ethnomusicologists' documentation of the world's music through fieldwork, recording, and analysis. Each vol. contains articles written by researchers in the field, extensive glossaries, indexes, and accompanying compact discs of music examples. Articles are organized into three main sections: (1) an introduction to the region, its culture, and its music, as well as a survey of previous music scholarship and research; (2) major issues and processes that link the musics of the region; and (3) detailed accounts of individual music cultures.
The Literature of Chamber Music by Call Number: 785.009 C678L (Location: Reference)ISBN: 9780937276167Publication Date: 1997"Brief entries on over 10,000 chamber music works including unusual repertoires and combinations of instruments. Includes 'individual commentaries together with introductory commentaries on groups of works, special notes on some composers, and related essays'—p. xviii. A good source of programming possibilities for performers." - Guide to Reference
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians by Call Number: 780.3 N532 2001 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 2001Since its initial publication in 1980, the Dictionary has been widely acclaimed as an indispensable resource and a classic reference. The word "updated" doesn't begin to describe the thousands of new articles, topics, cross-references, and areas of scholarship incorporated into The New Grove II. Every one of the first edition's 22,500 articles has been reviewed and revised, with thousands of articles expanded. Previously neglected or under-represented areas have been examined, explored, and explained. Movements and topics once deemed too controversial or too far from the mainstream have been added. And throughout, 6,500 new articles cover more than 5,000 years of music history, instruments, composers, institutions, performers, genres, and more. The New Grove II takes you beyond the customary and familiar into new worlds with extensive, authoritative contributions on non-Western music. From major influences, such as Latin American music, to less-examined contributions, such as Asian, sub-Saharan African, and Pacific Islander, The New Grove II presents the music, theory, instruments, and musicians that have helped to define music around the world.
The Harvard Dictionary of Music by Call Number: 780.3 H3392 2003 (Location: Reference)ISBN: 9780674011632Publication Date: 2003This classic reference work, a one-volume music dictionary, has been brought completely up to date in this new edition. Combining authoritative scholarship and lucid prose, this is an essential guide for musicians, students and everyone who appreciates music. Dictionary of Music 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. Throughout this new edition, existing articles have been fine-tuned and new entries added so that the dictionary fully reflects current music scholarship and recent developments in musical culture.
