Music Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
An encyclopedia or dictionary is an excellent place to start when beginning to investigate your music research topic. (Please note that the terms "encyclopedia" and "dictionary" tend to be used interchangeably by publishers; many so-called dictionaries are actually in-depth encyclopedias.) Their articles provide authoritative summaries on a given topic, and can give you a sense of whether you're on the right path. Most encyclopedia articles conclude with a bibliography that will guide you toward further, more specialized reading (and likely spur ideas for honing your topic further.) The resources listed below are all titles in our library collection, whether accessible by print or online.
General Music Encyclopedias and Dictionaries: Selected Resources
Comprehensive General Music Encyclopedias
Finscher, Ludwig. Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart: Allgemeine Enzyklopëdie der Musik, 2nd ed. (Sachteil/subject volumes only)
ML 100 .M92 1994 (Sach. Bd. 1-9 + index): Music Library, Reference
Grove Music Online
Part of the Oxford Music Online database. Essential encyclopedia of music that includes the full contents of New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed.; New Grove Dictionary of Opera; and New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed; along with partial content of Grove Dictionary of American Music, 2nd ed., and Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments.
Sadie, Stanley. New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed.
ML 100 .N48 2001 (vol. 1-29): Music Library, Reference; and also Alkek, floor 6
Music Encyclopedias and Dictionaries for Specific Geographical Places
Casares Rodicio, Emilio. Diccionario de la música española e hispanoamericana
ML 101 .S7 D53 1999 (vol. 1-10): Music Library, Reference
Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online
Garrett, Charles Hiroshi. New Grove Dictionary of American Music, 2nd ed.
ML 101 .U6 N48 2013 (vol. 1-8): Music Library, Reference
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Music of India (Oxford U, 2011)
Special Music Encyclopedias and Dictionaries: Selected Resources
Biographical Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
General Biographical Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 9th ed. (2001)
ML 105 .B16 2001 (vols. 1-6): Music Library, Reference
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Classical Musicians (1997)
ML 105 .S612 1997: Music Library, Reference
Contemporary Composers (Morton/Collins, 1992)
ML 105 .C75 1992: Music Library, Reference
The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music (1996)
ML 105 .H38 1996: Music Library, Reference
also online
Honegger, Marc. Dictionnaire de la musique: Les hommes et leurs oeuvres, New ed., 2 vols. (Bordas, 1993)
ML 100 .D57 1993: Music Library, Reference
International Who's Who in Classical Music (annual)
ML 106 .G7 W442 2023: Music Library, Reference
Note: The library acquires an updated volume every 2 years.
Riemann Music Lexicon: Personenteil, 12th ed. (Gurlitt, 1959-61)
ML 100 .R52 (vols. 1-3): Music Library, Reference
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries of Women Musicians
International Encyclopedia of Women Composers, 2nd ed. (Cohen, 1987)
ML 105 .C7 1987 (vols. 1-2): Alkek, 6th floor
The Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers (Sadie/Samuel, 1994)
ML 105 .N66 1994: Music Library, Reference
Women and Music in America Since 1900: An Encyclopedia (Burns, 2002)
ML 82 .W625 2002 (vols. 1-2): Music Library, Reference
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries of Black Musicians
International Dictionary of Black Composers (1999)
ML 105 .I5 1999 (vols. 1-2): Music Library, Reference
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries of American Musicians
Who's Who in American Music: Classical (Cattell, 1983)
ML 106 .U3 W35 1983: Music Library: Reference
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries of Canadian Musicians
Contemporary Canadian Composers (MacMillan/Beckwith, 1975)
ML 106 .C3 C66: Alkek, 6th floor
Dictionaries of Musical Terms
The Audio Dictionary, 3rd ed. (White, 2005)
(online)
Dictionary of Music Education (Collins, 2013)
ML 102 .M76 C65 2013: Music Library, Reference
also online
The Harvard Dictionary of Music, 4th ed. (Randel, 2003)
ML 100 .A64 2003: Music Library, Reference
also online
Musical Terminology: A Practical Compendium in Four Languages (Boccagna, 1999)
ML 108 .B55 1999: Music Library, Reference
Oxford Dictionary of Musical Terms (2004)
ML 108 .D576 2005: Music Library, Reference
Selected Musical Terms of Non-Western Cultures: A Notebook-Glossary (Kaufmann, 1990)
ML 108 .K37 1990: Music Library, Reference
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries of Musical Instruments
General Instrument Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments 2nd ed.
ML 102 .I5 N48 2014 (vol. 1-5): Music Library, Reference
also online
Musical Instruments: A Comprehensive Dictionary (Corrected ed., W.W. Norton, 1975)
ML 102 .I5 M37 1975: Music Library, Reference
The Oxford Companion to Musical Instruments (Baines, 1992)
ML 102 .I5 B34 1992: Alkek, 6th floor
Piano: An Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. (Palmieri, 2003)
ML 102 .P5 P5 2003: Music Library, Reference
Real-lexikon der Musikinstrumente (Sachs, 1964)
ML 102 .I5 S2 1964: Alkek, 6th floor
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries of Specific Instruments
Encyclopedia of Keyboard Instruments, 3 vols. (Routledge, 2003-6)
Vol. 1: The Piano: An Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. ML 102 .P5 P5 2003: Music Library, Reference
Vol. 2: The Harpsichord and Clavichord: An Encyclopedia (online)
Vol. 3: The Organ: An Encyclopedia (online)
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries of Opera and Musical Theater
Bourne, Joyce. A Dictionary of Opera Characters. (Oxford U, 2010)
ML 102 .O6 K46 2010: Music Library, Reference
Gänzl, Kurt. The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre, 2nd ed. (Schirmer Books, 2001)
ML 102 .M88 G3 2001 (vol. 1-3): Alkek, 6th floor
LaRue, C. Steven. International Dictionary of Opera (St. James Press, 1993)
ML 102 .O6 I6 1993: Music Library, Reference
Sadie, Stanley. The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (Macmillan, 1992)
ML 102 .O6 N5 1992 (vol. 1-4): Music Library, Reference
All articles are available and searchable (and some have been revised) in Grove Music Online.
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries of Performance Practice
Jackson, Roland. Performance Practice: A Dictionary-Guide for Musicians (Routledge, 2005)
(online)
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries of Jazz, Rock, and Popular Music
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries of Jazz
Feather, Leonard. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz (Oxford U, 1999)
(online)
Kernfeld, Barry. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed. (2002)
ML 102 .J3 N48 2002 (vols. 1-3): Music Library, Reference
All articles are available and searchable (and some have been revised) in Grove Music Online.
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries of Rock and Popular Music
Caribbean Popular Music: An Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall (Moskowitz, 2006)
ML 102 .P66 M67 2006: Alkek, 6th floor
The Faber Companion to 20th-Century Popular Music, Rev. ed. (Hardy, 2001)
(online)
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 4th ed. (2009)
(online)
Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia
(online)
Miscellaneous Music Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
A Dictionary of Music Titles: The Origins of the Names and Titles of 3,500 Musical Compositions (Room, 2000)
ML 102 .T58 R66 2000: Music Library, Reference
The Norton/Grove Concise Encyclopedia of Music, Rev. ed. (Sadie, 1994)
ML 100 .N88 1994: Music Library, Reference
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