LibGuides: Music History: Research

Research Methods

Books in the Library (selections)

Empirical Musicology by Eric Clarke, Nicholas Cook (Editors)
Call Number: ML3797.1 E463 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2004
A guide to incorporating empirical approaches from the social sciences into the contemporary musicologist's toolkit.
Music Research: A Handbook, 3rd ed. by Laurie J. Sampsel
Call Number: ML113 S25 M87 2020 [Allen writing shelves]
Introduces the major music research tools. Appendices include citation examples for Turabian/Chicago, MLA, and APA.

Find more books in our related guide:

Music Citation and Writing
by Lisa Wollenberg Last Updated Apr 4, 2022 145 views this year

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
Essays about music from all parts of the world.
Grove/Oxford Music Online
Extensive music encyclopedia with articles, works lists, and citations.
Oxford Bibliographies - Music
Lists of resources for advanced research on many music subjects.

Reference Call Numbers

Browse these call numbers in the Reference aisle:

Call Number	Nationality/Ethnicity
ML100-ML109	Dictionaries and encyclopedias
ML128	Bibliographies (A-Z by subject)
ML134	Thematic catalogs and bibliographies of individual composers (A-Z by last name)

Articles & Dissertations

Articles are written by experts and usually cover a narrow topic in great detail.
Dissertations are written by graduate students and often cover topics not yet fully researched elsewhere.

Browse Journals

Search articles online or browse by title. Here are just a few to get started:

Empirical Musicology Review
Online only. Open access.
Journal of the American Musicological Society (JAMS)
Most recent issues online only. UC Press site (2004-present) or JSTOR (1948-present with 4-year delay)
Journal of Musicology
Most recent issues online only. UC Press site (2001-present) or JSTOR (1982-present with 4-year delay)

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 & Dissertation Databases

Music Index Online
Article citations from over 700 music journals.
Music Periodicals Database (was International Index to Music Periodicals; IIMP)
Article citations from over 400 music journals.
Dissertations and Theses Abstracts + Full Text (Proquest)
U.S. (and some international) dissertations 1861-present. Some with full text.
RILM
Citations for scholarly music and dance books, articles, dissertations, and more.
JSTOR
Full-text articles from almost 100 scholarly music, dance, and theatre journals, plus other subjects. Excludes recent years.

Find Full Text Articles

Search eJournal Locator for the journal title:

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

Books

New Music Books (all subjects)

Browse the Shelves

Browse for music books:

Call Number	Topic
ML159–ML161	General music history
ML162–ML197	Music history, by period
ML198–ML360	Music history, by country
ML385–ML429	Biographies
ML459–ML1354	Instruments and instrumental music
ML1400–ML3275	Vocal music
ML3469–ML3543	Popular music
ML3544–ML3775	National musics
ML3797–ML3799	Musicology and ethnomusicology
MT1–MT34	Music education
MT90-MT146	Analytical guides

Search the Catalog by Subject

How to search

Open the library catalog.
Type in a subject.
Change the type from Keyword to Subject.
Limit by format.
Find a record for the item you need.
Use the location and call number to find it on the shelf.

Image: Catalog search set to Subject and Printed Music, and search result showing location and call number.

How to find subjects

Here are a few subjects to get you started:
Music criticism
Music history
Musicology
Performance practice (Music)

You can find more subjects in individual catalog records. Find one book on your desired topic, then click on a subject to find more materials with that subject: