Music: Reference Resources

Coverage: Middle Ages to Present.
One of the best resources of its kind on music in English, this bio-bibliographical dictionary contains a plethora of information useful to the novice and scholar alike. Genre, nationality, and women composers and musicians indexes supplement the wealth of information provided in this invaluable resource. Added benefits include a catalog of works (subdivided by genre) for each of the boldface entries, as well as a listing of credentials (where appropriate) for persons furnished.

Coverage: Primarily Eighteenth Century to Present.
A scholarly and concise four-volume set devoted to music of the United States. Individual topics include numerous bibliographical references for further reading, and recordings are provided when warranted. Substantial cross-references are furnished (distinguished by the use of lower-case capital letters); worklists for a plethora of composers are likewise included.

Coverage: Music of Ancient Times to Present.
The best multi-volume resource on music of its kind in English. Contributions from scholars, musicologists, theorists, and practitioners worldwide make this work invaluable, indispensable, and authoritative. Meticulously researched and amply illustrated with examples covering virtually the entire gamut of music, Grove remains the single most significant beginning research tool for experts and novices alike.

Coverage: Pre-Middle Ages to Present.
This three-volume set describes musical instruments worldwide. Over 10,000 folk and non-Western instruments are included, with special attention given to bibliography, cross-references, and organological relationships. Standard classifications (aerophones, idiophones, membranophones, and chordophones) are augmented through the inclusion of electronophones, and general abbreviations used, as well as standard library sigla, have been provided. "Reprint. Originally published: c1984. With minor corrections."

Coverage: Music of Ancient Times to Present.
Revised and updated, The New Harvard Dictionary of Music, remains the standard one-volume reference work of its kind on music. The breadth of topics is eclectic, and the coverage is primarily historical in emphasis. Non-Western and popular musics are included, as are a significant number of musical examples as well as additional illustrations pertaining to several genres and styles.

Coverage: Twentieth Century to Present.
Covering an impressive array of genres, persons, recordings and styles, this eight-volume work is painstakingly thorough and well-researched. Discographies, album ratings, and critical (though balanced) opinion are included, as are selected fanzines, song title and general indexes, and a quick reference guide. Jazz, ragtime, swing, blues, popular dance music, Tin Pan Alley, the musical, country, folk, and rock 'n' roll are but a sampling of the styles provided

Coverage: Twentieth Century to Present.
This two-volume work on musical theatre worldwide is alphabetized primarily by author, composer, and title of work. Articles are written and ordered under the name in which their subject was active in the theatre, and each original work entry on the worklist ends with the place and date of the first metropolitan performance. Brief recording and film information has been included at the conclusion of entries where possible, and original works in the list[s] are given in chronological order of their first production. Composers, lyricists, and librettists are likewise included within each of the entries.

Coverage: Primarily Twentieth Century to Present.
"Each v. accompanied by 1 sound disc (digital : 4 3/4 in.) in rear pocket." This multi-volume work covers musics indigenous to Africa, South America, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, the United States, Canada, South and Southeast Asia, Europe, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. It is richly illustrated and includes bibliographical references at the conclusion of each topic. Volumes are indexed individually, and recordings, films, videos, and glossaries pertaining to each of the major geographic areas are provided.

Coverage: Primarily 1950 to Present.
Completely revised and updated, this source is an excellent starting point for biographical, historical, and recording information on a plethora of rock and roll artists and their contribution to the genre from its incarnation to the present. Entries include discographies (including year of distribution) for groups and individual artists, and "See" references are provided for cross-referencing. An added feature is chart positioning (in most cases, U.S.-based); positioning is drawn from Billboard and Joel Whitburn's Record Research monographs.

Coverage: Primarily Middle Ages to Present.
Long-recognized as the premiere music reference work of its kind, Vincent H. Duckles provides concise and eclectic information on a spate of material whose breadth is staggering. Dictionaries and encyclopedias, histories and chronologies, guides to musicology, bibliographies of music and music literature, reference works on composers, catalogs of music libraries and collections and musical instrument collections, histories and bibliographies of music printing and publishing, discographies, yearbooks, and electronic information resources are some of the topics that are treated with painstaking care. Format for main entries, furnished in boldface, follow the Chicago Manual of Style (14th ed.), and titles of works and reviews of works are given in italics for ease of use

Coverage: 1917 to Present.
An exhaustive resource on jazz music that has been recorded or transferred to compact disc. Beginning with musics ca.1917, the Guide examines and evaluates jazz recordings as to their quality (a rating system is employed); criteria includes remastering, stereo re-creations, and additional aspects of recording engineering. The Standard Music Number and original recording label, as well as an extensive index (numbering over 120 pages), are included.