LibGuides: Vocal Music (Solo): Research

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Articles

Websites

Opera Today
Reviews, news, and commentary about performances, recordings, books, and more.

Browse Professional Journals

Professional journals are a great place to learn from experts about the most recent developments in your field.
Browse online (links to journals below), or in print at the Allen Library current periodicals, near the Allen entrance. See especially:

Cambridge Opera Journal
Available online only. One-year delay for full text.
Classical Singer
Call Number: ML1 C597
In print only. Newest issues on Current Periodicals shelves at front of Allen Library. Older issues in Bound Periodicals, down the hall.
Journal of Singing by National Association of Teachers of Singing
Call Number: ML1 N2
Newest issues online only. Older issues (before 1995) in print only.

Looking for a specific topic? Keep reading below for tips on searching article databases.

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.

History

Books in the Allen Library (selections)

The Cambridge Companion to Singing by John Potter (Ed.)
Call Number: ML1460 P67 C35 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2000
Ranging from medieval music to Madonna and beyond, this book covers the many aspects of the voice.
A History of Bel Canto by Rodolfo Celletti
Call Number: ML1460 C44 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 1996
A history of bel canto singing and the voice in operatic literature.

Find more books on the history of vocal music

Search subjects in the catalog:

Opera > History and criticism
Singing > History and criticism
Vocal music > History and criticism

Browse the shelves:

Call number	Subject
ML 1460	History of vocal technique
ML1600 – 2881	History of secular vocal music (opera, musicals, songs, etc.)
ML 2900 – 3275	History of sacred vocal music (Masses, oratorios, etc.)

Opera

Online Resources

Operabase
Documents over 5000,000 performances from 1996 to the present. Also offers paid career tools for artists, agents, and organizations.

Books in the Allen Library and online (selections)

Black Opera: History, Power, Engagement by Naomi Andre
Call Number: ML1700 A53 B5 2018 [Allen shelves]
Reveals how black opera unearths suppressed truths that provoke complex reconsideration of racial, gender, sexual, and other oppressive ideologies.
A Mad Love by Vivien Schweitzer
Call Number: ML1700 S34 2018 [Allen shelves]
A lively introduction to opera, covering composers, performers, and terminology from the Renaissance to the 21st century.
Opera: The Great Artists, Composers and Their Masterworks by Joyce Bourne
Publication Date: 2009
Available online!
Concise biographies of major composers, plus information on opera singers, buildings, and festivals.

Find more books on opera

Search a title or composer in the catalog, for example:

Margaret Garner by Richard Danielpour
Puccini, Giacomo

Search subjects in the catalog:

Opera
Opera > Dramaturgy
Opera > History and criticism

Browse the shelves:

Call number	Subject
ML 410	Composer biographies
ML 1699 – 2110	History of dramatic secular vocal music (including opera)

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)

Dictionary for the Modern Singer by Matthew Hoch
Call Number: ML128 V8 H63 2014 [Allen reference]
Covers classical singing, musical theatre, popular, and global styles, with an emphasis on contemporary practice. Includes extensive bibliography for further research.
The New Penguin Opera Guide by Amanda Holden (Ed.)
Call Number: ML102 O6 N48 [Allen reference]
Publication Date: 2001
One volume covering 850 composers and about 2,000 different works.
Researching the Song by Shirlee Emmons and Wilbur Watkins Lewis
Call Number: ML102 S6 E54 R4 [Allen reference]
Publication Date: 2006
More than 2,000 entries on most of the mythological, historical, geographical, and literary references contained in western art song from around the world.

Find more reference books

See all voice reference books in the catalog:
Song reference
Vocal music reference

Browse the Reference shelves by call number:

Call Number	Topic
ML48 - ML49	Opera libretti, translations, & IPA transcriptions
ML54.6	Song texts and translations
ML102 S6	Song dictionaries & encyclopedias
ML102 V6	Voice dictionaries & encyclopedias
ML128 S6	Song bibliographies
ML128 O61	Opera bibliographies

Looking for songs/aria texts, translations, or IPA transcriptions? See our guide to Vocal Music Translations.

Singers

Books in the Allen Library (selections)

Five Centuries of Women Singers by Isabelle Emerson
Call Number: ML400 E43 F58 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2005
Explores the careers of 20 singers from the late 16th century to the middle of the 20th. Reveals much about the business of music and the perseverance that was and is crucial for a successful career.
Singers of the Century by J. B. Steane
Call Number: ML400 S82 S5 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 1996
Fifty essays about singers and their art.

Find more books about singers

Search a particular singer, for example:

Anderson, Marian
Hayes, Roland

Search subjects:

African American singers
Male singers
Singers
Singers > Biography
Women singers

Browse the shelves:

Call Number	Subject
ML 400	Biographies of multiple singers
ML 420	Individual singer biographies
ML421	Performing groups

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.