Tutt Library Research Guides
FINDING MUSIC CAN BE CHALLENGING, EVEN IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR!
Unlike text, a musical work isn’t about something. Usually, musicians are most interested in the work’s format (score, CD), genre (symphony, jazz ballad), and instrumentation (what forces perform the work). Please ask us for help when you can't find what you need. We have lots of tools to help!
If you want to find works by a composer, do an AUTHOR search in the Tiger catalog. This will bring up anything she has created (scores, recordings, writings, etc).
If you want to find out about a composer, do a SUBJECT search.
For both of these searches, use this order-last name, first name:
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Many contemporary composers have websites with sound files and biographical information.
Use the tabs above to roam through this guide.
To help define your research topic, it often helps to consult some of the standard reference works before searching for books, music materials, and journal articles.
Once you find a good book or score in the stacks, browse the shelves for similar items. For a complete list of call numbers for music books and scores check out M is for Music!
For articles about specific topics related to your research, use these databases:
JSTOR is a scholarly journal archives with many music titles. Although many journals in JSTOR are archives only, JSTOR is now starting to host current content (the most recent issues). It's best not to limit your search to music journals; you'll find articles about music in journals principally devoted to other disciplines.
The Music Index
this database provides excellent searchability. Use this resource to gather citations. There will be links to a few items that are full text. We can always order articles that aren't full text-these can be delivered to you via email, often within 24 hours.
RILM-International Repertory of Music Literature This database covers all types of publications on music, in all media: books, journals, online resources, research-based sound recordings and films, dissertations, and more. Publications represented in RILM originate from 151 countries.
"An archival research resource containing the essential primary sources for studying the history of the film and entertainment industries, from the era of vaudeville and silent movies through to 2000. The core US and UK trade magazines covering film, music, broadcasting and theater are all included, together with film fan magazines and music press titles."
Scholarly resource for researching popular music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Includes Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, various scholarly works, and all volumes of the 33 1/3 series.