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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Most reference books on vocal music are located in the Music Reference section shelved in ranges 36 through 38. Hover over the info icon to see a description of the book. For reference sources specialized to different vocal genres, see the Opera, Musical Theatre, and Choral Music guides.
Solo Vocal Works on Jewish Themes: A Bibliography of Jewish Composers by
Solo Vocal Works on Jewish Themes: A Bibliography of Jewish Composers is a comprehensive and annotated compendium of stage, concert, and liturgical compositions written by Jewish composers from every known time period and country. Kenneth Jaffe has amassed nearly 3,000 large-scale musical works for solo voice(s) on Jewish themes, written by Jewish composers. The works include over 400 cantatas, 150 oratorios, almost 300 operas, more than 100 sacred services, 20 symphonies, and more than 350 stage works, including Yiddish theatre, Purim and sacred plays, multi-media pieces, and musical theatre. In addition, original song cycles and liturgical services arranged for a modest to large complement of instruments are also included. The works are organized by composer and subdivided by genre, and each entry is fully annotated, detailing the title, opus, voicing and instrumentation, text source, commission, year completed, year and location of the premiere, the year of publication and the publisher (if any), the location of scores, and the duration of the work. The works are then broken down by theme, such as Biblical themes, works for children, works of the Holocaust or Jewish suffering and persecution, interfaith works, and wedding music. They are then cross-referenced by voice type, arrangement, and by title. A list of libraries and publishing houses of Jewish music rounds out this invaluable reference.
Call Number: ML128.J4 J35 2011 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 2011
The New Broadway Song Companion: An Annotated Guide to Musical Theatre Literature by Voice Type and Song Style by
This is a completely revised and expanded second edition of The Broadway Song Companion, the first complete guide and access point to the vast literature of the Broadway musical for the solo performer. Designed with the working actor in mind, the volume lists every song from over 300 Broadway shows, including at least 90 more than the first edition. Organized by show, each song is annotated with the name of the character(s) who sing(s) the song, the vocal range, and a style category, such as uptempo, narrative ballad, swing ballad, moderate character piece, etc. Several indexes are supplied, organizing the songs by voice type (soprano, baritone, etc.) and song style, vocal arrangement (duets, trios, chorus, etc.), and composer and lyricist, allowing increased access to the repertoire. For instance, a soprano looking for a ballad to sing will find every song in that category in the index. All solos, duets, and trios are indexed in this manner, with quartets and larger ensembles listed by voice type. Furthermore, the instant breakdowns (how many lead characters, who sings what song, and the range requirements of each character) will be a valuable resource to directors and producers.
Call Number: ML128.M78 D48 2009 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 2009
Index to Poetry in Music: A Guide to the Poetry Set as Solo Songs by 125 Major Song Composers by
Bradley, a music librarian at SUNY at Buffalo, has put together an invaluable reference tool about poetry in music. A 40-year project that resulted from a reference question that the author couldn't answer, it contains detailed information about Western art songs and their composers, publishers, and dates of composition, cross-referenced to other composers who set the same text even when the title is not identical. Meticulous attention to detail is evident on every level, beginning with a clear explanation of how the 125 composers were chosen. Bradley collated the major composers found in Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed., James Hall's The Art Song, and Philip R. Miller's The Ring of Words, then studied the song holdings of several major American libraries. Ranging from Louis Francois Marie Aubert to Karl Friedrich Zelter, the composers are thus all "recognized for their song production and the quality of the texts they set." While folk songs and those with biblical texts are included, sketches and incomplete works are not. The material itself is organized in a single alphabetical sequence that uses typeface and quote marks to distinguish the different kinds of information-composer, poet, title, and first line-which makes it easy to use. This admirable accomplishment is a welcome addition to the reference shelf, for which performers, teachers, scholars, and students will be immensely grateful. There are a few half-hearted attempts available to identify particular texts, some with relation to a single composer's works, but nothing on the scale of this index. Highly recommended.
Call Number: ML128.S3 B69 2003 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 2003
Art Song in the United States, 1759-1999: An Annotated Bibliography by
This is an extensively annotated listing of art songs for solo voice and piano by American composers. The annotations contain information on: composer, title, poet, collection number (if applicable), publication data, key, vocal range, vocal tessitura, meter signature, tempo indication, length, level of difficulty for both voice and piano, voice type most suitable, mood and/or subject of the song, description of the vocal line, description of the piano score, special difficulties, possible uses, recording(s) (if applicable), and individual titles with annotations (if a cycle or set).
Call Number: ML128.S3 C37 2001 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 2001
Recent American Art Song: A Guide by
Recent American Art Song: A Guide is devoted to songs with English texts by American composers written for solo voice and piano. The book focuses exclusively on art song since 1980, a substantial period largely ignored by scholars. This is the first study to examine this repertory in detail, and many of the songs and composers are covered in print for the first time. Keith E. Clifton has examined approximately one thousand songs by nearly two hundred composers; Many songs employ musical idioms well beyond traditional classical styles, including jazz, musical theater, rap, and rock and roll, and several songs blur the boundaries between recital and stage works. Organized alphabetically by composer, entries contain complete biographical and bibliographical information, with major works and links to print resources and composer websites when available. In addition, Clifton provides detailed information on the vocal range, musical style, and appropriate voice type for individual songs. The book concludes with a full discography and bibliography, as well as indexes listing the works by poet, song cycle, title, voice type, and level of difficulty.
Call Number: ML128.S3 C65 2008 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 2008
The Singer's Repertoire, Parts I-V by
A timeless classic. Includes 8,200 songs in 818 lists for nine voice classifications; indexed by composer, title, vocal range, and publisher. The complete work represents the living song repertoire of today drawn from recital programs, recordings, broadcasts, telecasts, and other sources, and is comprised of Part I: Coloratura, Lyric and Dramatic Soprano, Part II: Mezzo Soprano and Contralto, Part III: Lyric and Dramatic Tenor, and Part IV: Baritone and Bass.
Call Number: ML128.V7 C67 1960 (Music Reference)Publication Date: 1960
Vocal Chamber Music: A Performer's Guide by
This invaluable resource is a revised edition of an essential index to vocal works composed for at least one solo voice and one instrument (other than piano or guitar) up to twelve solo voices and twelve solo instruments. The book includes a brief introduction on how to teach vocal chamber music, with tips on running a successful ensemble. Vocal Chamber Music: A Performer's Guide, 2nd Edition is a much needed and important book for voice teachers, singers, music directors and music libraries, for information that is normally difficult to find and usually requires assembling from various sources.
Call Number: ML128.V7 W56 2008 (Music Reference) and EBSCOhost EbooksPublication Date: 2008
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.