LibGuides: Keyboard Instruments (Non-Piano): Research

Articles

Articles are great for research because they generally cover a very narrow topic in great detail. In addition, scholarly journal articles generally include a bibliography where you can find more resources on the same topic.

Journal Article Databases

Library databases provide citations for articles, book chapters, and more. Most articles/chapters focus on a narrow and specific topic, so they are great for deeper research. To get started:

Choose a database.
Search for keywords such as genres, topics, names of people, etc.
Limit your results by date, language, and more with the the left-hand menu on the results page.

Need more help?

See our Article help page for step-by-step instructions and videos to help you search databases and find full-text articles. And you can always ask a librarian for individual help.

Music Article Databases

Music Index Online This link opens in a new window
Article citations from over 700 music journals.
Music Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window
Article citations from over 400 music journals.
RILM This link opens in a new window
Citations for scholarly music and dance books, articles, dissertations, and more.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Full-text articles from almost 100 scholarly music, dance, and theatre journals, plus other subjects. Excludes recent years.

Books

History Books in the Allen Library (selections)

The Cambridge Companion to the Harpsichord by Mark Kroll (Editor)
Call Number: ML651 C353 2019 [Allen shelves]
Harpsichord history, tuning systems, its role in ensemble, its use in the 20th and 21st centuries, leading Baroque composers, and national styles around the world.
The Cambridge Companion to the Organ by Nicholas Thistlethwaite; Geoffrey Webber (Editors)
Call Number: ML550 C35 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 1999
An essential guide to organ history, construction, performance practice, and repertoire.
The Clavichord by Bernard Brauchli
Call Number: ML651 B73 C53 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 1998
Traces the clavichord from the earliest-known references to the mid-19th century. Covers performance technique, instrument design, and literary documentation, plus its social and musical significance.
Early Keyboard Instruments by David Rowland
Call Number: ML549 R72 E27 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2001
Discusses issues involved in performing keyboard music from the 17th to the 19th centuries, whether playing on period instruments or on the modern piano.

Find more history books

Browse by subject in the catalog, for example:
Clavichord
Harpsichord > History
Harpsichord music > History and criticism
Organ > History
Organ-builders
Organ music > History and criticism

Browse the shelves by call number:

Call Number	Topic
ML550 – ML597	Organ history and construction
ML600 – ML649	Organ music and playing
ML650 – ML697	Piano and pre-piano history and construction
ML700 – ML747	Piano and pre-piano music and playing

Performer Biographies in the Allen Library (selections)

French Masters of the Organ by Michael Murray
Call Number: ML396 M87 F74 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 1998
Discusses the lives, styles, and techniques of eight great French romantic organist-composers.
J. S. Bach As Organist by George B. Stauffer; Ernest May (Editors)
Call Number: ML410 B11 S7 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 1985
Explores Bach's relationship to his favorite instrument during all periods of his career.
Yella Pessl, First Lady of the Harpsichord by Catherine Dower
Call Number: ML419 P487 D68 1986 [Allen shelves]
Explores the life and career of Yella Pessl, a Bach specialist, virtuoso harpsicordist and pianist, and authority on 17th- and 18th-century Baroque keyboard music.

Find more biographies

Search subjects or performer names in the catalog, for example:
Organists > Biography
Pianists > Biography (Includes performers of pre-piano instruments)

Bach, Johann Sebastian
Couperin, François
Scarlatti, Domenico

Call Number	Topic
ML396	Collected organist biographies
ML397	Collected pianist/keyboardist biographies
ML410	Composer biographies (for composer-performers)
ML416	Organist biographies
ML417	Pianist/keyboardist biographies

Reference

Reference resources include dictionaries, encyclopedias, and more.
They often provide a short overview of a topic, then point to more resources you can use for further research.

Music Reference Databases

Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online This link opens in a new window
Essays about music from all parts of the world.
Grove/Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
Extensive music encyclopedia with articles, works lists, and citations.
Oxford Bibliographies - Music This link opens in a new window
Lists of resources for advanced research on many music subjects.

Books in the Allen Library (selections)

The Harpsichord and Clavichord: An Encyclopedia by Igor Kipnis (Editor)
Call Number: ML102 K5 H37 [Allen reference]
Publication Date: 2006
Includes articles on famous players, composers, and instrument builders; instrument construction; and related terminology.
Makers of the Harpsichord and Clavichord, 1440-1840 by Donald H. Boalch
Call Number: ML652 B73 M3 [Allen reference]
Publication Date: 1995
Biographical details of makers with a geographical and chronological conspectus, descriptions of over 2,000 surviving instruments, and a terminology index in seven languages.
The Organ: An Encyclopedia by Richard Kasse; Douglas Bush (Editors)
Call Number: ML102 O68 B87 [Allen reference]
Publication Date: 2006
Includes articles on famous players, composers, and instrument builders; the construction of organ family instruments; and related terminology.

Find more reference books

See all piano reference books in the catalog:
Harpsichord reference
Keyboard reference
Organ reference

Browse the Reference shelves by call number:

Call Number	Topic
ML102 O68	Organ dictionaries & encyclopedias
ML128 O68	Organ bibliographies
ML652	Piano construction and makers

Suggest a Resource

Know of a resource you think should be added to this guide? Let us know!

Want to suggest we purchase something new? Contact Tracey Rudnick (rudnick@hartford.edu).

Find Full Text Articles

Search eJournal Locator for the journal title:

Need help? See our article help page or ask a librarian.