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.
Reference Databases, Encyclopedias, and Dictionaries:
- Gale eBooks Gale eBooks is a collection of searchable subject encyclopedias and reference books from Gale Publishing and many other publishers, including nearly 500 specialized background sources in a wide variety of subjects. Choose your field of study under the "Subjects" heading to see the titles in your area. For music books, look under the subject "Arts."
- Music Databases at Ball State Links page for the most commonly used music and multi-subject databases for music.
- Music Online: The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online provides electronic access to the award-winning print resource of the same name. It contains more than 700 articles contributed by experts on the music of the world's peoples and is over 9,000 pages long. The database, which includes all illustrations from the print edition, also includes audio examples of musical performances from around the world.
- 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.
- 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
The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Volume 3: The United States and Canada by
This volume makes available the full range of the American/Canadian musical experience, covering-for the first time in print-all major regions, ethnic groups, and traditional and popular contexts. From musical comedy to world beat, from the songs of the Arctic to rap and house music, from Hispanic Texas to the Chinese communities of Vancouver, the coverage captures the rich diversity and continuities of the vibrant music we hear around us. Special attention is paid to recent immigrant groups, to Native American traditions, and to such socio-musical topics as class, race, gender, religion, government policy, media, and technology.
Call Number: ML100 .G16 1998 V.3 and Music OnlinePublication Date: 2000
The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz by
The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, second edition is the largest, most comprehensive and accurate reference work on jazz ever published, putting the world of jazz at your fingertips. With articles on every aspect of the field, from jazz groups, composers and arrangers to instruments, terms, record labels and venues, the new edition is the ideal companion for scholars and enthusiasts in this rapidly growing field. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, second edition is unique:* No other title covers jazz to this extent across all forms and styles* The only way to be completely up-to-date with the full scope of writing in this field* Provides new perspectives to established areas of study--musicology, film and media, American studies, modern social history, women's studies and cultural studies, to name a few* Offers a one-stop resource to all the key names in the jazz world
Call Number: ML102.J3 N48 2002 (Music Reference) and in Oxford Music OnlinePublication Date: 2003
Sourcebook for Wind Band and Instrumental Music by
This sourcebook was created to aid directors and teachers in finding the information they need and expand their general knowledge. The resources were selected from hundreds of published and online sources found in journals, magazines, music company catalogs and publications, numerous websites, doctoral dissertations, graduate theses, encyclopedias, various databases, and a great many books. Information was also solicited from outstanding college/university/school wind band directors and instrumental teachers. The information is arranged in four sections.
Call Number: ML128.B23 B37 2014 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 2014
150 Years of Music for Saxophone: Bibliographical Index of Music and Educational Literature for the Saxophone, 1844-1994 by Call Number: ML128.S247 L64 1994 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 1994
Wind Ensemble Sourcebook and Biographical Guide by
Mozart wrote some of the greatest serenades for wind ensemble. He was not alone in writing works for wind sextet, octet, or larger ensembles--Over 12,000 works for wind harmony by over 2,200 composers are extant. Describing this new genre, Wind Harmony, which is far larger and more influential than ever recognized, this sourcebook includes biographical details, discusses many of the works, and presents country surveys. There is also a survey of the way wind instruments developed at the critical time, and of performance practices. The companion volume, The Wind Ensemble Catalog, is cross-referenced.
Call Number: ML128.W5 S76 1997 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 1997
American Women Saxophonists from 1870-1930: Their Careers and Repertoire by
The late nineteenth century was a time of great change for women's roles in music. Whereas in 1870, women played primarily harp or piano, by 1900 there were all-woman orchestras. During the late nineteenth century, women began to perform on instruments that were not standard for them, such as cornet, trombone, and saxophone. The achievements of early female saxophonists scarcely have been mentioned in accounts of saxophone history. This study gathers scattered and previously unpublished information about the careers and repertoire of American female saxophonists from 1870-1930 into one reference source.
Call Number: LD2489.Z62 2003 .H83 (Thesis Collection -- Bracken Library, 4 West)Publication Date: 2003
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.