Reference Sources
Online Reference Databases
Reference sources are designed to provide users with quick and authoritative background information on a given subject. They are the ideal place to familiarize yourself with a subject and its existing literature, although they should never be the culmination of your research process. The following reference sources are all available online, although log-in might be required off-campus. Tip: Use general databases like Biography Reference Center and Oxford Reference Online to find information on poets and librettists not included in music databases.
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Biography Reference Center Biography Reference Center is a comprehensive collection of full-text biographies and unique narrative biographies. You can both search using a person's name or using keywords or browse categories such as occupation and nationality.
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Composer Diversity Database From the Institute for Composer Diversity at SUNY Fredonia, the Composer Diversity Database is a searchable listing of women and non-binary composers, those from historically excluded racial, ethnic, or cultural heritages, and/or people who identify in the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Only composers who have consented to being included appear in the Database. Started in 2016, the Database is still largely under construction.
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A Dictionary of Opera Characters, Second Edition By Joyce Bourne, A Dictionary of Opera Characters is a unique and authoritative A-Z reference work that will answer all your questions on who's who in opera. Contains over 2,500 lively entries on operatic characters, with information on the creator of the role and notable performances. From Aeneas to Zaida, A Dictionary of Opera Characters provides extensive coverage of all the characters in operas from around the world and gives synopses for over 200 operas and operettas. It includes feature articles written by well-known personalities from the world of opera, such as Placido Domingo and Dame Janet Baker, plus, new to this edition, articles contributed by Christine Brewer and Joyce DiDonato.
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The Grove Book of Operas, Second Edition “The Grove Book of Operas, Second Edition, should be on every opera-lover's short list of indispensable reference books. Highly recommended. ” - Gary Hoffman, Opera Today. First published in 1996 to great critical and popular acclaim, the Grove Book of Operas, is a collection of synopses and descriptions of over 250 operas. Each succinct yet insightful entry is written by a leading authority on the opera and includes a full synopsis of the plot, a cast list, a note on the singers in the original production, and information on the origins of the work and its literary and social background. Contributions conclude with a brief comment on the particular work's place in operatic history. The second edition brings the book up to date with several recently composed operas. Recent additions to the operatic repertory included for the first time in this edition include Nicholas Maw, Sophie's Choice; Poul Ruders, A Handmaid's Tale; John Adams, Death of Klinghoffer; and Mark Adamo, Little Women. Covering all operas in the current repertory along with some less-well-known early and very modern ones, this is an ideal volume for the general opera lover.
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The Grove Book of Opera Singers, Second Edition Edited by Laura Macy and covering over 1500 singers from the birth of opera to the present day, this marvelous volume will be an essential resource for all serious opera lovers and an indispensable companion to the enormously successful Grove Book of Operas. The most comprehensive guide to opera singers ever produced, this volume offers an alphabetically arranged collection of authoritative biographies that range from Marion Anderson (the first African American to perform at the Met) to Benedict Zak (the classical tenor and close friend and colleague of Mozart). Readers will find fascinating articles on such opera stars as Maria Callas and Enrico Caruso, Ezio Pinza and Fyodor Chaliapin, Lotte Lehmann and Jenny Lind, Lily Pons and Luciano Pavarotti. The profiles offer basic information such as birth date, vocal style, first debut, most memorable roles, and much more. But these articles often go well beyond basic biographical information to offer colourful portraits of the singer's personality and vocal style, plus astute evaluations of their place in operatic history and many other intriguing observations. Many entries also include suggestions for further reading, so that anyone interested in a particular performer can explore their life and career in more depth. The articles are mostly drawn from the acclaimed Grove Music Online and have been fully revised, and the book is further supplemented by more than 40 specially commissioned articles on contemporary singers. A superb new guide from the first name in opera reference, The Grove Book of Opera Singers is a lively and authoritative work. It is an essential volume for opera lovers everywhere.
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Oxford History of Western Music The Oxford History of Western Music online offers an unmatched account of the evolution of Western classical music by one of the most prominent and provocative musicologists of our time, Richard Taruskin. Since its original publication in print Taruskin’s landmark study has received universal acclaim and numerous awards. The full text, which was printed in five thick volumes in print, is now available for the first time in an interactive digital format. The online version includes all 1.25 million words, 500 images, and 1,800 musical examples from the updated paperback edition with sophisticated search and browse functionality designed to maximize the dynamic possibilities of online reading and research.
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Oxford Music Online Oxford Music Online is the authoritative resource for music research with over 52,000 articles written by nearly 9,000 scholars charting the diverse history and cultures of music around the globe. It is the gateway to Grove Music Online which compiles invaluable resources like The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Second Edition (2001), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (1992), The Grove Dictionary of American Music (2013), The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2002), and others. Oxford Music Online also provides access to The Oxford Dictionary of Music (2013) and The Oxford Companion to Music (2011), resources which are based in Oxford Reference Online.
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Oxford Reference Online Searchable and browsable collection of highly trusted reference books. Dictionaries and encyclopedias in Oxford Reference Online include general works, foreign-language works, and specialized subject works in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Note: Oxford Reference Online is separate from the familiar Oxford Music Online, and it has its own set of twelve music dictionaries and encyclopedias. These can be found under the Subject tab or through the search bar.
Print Reference Books
Most reference books for opera are located in the Music Reference stacks shelved in ranges 36 through 38. The recommended books below are sorted by their call numbers and include specialized dictionaries (ML102.O6), encyclopedias (also ML102.O6), and bibliographies (ML128.O4) on opera. Hover over the info icon to see a description of the book.
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Opera Companies and Houses of the United States: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Reference
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This is a state-by-state guide to more than 90 opera houses and companies in the United States. Inaugural performances, a history of opera in the city, an ordinary season's repertory, and performers and directors are highlighted.
Call Number: ML13 .Z54 1995Publication Date: 1995 -
Baker's Dictionary of Opera
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This reference work on all aspects of opera offers over 1100 entries on performers, librettists, set designers, scholar directors, and more. Special features include a synopses section, providing a timeline, covering the genre's 400 year history, and a glossary of operatic terms.
Call Number: ML102.O6 B26 2000 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 2000 -
Who's Who in Opera: A Guide to Opera Characters
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This guide to over 2,500 operatic characters provides both an invaluable source of reference and an absorbing and enjoyable read. Covering a wide range of works across the whole compass of opera and operetta, it contains plot synopses for over 250 operas as well as full information about each operatic role, including its creator and notable performers. Box features, illustrated with photographs, commissioned from well-known personalities in the world of opera, such as Janet Baker, Placido Domingo, Thomas Hampson, and Jonathan Miller, who write about their favourite opera characters. Over 2,500 characters from 280 operas Articles by well-known personalities from the world of opera about the roles they have played, directed, or enjoyed - from Janet Baker, Placido Domingo, Anne Evans, and Thomas Hampson to Jonathan Miller, Robert Tear, Theodor Uppman, and Susanna Walton From Arabella to Wozzeck, entries give a description of the role, its vocal category, by whom the part was created, and notable performers and performances Details of who first performed a particular rolePlot synopses for over 250 operas Important arias and ensembles mentioned, with English translations' a reference book for operaphiles who read synopses, but feel short-changed about information on the characters touched upon in such potted accounts . . . the answer to a prayer for those who attend operas without doing their homework properly . . . simply enjoy the fruits of her researches - with the bonus of coming out considerably better informed and much the wiser.' From the Foreword by Sir George Christie, (Chairman, Glyndebourne)
Call Number: ML102.O6 B68 1998 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 1998 -
The Grove Book of Opera Singers, Second Edition
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Covering over 1500 singers from the birth of opera to the present day, this marvelous volume will be an essential resource for all serious opera lovers and an indispensable companion to the enormously successful Grove Book of Operas. The most comprehensive guide to opera singers ever produced, this volume offers an alphabetically arranged collection of authoritative biographies that range from Marion Anderson (the first African American to perform at the Met) to Benedict Zak (the classical tenor and close friend and colleague of Mozart). Readers will find fascinating articles on such opera stars as Maria Callas and Enrico Caruso, Ezio Pinza and Fyodor Chaliapin, Lotte Lehmann and Jenny Lind, Lily Pons and Luciano Pavarotti. The profiles offer basic information such as birth date, vocal style, first debut, most memorable roles, and much more. But these articles often go well beyond basic biographical information to offer colorful portraits of the singer's personality and vocal style, plus astute evaluations of their place in operatic history and many other intriguing observations. Many entries also include suggestions for further reading, so that anyone interested in a particular performer can explore their life and career in more depth. In addition, there are indexes of singers by voice type and by opera role premiers. The articles are mostly drawn from the acclaimed Grove Music Online and have been fully revised, and the book is further supplemented by more than 40 specially commissioned articles on contemporary singers. A superb new guide from the first name in opera reference, The Grove Book of Opera Singers is a lively and authoritative work, beautifully illustrated with color and black-and-white pictures. It is an essential volume--and the perfect gift--for opera lovers everywhere.
Call Number: ML102.O6 G76 2008 (Music Reference) and as eBookPublication Date: 2008 -
A Dictionary of Opera Characters, Revised Edition
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A unique and authoritative A-Z reference work that will answer all your questions on who's who in opera. Contains over 2,500 lively entries on operatic characters, with information on the creator of the role and notable performances. From Aeneas to Zaida, A Dictionary of Opera Characters provides extensive coverage of all the characters in operas from around the world and gives synopses for over 200 operas and operettas. It includes feature articles written by well-known personalities from the world of opera, such as Placido Domingo and Dame Janet Baker, plus, new to this edition, articles contributed by Christine Brewer and Joyce DiDonato. Recommended opera-related web links are listed for relevant and up-to-date extra information. The appendix of contemporary opera of the last ten years provides detailed synopses followed by the cast list of people who sang at the world premiere. This book is an invaluable source of reference for professionals and amateurs alike, and a fascinating read for anyone curious about opera.
Call Number: ML102.O6 K46 2010 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 2010 -
The New Grove Dictionary of Opera
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Incorporating a decade of musicological research, the Dictionary is unsurpassed in its scope and quality, with contributions from over 1,300 of the world's leading critics and scholars. A remarkable 11,000 articles, all fully cross-referenced, create a work that has become established as the essential opera reference. Indeed, every aspect of this varied art form is covered: composers, conductors, directors, performers, librettists, literary sources, cities and countries, operatic historians, and opera genres and terminology. Over 1800 operas are discussed from the late 16th century Florentine Camerata, through the great 18th and 19th century operas, to contemporary works such as the minimalist theatre pieces of Philip Glass. The lives and careers of over 2900 composers are discussed in depth, with entries containing critical assessments as well as discussion of their individual careers and major achievements. Profiles of every singer who has made a significant contribution to opera are included, from Francesco Rasi in the 1600s to Luciano Pavarotti in the 1990s. Two unrivaled indices of character names and arias make it the most useful and user-friendly opera dictionary available. Illustrated throughout with rare photographs, reproductions of original posters, set and costume designs, and scenes from recent performances
Call Number: ML102.O6 N5 1992 V.1-4 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 2002 -
The Mellen Opera Reference Index
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Call Number: ML102.O6 P25 1986 V.1-25 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 1986 -
American Operas: A Checklist
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Borroff has cast a broad net over the operatic sea in order to retrieve "a preliminary listing of operas by composers of the United States"--more than 4,000 operas, that is, by more than 2,000 composers, written from the late 18th century through the 1980s. The definition of "opera" here covers a wide range of musical stage works. If, for example, a work has been performed by an opera company, even though called a "musical," then it is counted as an opera. With regard to composers, if their mature operatic works were written while they were in residence in this country, these works are likely to be counted. The arrangement is straightforward: entries are alphabetical by composer; individual compositions are listed chronologically under composer. This highly useful publication is definitely and deliberately a checklist: biographical and production information are kept to a bare minimum and no indexes are provided; sources are listed at the beginning. It could even be considered a work in progress, with various indexes, especially of titles and literary figures, to be derived later. It would be wonderful to have a list of all the operas modeled after, say, Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter--there must be a dozen or more--or all those based upon various stories by Poe. Bibliographic compilers, take note. Undergraduate; graduate; professional.
Call Number: ML128.O4 B58 1992 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 1992 -
Opera: A Research and Information Guide
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Opera: A Research and Information Guide is the only guide to the research writings on all aspects of opera. This second edition presents 2,833 titles--over 2,000 more than the first edition--of books, parts of books, articles and dissertations with full bibliographic descriptions and critical annotations. Users will find the core literature on the operas of 320 individual composers and details of operatic life in 43 countries. All relevant works through to November 1999 have been considered, covering more than fifteen years of literature since the first edition was published.
Call Number: ML128.O4 M28 2001 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 2001 -
Cross Index Title Guide to Opera and Operetta
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The companion volume to the Cross Index Title Guide to Classical Music (Greenwood Press, 1987) contains more than 5,500 vocal and instrumental excerpts from over 1,400 operas and operettas by 535 composers from Monteverdi to the present. Each selection is listed by its popular title or subtitle and by its variant names in alphabetical order, and the name of the composer, the title of the larger work from which the piece derives, and the first line or first words are also given. Titles of excerpts from the standard opera repertoire are given in both English and the vernacular, and those from works little known or unperformed in the English-speaking world are listed in their language of origin. The only reference of its kind, this expansive volume represents the most complete listing of excerpts from larger works to be published in any language. The compiler's introduction offers helpful information on the use of the guide; this information is presented in a clear and logically arranged format. Included are an alphabetical index of composers and their works, and a valuable list of principal sources that will aid the reader in locating printed editions and recordings of the operas and operettas as well as biographical information about the composers. Opera fans, record collectors, musicologists, students of music history, and librarians should find this guide useful in every respect.
Call Number: ML128.O4 P3 1989 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 1989 -
Annals of the Metropolitan Opera: The Complete Chronicle of Performances and Artists
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Since its first appearance in 1947, the Metropolitan Opera Annals (first compiled by William H. Seltsam) has been a major reference work in music collections. Each copiously illustrated volume chronicled each season's performances, recording casts and conductors and concluding with lengthy excerpts from important reviews. There were three supplements, but the work has been out of print for years, with a new edition long overdue. The present title is a complete reworking and re-searching of the earlier material with an enlargement of detail and documentation to include not only singers, but also dancers, directors, choreographers, and other personnel. Performances outside New York (though accessible from Quaintance Eaton's Opera Caravan, Da Capo, 1978) are incorporated here for the first time. The indexes require a separate volume; there are indexes of illustrations, performances, composers and librettists, production artists, performing artists, locations, broadcasts, and translations. Separate appendixes index chief administrators, chorus masters, ballet masters, and world and U.S. opera premieres. The newspaper summaries at the end of each chapter in the earlier editions have unfortunately not been retained and have been replaced by short introductions to each season. The present work should enjoy the same longevity as its invaluable predecessor.
Call Number: ML1711.8.N3 M38 1989Publication Date: 1989
Interlibrary Loan
Users are encouraged to search for items beyond University Libraries' catalog via RILM Abstracts of Music Literature and WorldCat. Materials not available in print or online may be requested through Interlibrary Loan. Please allow up to seven days for electronic delivery and up to fourteen days for delivery of physical items.