Research Guides: Music: Historical Research

Historical Research

Encyclopedias/Dictionaries

Oxford Music Online
Access digital versions of Grove Music Online, the Oxford Companion to Music, and the Oxford Dictionary of Music. Entries include biographies from Claudio Abbado to Jay Z and subject overviews from chest percussion to electronic music and are keyword searchable. Authors include popular music critics/writers and music scholars. Articles linked in the bibliographies of Grove entries feature the 'Get It' button. If Dartmouth has access to the article digitally, simply click to button to read the linked article in full. If 'Get It' doesn't work, request the article through Interlibrary Loan.
MGG Online (Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart)
This German language encyclopedia, also known as the MGG, is an authoritative source for information in all genres of music and all fields of musicology. Entries are generally short enough that even a very small vocabulary in German might still allow you to retrieve information about musical topics otherwise unavailable to you. It is possible to copy and paste the information into an online translator to understand the gist of an article.
The Garland encyclopedia of world music online
The encyclopedia is comprised of ten volumes, arranged by region (Africa, Central/South America & the Caribbean, North America, Southeast Asia, South Asia/India, The Middle East, East Asia, Europe, Australia/Pacific Islands). Each entry is authored by a musicologist specializing in a particular region, who includes an overview of major musical traditions in the area. Encyclopedia entries may be printed in full text by clicking the icon above the article viewer. Includes accompanying audio, including field recordings, via streaming.

Scores in the Dartmouth Collection

Performance Scores

How to find scores using the Library Search:

First, limit the format of the search to "Music Scores."
Then, perform a keyword search, rather than a title, author, or subject search. Music materials are often in non-English languages. A keyword search will ensure that if the title is listed in another language, the cross-listed English title in the record will cause the piece to appear in your search results.

Useful search tips:

Keep your search simple, eliminate unnecessary words, and use a piece's nickname if possible, rather than searching for the work/opus number.
- Example: Instead of "beethoven concerto no. 5 for piano and orchestra in Eb major," search for "beethoven piano concerto 5" or "beethoven emperor concerto."
It can sometimes be useful to search for titles in the composer's native language if a search in English fails. Do not use any diacritics (accent marks, umlauts, etc.) in your search. You can find the original title by performing a Google search.
- Example: for Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, try a keyword search for "prelude a l'apres midi d'un faune" instead.
Search for the name of the instrument(s) to browse music for a particular instrument or ensemble. Remember that it may be useful to search for the instrument's name in the composer's native language.
- Example: Use "flote" instead of "flute" for pieces by Brahms, Beethoven, or Mozart.

Finding Scores Not Owned by Dartmouth

If Dartmouth doesn't have the score you need, try requesting it through BorrowDirect. If none of our partner institutions has the score, you can request it through Interlibrary Loan. If you need to find a citation for a particular edition of a score so that you can request it through Interlibrary Loan, Worldcat.org is a good place to look.

Reference Scores

Collected Works are arranged alphabetically by composer last name. They are housed in the Baker 1 Stacks in the M3 section and do not circulate outside of the library.

Individual works in this section are not findable in Library Search. To find a specific piece in this section, you must use Grove Music Online. Search for the composer in Grove and scroll down to the "Works" section on the left hand navigation bar. You can also use 'Ctrl + F' to search for the piece by title on this page. Once you find the piece in Grove, write down the edition and volume number to find it in the stacks. If you need help, you can always email the Music Librarian at memory.r.apata@dartmouth.edu.

Scores Online

IMSLP.org

The International Music Score Library Project contains thousands of scores in the public domain. This includes mostly classical music by well-known composers. Browse alphabetically by composer, composer nationality, time period, instrumentation, and genre. You can also search by work title, but not all works are cross-listed in English. This is a wonderful source for art song literature, chamber music, solo instrumental works, and even full orchestral works. However, IMSLP is a wiki, which means that anyone can contribute reproductions of printed music to this site, regardless of U.S. copyright law. If you are using a score from IMSLP published after 1900, it is a good idea to check for the copyrights to the piece with the publisher if you plan to distribute multiple copies.

Music Online: Classical Scores Library

A collection of Alexander Street Press. Includes performance scores and digital manuscripts by well-known classical composers and for lesser-known contemporary composers. Search by time period, composer, instrument, genre, and title. Entire scores may be printed for performance or study. Create a free account with Alexander Street Press to write annotations in the music and to save citations.

Babel Scores

Great source for contemporary scores for electronics, extended techniques, and stage by 20th and 21st century composers. Audio recordings are available for many of these works. In addition to original works, there are also chamber arrangements of classical orchestral and operatic works. Browsable by composer, genre, and instrument.

More Online Scores in the Public Domain

Open Music Library Scores

Variations (Cook Music Library, Indiana University)

ChoralWiki

Music Treasures Consortium

Digitized Scores of the Sibley Music Library (Eastman School of Music)

Physical Media

CDs and DVDs are located in the Jones Media Center on the 2nd floor of Baker/Berry Library.

CDs are the preferred source for classical recordings. CDs often include useful liner notes written by the performer or a musicologist, which are a great springboard for further research on a piece of music or composer. CDs can be found in the Library Search by limiting the format to 'Audio Recordings' and doing a keyword search for the composer, performer, or title of the piece.

Desktop computers in the library are equipped with CD and DVD drives. Headphones and external CD drives available for use with personal laptops may be borrowed from the Jones circulation desk.

There are nearly 1,500 DVDs in our music collection. These recordings include operas, ballets, documentaries, movie musicals, and more.

Our collection of nearly 10,000 vinyl records is housed in our off-site storage facility. To browse available titles, use the Vinyl Sound Recordings Curated Collection in the library search system. To request an item, click on the "Request" button next to the item's title in the catalog and select Baker/Berry as the pickup location. The record usually takes just one weekday to arrive in the library. Public record players are housed in the Jones Media Center.

Streaming Audio

Naxos Music Library
Naxos is the world's largest online classical music library. This is a great resource for students in beginning music theory courses who need to complete a listening journal assignment. You won't have to determine whether a recording is amateur or professional because the labels in Naxos' library are reputable and established houses. You can keep track of recordings you use for your assignments using the Playlist feature, located in the tabs at the top of the homepage.
IMSLP
Includes nearly 500 public domain recordings of classical music, searchable by composer or performer name. Most of these recordings are no longer under the auspices of U.S. Copyright Law, and may be freely reproduced and manipulated.

Streaming Video/Audio

Met Opera on Demand
Stream hundreds of opera productions on video from the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Video recordings feature side by side English translations and allow you to quickly jump to your favorite arias and scenes with a simple click. You can also access radio broadcasts from the Met dating back to 1936. The Met Opera OnDemand website is also a great place for finding opera synopses.
Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall
Live stream concerts from the Berlin Philharmonic. Additionally, view concerts dating to 1966, interviews with principal artists, and documentaries chronicling the tenure of various conductors. Dartmouth provides this resource for free, but you will need to create an individual account before you can access content.
Alexander Street Press: Music & Performing Arts Collection
Search on this page to quickly access content across Alexander Street Press' many collections including the Classical Music Library, Classical Performance in Video, the Jazz Music Library, Smithsonian Global Sound, and more. Collections include thousands of audio and video of operas, ballets, classical and jazz concerts. Browse individual collections by composer, genre, instrument, or performer. Easily cite video in APA, Chicago, & MLA using the citation tool under the video player. Create video clips to embed on course websites, in PowerPoint presentations, or wherever you would like to use them for educational purposes under fair use guidelines. Special features like annotation, citation, playlists, and creating video clips require you to sign up for a free account. Links to individual collections are on the left navigation of this research guide. Hover over the info icon for more information about each collection.
Youtube
Classical concerts and recordings may be found for free on Youtube. However, be conscious that many of these recordings are shared without permission of the artists. Additionally, quality of recordings and performances will vary. When in doubt and researching a classical work, refer to Naxos or a CD version of the piece you are studying.

Major Journal Databases for Classical/Art Music

Performing Arts Periodicals Database
Performing Arts Periodicals Database covers a broad spectrum of the arts and entertainment industry - including dance, drama, theater, stagecraft, musical theater, circus performance, opera, pantomime, puppetry, magic, performance art, film, television and more.
International Index of Music Periodicals (IIMP)
This index lists 800+ magazines and peer reviewed journals specific to music. Includes journals in historical musicology, ethnomusicology, computer music, music education, instrument specific performance, popular music, and more. Browse contents of individual issues by year.
Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals with Full Text (RIPM)
Includes music periodical articles with full text from 1800 to 1950.
Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale (RILM) Abstracts of Music Literature
RILM is a joint project of the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres (IAML); International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM); and the International Musicological Society (IMS). Contains hundreds of thousands of articles and abstracts from both peer-reviewed and open access journals. Many abstracts for foreign language articles are in English and are keyword searchable. While some texts are available online, many must be requested through DartDoc.

Browsing the Music Stacks

Books on music are organized using the Library of Congress Call Number System, which divides music into three classes: M for printed music and recordings, ML for music literature, and MT for music theory.

ML 1-112.5 General Topics

ML1-5 Periodicals, Serials

ML12-21 Directories, Almanacs

ML25-28 Societies and other Organizations

ML32-33 Institutions

ML35-38 Festivals, Congresses

ML40-44 Programs

ML47-54.8 Libretti, Texts, Scenarios

ML55-60 Addresses, Essays and Lectures

ML62-89 Aspects of the field of music as a whole

ML93-96.5 Manuscripts, Autographs, and Facsimiles

ML100-109 Dictionaries, Encylopedias

ML110-111.5 Music Librarianship

ML112-112.5 Music Printing and Publishing

ML159-3785 History and Criticism

ML159-161 General Works

ML162-197 By Period

ML198-360.6 By Region or Country

ML385-429 Biographies

ML 410 Composers
ML420 Vocalists and Solo Artists
ML421 Musical Groups
ML422 Conductors

ML430-458 Composition and Performance

ML459-1380 Instruments and Instrumental music

ML1400-3275 Vocal music

ML3300-3351 Program music

ML3400-3465 Dance music

ML3469-3541 Popular music

ML3544-3776 Folk, National, and Ethnic music

ML3780 Music on particular topics

ML3785 Musical journalism

ML3790-3792 Music Industry and Sound Recording Companies

ML3795 Music as a Profession, Vocational Guidance

ML3797-3799.5 Musical Research

ML3800-3923 Philosophical and Societal Aspects of Music, Physics and Acoustics of Music, Physiological Aspects of Music

ML3800 General Works

ML3805-3817 Physics and Acoustics

ML3820 Physiological Aspects

ML3830-3840 Psychology

ML3845-3877 Aesthetics

ML3880-3916 Criticism

ML3916-3918 Social and Political Aspects

ML3919-3920 Moral Influence, Therapeutic Use of Music

ML3921-3921.8 Religious Aspects

ML3922 Music in the Workplace

ML3928-3930 Literature for Children

List source: Bowling Green University Music LibGuide

Some music-related materials fall into other LC classes, including the following:

BV = hymns
GV = dance music
KF = music business, music law
ND = art and music
PN = film music
PR = songs, ballads
TK = recording technology and techniques*