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Music: Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Bibliographies

This guide covers basic resources that may be useful to the Music Department.

Selected Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Oxford Music Online (formerly Grove Music Online) includes the full text of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2001, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, 1992, and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2002 and selected updated articles.

New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Circulating Collection  ML 100.N48 2001

New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. Reference Collection Ref ML102.I5 N48 1984

New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Reference Collection Ref ML102.O6 N5 1998

New Grove Dictionary of American Music. Reference Collection Ref ML101.U6 N48 1986

The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Reference Collection Ref ML 102.J3 F39 1999

The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Reference Collection Ref ML 102.P66 G84 1995


Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Reference Collection Ref ML105.B16 2001

Bibliographies

Music Reference and Research Materials: An Annotated Bibliography Reference Collection ML 113 .D83 1997. Standard bibliography often referred to as Duckles, the name of the primary author.

Oxford Music Online (formerly Grove Music Online) and the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Circulating Collection ML 100 .N48 2001. Both include excellent bibliographies at the end of every article. You can also search bibliographies in Oxford Music Online.

Many other bibliographies are shelved in ML 120-134, both in the Reference Collection on the main floor and in the Circulating Collection on the 3rd floor.

Guides to musical compositions for individual instruments and ensembles are found in ML 132 in the 3rd floor Circulating Collection. Many are graded by difficulty level. Use them to find pieces of music for study and performance.