Music Reference Resources

Guides to selected music resources are available for the following types of Reference tools; encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, directories, handbooks, indexes, etc. The basic call numbers are included. Call numbers with REF as a prefix are in the Reference Department and call numbers with Main Stacks are usually available on the third floor.  Online Reference resources are also included from the Xreferplus Database and linked web sites.
 

Xreferplus Database Resources for Music (FSU Affiliated Persons)

The Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music
The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music
The Harvard Dictionary of Music
The Penguin Dictionary of Music

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

American Popular Music: a Reference Guide by Mark W. Booth  (Main Stacks ML102.P66 B65 1983)

Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians.  (REF  ML105 .B16 1992)  The standard and most authoritative single-volume biographical dictionary.

The Big Book of Blues : a Biographical Encyclopedia by Robert Santelli. (REF ML102.B6 S26 1993)  

Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians by Eileen Southern  (Main Stacks ML105 .S67 1982) "Draws together widely dispersed and, and in many instances, heretofore unpublished information on more than 1500 musicians of African descent, including living persons as well as figures of the past."

A Biographical Dictionary of English Court Musicians, 1485-1714  (REF ML106.G7 B56 1998)

Black Music by Dean Tudor and Nancy Tudor  (REF ML156.4.P6 T8)

Blacks in Classical Music : a Bibliographical Guide to Composers, Performers, and Ensembles compiled by John Gray  (Main Stacks ML128.B45 G7 1988)  An author listing of books, articles, unpublished papers, recordings, and media performances documenting the "full range of black activity in classical music."

Blacks in Opera: an Encyclopedia of People and Companies, 1873-1993 by Eric Ledell Smith  (REF ML102.O6 S6 1995) 

Dictionary of Afro-American Performers: 78 RPM and Cylinder Recordings of Opera, Choral Music, and Song, c.1900-1949 by Patricia Turner  (REF ML106.U3 T87 1990)

Dictionary of Electronic and Computer Music Technology  (REF ML102.E4 D6 1992)

Dictionary of Music Titles: the Origins of the Names and Titles of 3,500 Musical Compositions / by Adrian Room.  (REF ML102.T58 R66 2000)

Dictionary of Pianists by Wilson Lyle  (REF ML105 .L9 1985)

Encyclopedia of Country Music: the Ultimate Guide to the Music compiled by the staff of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.  (REF ML102.C7 E54 1998) 

Encyclopedia of Keyboard Instruments  (REF ML102.K5 E53 1994  v.1)

Encyclopedia of pop, rock and soul by by Irwin Stambler  (Main Stacks ML102.P66 S8 1974)

Encyclopedia of Record Producers  (REF ML105 .E53 1999)

Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound in the United States  (REF ML102.S67 E5 1993)

Encyclopedia of Rhythm & Blues and Doo-Wop Vocal Groups by Mitch Rosalsky  (REF ML102.P66 R67 2000)

Encyclopedia Yearbooks of Jazz by Leonard Feather  (REF ML102.J3 F43 1993)

Facts Behind the Songs : a Handbook of American Popular Music from the Nineties to the '90s  (REF ML102.P66 F2 1993) 

Garland Encyclopedia of World Music (REF ML100 .G16 1998, CD ROM available at Circulation Desk)
A scholarly analysis of music worldwide including volumes on: Africa; South America, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean; the United States and Canada; Southeast Asia; South Asia; the Middle East; East Asia: China, Japan and Korea; Europe; Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music  (REF ML102.P66 G84 1995)  Contains entries in alphabetical order for individuals and performing groups.

Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music  (REF ML105 .H38 1996)

Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music and Musicians (REF ML100 .H36 1999)
This text covers concert music in the Western tradition from the earliest times by including entries for performers of Western concert music, jazz and popular music.

International Dictionary of Black Composers  (REF ML105 .I5 1999)

Music Dictionary by Roy Bennett  (REF ML100 .B386 1995)

Music in the 20th Century  (REF ML105 .M88 1999)

New Grove Dictionary of American Music  (Main Stacks ML101.U6 N48 1986)
This is not a text for research on general music, this is specifically for information on all the music made in the United States by Americans.  It includes musical terminology and information on instruments which have a particular meaning or occupy a particular place in American Music.

New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd. edition  (REF ML102.J3 N48 2001)
Entries provide "detailed attention to all periods and styles of jazz from many countries." Extensive bibliographies are included.

New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd. edition  (REF ML100 .N48 2001  v.1-v.28)
This book is an excellent starting point for all types of music research. Lengthy entries provide an scholarly overview of composers, musical styles, important musical centers, instruments, and other topics. All entries include a bibliography.

New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments  (Main Stacks ML102.I5 N48 1984)
Illustrations are the highlight of this collection of musical instrument history.  It is alphabetized with signed entries. Importance is placed on the classification of instruments so that the user can get a good overall understanding of the musical instrument families.

New Grove Dictionary of Opera  (REF ML102.O6 N5 1992)
A comprehensive guide to opera (the musical genre that arose in Italy about 1600), including descriptive entries on operatic works, performers, librettos, opera history and criticism, and costume.

The New Harvard Dictionary of Music  (Main Stacks ML100 .R3 1986)
Lists terms with definitions and language of origin. Emphasizes Western art music, with expanded coverage of non-Western music, popular music, and instruments from all cultures.

The Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers  (REF ML105 .N67 1994)

The Oxford Companion to Popular Music  (REF ML102.P66 G35 1991)
Provides brief factual entries covering the history and present day popular music in the English speaking world.  Particular emphasis is on the history of popular music.

The Oxford Companion to Musical Instruments written and edited by Anthony Baines  (REF ML102.I5 B34 1992)

The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music  (REF ML102.P66 P5 1990)

Rap whoz who: the world of rap music by Steven Stancell  (Ref ML400 .S77 1996) 

The Rock Who's Who / Brock Helander  (REF ML102.R6 H5 1996)

Songwriters : a Biographical Dictionary with Discographies by Nigel Harrison  (REF ML102.P66 H47 1998)

Women in Music: an Encyclopedic Biobibliography / by Don L. Hixon and Don A. Hennessee.  (REF ML105 .H6 1993) Lists books and periodicals which treat any aspect of women as composers or musicians.

Electronic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Electronic Dictionaries (compiled by the University of Washington Music Library)

Bibliographies

Choral Music in Print  (REF ML128.V7 C56)

Popular Music, an Annotated Guide to Recordings by Dean Tudor  (Main Stacks ML156.4.P6 T85 1983)

Music Reference and Research Materials: An annotated Bibliography  (REF ML113 .D83 1997)

Electronic Bibliographies

Electronic Bibliographies (compiled by the University of Washington Music Library)

Indexes

Print Indexes to Periodicals

Music Index 
Index Collection ML118 .M84    (1965-2001)
Indexes articles in several hundred music periodicals covering all aspects of music.

New York Times Index 
Index Collection AI21 .N45 2000  (1851-current)
Complete index to the New York Times.

Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature
Index Collection.  Serial  (1890-current)

Indexes to Finding Songs

Cross Index Title Guide to Classical Music compiled by Steven G. Pallay  (Main Stacks ML113 .P34 1987) 

Song Index  (Main Stacks ML128.S3 S31 1926) 

Popular Song Index  (REF ML128.S3 H3) Indexes to Music in Collections

Schwann Opus. Serial.  Lists available classical recordings in all popular formats. Primary arrangement is by composer, with a separate listing for collections arranged by instrument or historical period.

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Charles W. Chesnutt Library, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, N.C. 28301
Page Created By: Duane Bogenschneider
Contact Jan S. Whitfield jwhitfield@uncfsu.edu
Last Updated: 11/17/06