Research Guides: Music: Find Secondary Sources

Find Articles

Music Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Good for scholarly and popular articles related to music in a variety of topics including classical, jazz, musical theater, popular, and world music.
Content type: Scholarly articles, newspaper articles, magazine articles, trade journals
Coverage dates: 1874-present
Most full-text coverage dates from 1996-present, with some journals dating from as early as 1874.
Language: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Polish, etc.
Keywords: IIMP, International Index to Music Periodicals
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature This link opens in a new window
Citations to music journals, conference proceedings, books, reviewing sources, and dissertations. International coverage.
Very international database with coverage in hundreds of languages and includes specialized subject headings. Current coverage includes: conference proceedings (1835-present), Festschriften (1840-present), periodicals (1967-present).
Language: English, German, French, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Polish, etc.
Keywords: International Repertory of Music Literature
RIPM: Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Search here for historical music periodical articles from 1760-1966.
Content type: Scholarly articles, newspapers, magazines, trade journals
Coverage dates: 1760-1966
Special Note: Must allow pop-ups and cookies.
Collections include Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals with Full Text and Preservation Series: European and North American Music Periodicals.
Language: English, German, Italian, French, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, Russian, etc.
Keywords: Le Répertoire International de la Presse Musicale
Music Index This link opens in a new window
Index covers many popular music journals.
Most coverage dates from after 1970. For more coverage from 1949-1973, please see print volumes in Multi-Tier Stacks.
Language: English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Czech, Polish, etc.
Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
Indexes journals from many different disciplines; provides prospective of music in relation to other fields.
Language: English, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Turkish, French, Chinese, Arabic etc.
Keywords: ASP

Complete List of Claremont Colleges Library Databases

Provides alphabetical and subject access to over 250 full-text, index, and primary source databases.

Find Background Information - Databases

Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Great entry point for information on composers, performers, genres, and instruments in art music, jazz, rock, and pop.
Content type: Encyclopedia articles, reference materials, bibliographies, images
Extensive bibliographies include further resources, lists of works and locations of manuscripts for composers. No individual account is required but can be created to save personal searches.
Language: English
Keywords: New Grove Dictionary Companion
Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online This link opens in a new window
Articles about music in relation to world cultures. Includes bibliographies.
Encyclopedia volumes organized by geographic area. Includes streaming access to companion CDs for each volume.
Language: English

Directory of Digital Scholarship in Music - Links to open source bibliographies in music.

MGG Online This link opens in a new window
Most authoritative music encyclopedia in German. Features work lists and bibliographies including some English-language resources. 2nd ed. (2003) Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart
Entries are in German, but interface is in English and has Google Translate integrated to translate entries.
Language: English, German
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Good place to start finding background information on specific people including composers, performers, musicologists, theorists, critics, and others, with bibliographies given for further research.
Content type: Reference materials, bibliographies
Coverage dates: 2001-present
Arranged in alphabetical order; use the search box at the right to search within the dictionary.
Language: English
Oxford Language Dictionaries Online This link opens in a new window
Provides bilingual dictionaries in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Arabic,and Portuguese. Has an pronouncing feature.
Language: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese

Find Background Information/Performance Practice

Oxford History of Western Music by Taruskin, Richard
Provides electronic access to the 6-volume Oxford History of Western Music.

Cambridge Companions Online This link opens in a new window
Collection offers many ebooks in music topics including film music, information about instruments, and biographies of composers.
Companions are organized as eBooks on specific topics with chapters written by different experts. Disciplines with especially rich coverage include literature, philosophy, religion, music, and history. Additional Cambridge Companions in Literature available in the database Literature Online under 'Publications'.
Language: English

Cambridge Encyclopedia of Historical Performance Practice in Music
Encyclopedia contains entries in categories including issues of style, techniques and practices, the history and development of musical instruments, and the work of performers, scholars, theorists, composers and editors.