•  Garland Encyclopedia of World Music  REF ML100.G16

Arranged geographically; provides extensive information about the music of each area.  CDs with examples of the music are available--ask for them at the Research Help Desk.

• Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online - an electronic verison of the print encyclopedia, covering the music of cultures and peoples worldwide.  Sound clips from the CDs are included.

Another important research tool is Grove Music Online.

• Grove Music Online - Here you will find extensive articles about the music cultures and musical instruments of the world. These are all scholarly writings and include lists of additional resources.

Depending on your topic, you may also want to search

• African American Music Reference

Vast database of e-books, photographs, musical excerpts and more, covering every aspect of African American music and its influence on other musical genres.

 

For assistance in finding these resources and other REF works, ask at the Research Help Desk.

Explore these sources to find more on your topic:

Electronic Databases for Articles

Academic Search Complete

An index of scholarly journals and popular periodicals; it includes many articles about music that are written in non-technical language.  Updated daily.

Humanities International Complete - an interdisciplinary index of journal articles, a good place to find general articles about various cultures and their music.

Music Index (EBSCO)

Index to almost 800 leading journals and other periodicals in music, from 1976 to present.  Covers history, critical studies, performance, and much more.  While many articles are written for the music specialist, some are appropriate for everyone.

JSTOR

A collection of full-text journal articles covering many aspects of music.

Listening

Classical Music Library

A streaming classical music service available both on and off-campus. The music files are backed by an extensive database of information about the music and the artists.  No downloadng, but the "Permalink" feature allows you to retrieve your selection anytime. A good place for basic information about composers and works. 

NAXOS Music Library  

A large collection of CD albums which can be searched by composer, artist, album title and composition title. Album notes are included for all CDs. Although there are no downloads, music can be found again quickly by using the "Static URL" feature (in the box on the left side of the screen).