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MUSIC: Research Guide | Get Started

Resource suggestions and search tips for research in music as well as access to scores and sheet music.

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Amanda Walch
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Raugust Library, Reference & Instruction Office
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treble clef with some notes on wavy staff linesIn this Guide, you'll find:

Key Resources

Quick links to best bets

Find Background Information

Reference sources - great for getting started

Reference sources can be a great starting point for research. Reference sources typically provide definitions, give topic overviews, and explain theories. They can also point to additional readings and scholarship. Examples of reference sources include: dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, guidebooks, manuals, and textbooks. 

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The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians

29 volumes; also available online through Oxford Music Online. REF 780.3 G89n 2001

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Dictionary for the Modern Singer

Includes terms and figures that influenced modern singing styles. Topics include voice pedagogy, vocal health, styles, genres, performers, and diction. 782.003 H654d

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The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music

Biographical information about composers, performers, music theorists, and instrument makers from the days of praise chants to the bop and pop of today. ebook

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The Harvard 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. ebook

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Musical Terms, Symbols and Theory: An Illustrated Dictionary

An authoritative source for researchers, musicologists, professional musicians, teachers and students of music. ebook

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Chamber Music: An Extensive Guide for Listeners

This go-to guide surveys the historical and musical impact of some 130 composers. REF 785 M964c

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All Music Guide to Rock

A guide to rock, pop and soul recordings; provides biographies, discographies, reviews, essays, charts and ratings. REF 781.66 AL51