Table of Contents
Getting started
Music research handbooks
These books provide overviews of the different tools available for music research, and tips on using them effectively.
Five essential tools
Of the dozens of resources for music research that may be considered essential, or "core", these titles represent four enduring classics and one (soon-to-be-classic) newcomer.
Encyclopedias & dictionaries
Encyclopedias and dictionaries provide highly-organized, compactly-written entries on all aspects of music, including people, places, historical movements, theoretical concepts, major and minor works, and more. Browse in the Music Reference Room at ML100 (general works) and ML102 (by topic). Important general works are listed below, followed by several topical examples.
See also these in-depth Grove articles:
Musicology (the study of music history and musicianship)
Historiography (the writing of music history)
Bibliographies
Bibliographies are lists of writings about a particular topic. There are hundreds of bibliographies available in the Music Library, as stand-alone reference sources; as sections in books; and at the end of scholarly encyclopedia articles. These works point you to further sources for exploration. Below is a sampling of bibliographies of literature and other writings, and of printed music. You may also browse in the Reference Room at ML112 - ML132.
Composer guides & thematic catalogs
Research guides for individual composers summarize source materials including lists of compositions, writings by the composer, and books and articles about the composer and his or her works.
Thematic catalogs list a composer's works, including an incipit to aid identification. Both types of guides may be browsed in the Reference Room at ML134. Examples are listed here:
Articles and reviews
Also...
Other useful titles
Here are more reference works to suit a variety of needs:
Writing aids
These resources for writing papers often include examples.
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