Research Guides: Music History: Music History Resources

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This guide covers resources for the development of music history and style from ancient Greece to the early eighteenth century (MUS292) and the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries (MUS293).

Music History Resources

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources. Forsyth Library provides licensed access to the following collections in JSTOR: Arts & Sciences I, Arts & Sciences VII, and Biological Sciences. These collections include hundreds of different titles across 71 different disciplines. Need tips on searching?
Music Index This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive coverage of the music field and every aspect of the classical and popular worlds of music. Contains citations and abstracts from hundreds of periodicals, including book reviews, obituaries, news and articles.
***Search Forsyth Library or use InterLibrary Loan to access Full Text of articles***
Humanities Full Text This link opens in a new window
Contains articles, interviews, and reviews of books, drama, poetry, dance, movies, musicals, radio and tv, operas, and more.

Search more Music Databases

Black Music Research Journal
Black Studies; American Music
The Black Perspective in Music
Regular features include articles by musicologists, ethnomusicologists, historians, composers, and performing artists; interviews with well-known personalities in the arts; listings of new books, music, musicals, films, and recordings; announcements of special events (festivals, conferences, premiere performances, symposia), and periodic surveys of bibliographic materials
Early Music
Contributions from scholars and performers on international standing explore every aspect of earlier musical repertoires, present vital new evidence for our understanding of the music of the past, and tackle controversial issues of performance practice.
Folk Music Journal
Journal of traditional song, music, and dance published under the auspices of the English Folk Dance & Song Society.
Intersections: Canadian Journal of Music
Topics include the traditional fields of music scholarship and research, as well as studies in popular music and culture that are playing a greater role in the journal’s output.
Journal of Jewish music and liturgy.
Music ; Religions And Theology--Judaic
Journal of Seventeenth-century Music.
Provides a refereed forum for scholarly studies of the musical cultures of the seventeenth century.
Popular Music History
Original historical & historiographical research that draws on the wide range of disciplines & intellectual trajectories that have contributed to the establishment of popular music studies as a recognized academic enterprise.
Sacred Music
A resource for the professional or amateur church musician including composers, organists, choir directors, cantors, and enthusiastic amateurs interested in the world of Catholic music.
Women & Music
Publication covering music and women.

Where can I browse books on Music and related topics?

Music topics can be in several places in the system. Here are some ideas for browsing, but always check the online catalog to direct you to a specific item.

For example:

M is the section for Music
- ML Literature on music
- ML Instruction and study
  - ML159-3785 History and criticism
  - ML159-161 General works
  - ML162-197 By period
  - ML198-360.6 By region or country
  - ML385-429 Biography
  - ML430-458 Composition and performance
  - ML459-1380 Instruments and instrumental music
  - ML1400-3275 Vocal music
  - ML3300-3351 Program music
  - ML3400-3465 Dance music
  - ML3469-3541 Popular music
  - ML3544-3776 Folk, national, and ethnic music
  - ML3780 Music on particular topics
  - ML3785 Musical journalism

Foundations of Music History by Carl Dahlhaus; J. Bradford Robinson (Translator)
Call Number: ML3797 .D2313 1983
ISBN: 9780521298902
Publication Date: 1983-02-24
This book is the first thoroughgoing study in any language of the philosophy of music history.
The History of Music to the Death of Schubert by John Knowles Paine; Albert Andrew Howard
Call Number: ML160 .P145 H6 1971
ISBN: 9781176689251
Publication Date: 2010-08-01
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.
Twentieth Century Views of Musical History by William Hays
Call Number: ML55 .H29
ISBN: 9780684151496
Publication Date: 1977-06-01

Classical Music: An Introduction by Michael Swift
ISBN: 9781787856097
Publication Date: 2017
This resource provides the history of classical music from its medieval origins through to the modern era.
The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music by Don Michael Randel (Editor)
ISBN: 9781849720861
Publication Date: 2004-03-28
A guide to the thousands of characters, from humble artisan to lofty genius, who people the unfolding history of music, this volume brings together all the pertinent biographical information about composers, performers, music theorists, and instrument makers from the days of praise chants to the bop and pop of today.
The Harvard Dictionary of Music by Don Michael Randel (Editor)
ISBN: 9781849720953
Publication Date: 2004-06-24
Wide ranging and reliable, this treasure trove includes entries on all the styles and forms in Western music; comprehensive articles on the music of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Near East; descriptions of instruments enriched by historical background; and articles that reflect today's beat, including popular music, jazz, and rock.
A Student's Guide to Music History by R. J. Stove
ISBN: 9781933859415
Publication Date: 2008-01-15
R. J. Stove's A Student's Guide to Music History is a concise account, written for the intelligent lay reader, of classical music's development from the early Middle Ages onwards.

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ProQuest Ebook Central This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Ebook Central is a highly interactive ebook database that covers all academic subject areas. The collection currently includes more than 186,000 titles from more than 280 of the world's leading academic, STM, and professional publishers. Install Adobe Digital Editions to download and read ebooks offline on your laptop or on your iOS or Android device. You will also need to create a free Adobe ID account to read the book.
*Includes Academic Complete
Credo Reference E-Book Collection This link opens in a new window
Reference e-books on a wide range of topics. Sources include dictionaries, encyclopedias, key concepts, key thinkers, handbooks, atlases, and more. Search by keyword or browse titles by topic.

Sheet Music and Recordings Resources

Sheet Music Collection: Mississippi State University This link opens in a new window
The sheet music collection is part of a larger collection amassed by Charles Templeton, Sr. which also includes music players and recordings. Digitization of the collection is part of an ongoing effort to provide broader access to titles. A large portion of these pieces are in the public domain (not copyrighted) and are available for download directly from the site. Some restricted titles are available upon request.