Best Bets for Starting Your Research in... :: Music ::
Use databases to find articles on your topic. These databases are the best place to start.
- Grove Music Online
In addition to the regular program of revisions and new articles, Grove Music Online has grown to include The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (published in print in 1992 and online in 1999) and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, second edition (2001). Through a partnership with Sibelius notation software, over 500 of Grove's musical examples are now available in sound as well as notated examples.
- Expanded Academic ASAP
Contains scholarly and general publications. 50% full text. Date coverage: 1980-present.
- Classical Music Library
Contains 30,000-plus classical music tracks for listening and searching. Two thousand new tracks are added each month. Freely allows for online listening, using static URLs to link directly to pieces of music, and creating playlists in individual user accounts. To download tracks, there is a fee. If you are in the Library and require headphones, you may check them out at the Circulation Desk.
Tips: When searching databases, use AND, OR, and parentheses to focus your search. Combine synonyms with OR and put them inside parentheses, like this:
(U2 OR "The Edge") AND ("achtung baby" OR "joshua tree")
Here's another example:
("Talking Heads" OR "David Byrne") AND (punk OR "new wave")
Already have the citation? Find an article with citation linker!
Did you know...Databases are basically just search engines for articles on specific subjects. |
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Find books using the library catalog. These are some examples of subjects on your music.
- Rock music - 1971-1980.
- Concertos (Piano)
- Punk rock music.
Search the library catalog! Find books, media materials, and more.
Other searches:
Browse | Advanced Search Tips: When searching the library catalog with keywords, use the dollar sign ($) to search for a word and all of its variations.
For example: music$ will search for
musical, musician, musicology etc.
Did you know...- WorldCat is a catalog of thousands of libraries around the world!
- If a book isn't in the Fairfield University catalog, search WorldCat and request the book from another library. Just click on the Interlibrary Loan button.
- You can search ReQuest to search just the libraries in Connecticut.
- Contact John Cayer, Interlibrary Services, with questions.
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Reference tools such as dictionaries and encyclopedias are good places to start your research because they provide an overview of the topic as well as keywords, dates, and facts.
Reference Books
- New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (Click for online version. Print version also available.)
Print: Ref. ML100 .N48 2001
An encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians, the New Grove is considered by most scholars to be the best general reference source on the subject in the English language.
- Contemporary Musicians: Profiles of the People in Music
Ref. ML385 .C65
Consult this ongoing reference series for biographical information on more than 3,600 important figures in today's musical arena. Covering all genres of modern music, Contemporary Musicians profiles artists involved in rock, jazz, pop, rap, rhythm and blues, folk, New Age, country, gospel and reggae. Each volume contains a Cumulative Index.
- All Music Guide to Rock: the definitive guide to rock, pop, and soul
Ref. ML156.9 .A39 2002
Easy to use and fun to explore, this 1,400-page tome is the most complete guide ever published on the artists and recordings that really rock. Compiled by dozens of music critics, it reviews and rates more than 14,000 great albums by over 2,200 artists and groups in more than 400 styles - both mainstream and alternative - including bootlegs, import-only releases, important out-of-print recordings, and lesser-known cult artists.
- Baker's biographical dictionary of popular musicians since 1990
Ref. ML102.P66 B35 2004
Featuring 583 essays that vary in length from 500 to 2,000 words and have been written by critics, professors of popular culture, and experts on various genres of current music, there is extensive coverage in the new set of contemporary rock, pop, country, hip-hop and R & B.
Did you know...
Wikipedia can be edited by anyone, so make sure you use another source to confirm the information you find there. |
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These web sites have been evaluated by librarians (that's a good thing) for your use in an academic setting.
Did you know...
There are billions of web pages and Google only finds a fraction of them (about 15%). The rest is held in what's called the "Invisible Web", which is made up of dynamically generated information, password protected sites, and databases-driven sites! |
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Use these short e-learning modules to get quick answers!
Still have questions?
Ask a Reference Librarian
(203) 254-4000 ext. 2178
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