Where should I start my research?
Start your research with Reference Sources to get the background and build context. Next, explore some General Sources or work through Area/Regional sources to help answer any contextual questions you have.
Where can I find books in the library?
Print material can also be found at the library by browsing the shelves for books related to Music using the call number ranges below:
What are reference sources?
Reference sources include dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, handbooks, and other materials providing general information about various subjects. When you need background information on a topic, reference sources are the optimal source for who, what, when, where, and why questions.
Where can I find reference sources?
Search the library catalog or the reference section located on the ground floor of the library.
What if I'm off campus or not in the library?
Below are a selection of resources available through the Masland Library:
Garland Encyclopedia of World Music
Dictionary Plus: Music
This dictionary comprises authoritative, highly accessible entries on people and organizations related to music. These entries are supplementary to other music titles in the Quick Reference collection, and are written by specialist authors. The dictionary is an ongoing project, and more entries will be added over time.
The Harvard Dictionary of Music by
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.
The Oxford Dictionary of Music by
For the sixth edition of this classic dictionary, the text has been thoroughly revised and updated. With over 10,000 entries, the Oxford Dictionary of Music (previously the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music) offers broad coverage of a wide range of musical categories spanning many eras, including composers, librettists, singers, orchestras, important ballets and operas, and musical instruments and their history. Over 250 new entries have been added to this edition to expand coverage of popular music, ethnomusicology, modern and contemporary composers, music analysis, and recording technology. Existing entries have been expanded where necessary to include more coverage of the reception of major works, and to include key new works and categories, such as multimedia.
Ancient Greek Music by
This book endeavours to pinpoint the relations between musical, and especially instrumental, practice and the evolving conceptions of pitch systems. It traces the development of ancient melodic notation from reconstructed origins, through various adaptations necessitated by changing musical styles and newly invented instruments, to its final canonical form. It thus emerges how closely ancient harmonic theory depended on the culturally dominant instruments, the lyre and the aulos. These threads are followed down to late antiquity, when details recorded by Ptolemy permit an exceptionally clear view. Dr Hagel discusses the textual and pictorial evidence, introducing mathematical approaches wherever feasible, but also contributes to the interpretation of instruments in the archaeological record and occasionally is able to outline the general features of instruments not directly attested. The book will be indispensable to all those interested in Greek music, technology and performance culture and the general history of musicology.
The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Music by
From the emergence of plainsong to the end of the fourteenth century, this Companion covers all the key aspects of medieval music. Divided into three main sections, the book first of all discusses repertory, styles and techniques - the key areas of traditional music histories; next taking a topographical view of the subject - from Italy, German-speaking lands, and the Iberian Peninsula; and concludes with chapters on such issues as liturgy, vernacular poetry and reception. Rather than presenting merely a chronological view of the history of medieval music, the volume instead focuses on technical and cultural aspects of the subject. Over nineteen informative chapters, fifteen world-leading scholars give a perspective on the music of the Middle Ages that will serve as a point of orientation for the informed listener and reader, and is a must-have guide for anyone with an interest in listening to and understanding medieval music.
The Cambridge History of Medieval Music 2 Volume Hardback Set by
Spanning a millennium of musical history, this monumental volume brings together nearly forty leading authorities to survey the music of Western Europe in the Middle Ages. All of the major aspects of medieval music are considered, making use of the latest research and thinking to discuss everything from the earliest genres of chant, through the music of the liturgy, to the riches of the vernacular song of the trouvères and troubadours. Alongside this account of the core repertory of monophony, The Cambridge History of Medieval Music tells the story of the birth of polyphonic music, and studies the genres of organum, conductus, motet and polyphonic song. Key composers of the period are introduced, such as Leoninus, Perotinus, Adam de la Halle, Philippe de Vitry and Guillaume de Machaut, and other chapters examine topics ranging from musical theory and performance to institutions, culture and collections.
Early Music: a Very Short Introduction by
From Gregorian chant to Bach's Brandenburg Concerti, the music of the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods is both beautiful and intriguing, expanding our horizons as it nourishes our souls. In this Very Short Introduction, Thomas Forrest Kelly provides not only a compact overview of the music itself, but also a lively look at the many attempts over the last two centuries to revive it. Kelly shows that the early-music revival has long been grounded in the idea of spontaneity, of excitement, and of recapturing experiences otherwise lost to us--either the rediscovery of little-known repertories or the recovery of lost performing styles, with the conviction that, with the right performance, the music will come to life anew. Blending musical and social history, he shows how the Early Music movement in the 1960s took on political overtones, fueled by a rebellion against received wisdom and enforced conformity. Kelly also discusses ongoing debates about authenticity, the desirability of period instruments, and the relationship of mainstream opera companies and symphony orchestras to music that they often ignore, or play in modern fashion.
Eight Centuries of Troubadours and Trouvères by 
Expect the Unexpected by
How relevant is classical music today? The genre seems in danger of becoming nothing more than a hobby for the social elite. Yet Kent Nagano has another world in mind – one where everyone has access to classical music. In Classical Music: Expect the Unexpected the world-famous classical conductor tells the deeply personal story of his own engagement with the masterpieces and great composers of classical music, his work with the world's major orchestras, and his tireless commitment to bringing his music to everybody. Narrating his first childhood encounters with music's power to overcome social and ethnic boundaries, he celebrates an art form that has always taken part in debates about human values and societal developments. The constantly declining relevance of classical music in these disrupted times, he argues, not only impoverishes society from a cultural perspective but robs it of inspiration, wit, emotional depth, and a sense of community. Getting to grips with classical music's existential crisis, Nagano contends that it is too crucial to humanity's survival to be allowed to silently disappear from our everyday reality. In this moving autobiography, Kent Nagano makes a compelling plea for classical music that is as exhilarating as it is thought-provoking.
Modern Music and After by
Over three decades, Paul Griffiths's survey has remained the definitive study of music since the Second World War; this fully revised and updated edition re-establishes Modern Music and After as the preeminent introduction to the music of our time. The disruptions of the war, and the struggles of the ensuing peace, were reflected in the music of the time: in Pierre Boulez's radical reformation of compositional technique and in John Cage's development of zen music; in Milton Babbitt's settling of the serial system and in Dmitry Shostakovich's unsettling symphonies; in Karlheinz Stockhausen's development of electronic music and in Luigi Nono's pursuit of the universally human, in Iannis Xenakis's view of music as sounding mathematics and in Luciano Berio's consideration of it as language. The initiatives of these composers and their contemporaries opened prospects that haven't yet stopped unfolding.This constant expansion of musical thinking since 1945 has left us with no singular history of music; Griffiths's study accordingly follows several different paths, showing how and why they converge and diverge. This new edition of Modern Music and After discusses not only the music of the fifteen years that have passed since the previous edition, but also the recent explosion of scholarly interest in the latter half of the twentieth century. In particular, the book has been expanded to incorporate the variety of responses to the modernist impasse experienced by composers of the 1980s and 1990s. Griffiths then moves the book into the twenty-first century as he examines such highly influential composers as Helmut Lachenmann and Salvatore Sciarrino.For its breadth, wealth of detail, and characteristic wit and clarity, the third edition of Modern Music and After is required reading for the student and the enquiring listener.
Music in Ancient Greece and Rome by
Music in Ancient Greece and Rome provides a comprehensive introduction to the history of music from Homeric times to the Roman emperor Hadrian, presented in a concise and user-friendly way. Chapters include: * contexts in which music played a role * a detailed discussion of instruments * an analysis of scales, intervals and tuning * the principal types of rhythm used * and an exploration of Greek theories of harmony and acoustics. Music in Ancient Greece and Rome also contains numerous musical examples, with illustrations of ancient instruments and the methods of playing them.
Music in Antiquity by
Music was one component of the cultural continuum that developed in the contiguous civilizations of the ancient Near East and of Greece and Rome. This book covers the range and gamut of this symbiosis, as well as scrutinizes archeological findings, texts, and iconographical materials in specific geographical areas along this continuum. The book, volume VIII of Yuval - Studies of the Jewish Music Research Centre at the Hebrew University, provides an updated scholarly assessment of the rich soundscapes of ancient civilizations.
The Music of the Most Ancient Nations (Commented Reprint) by
The first volume of the series ANTIQUARIAN WRITINGS IN MUSIC ARCHAEOLOGY celebrates the 150th anniversary of Carl Engel's groundbreaking work THE MUSIC OF THE MOST ANCIENT NATIONS (1864). Long before music archaeology became a discipline, Carl Engel (1818-1882) was the first scholar to undertake revolutionary research into our musical past, taking into account all sources available at the time. Like other scholars, Engel referred to archaeological finds of musical instruments, works of art with musical scenes and written testimonials on the musical life of the past, but the level of integration of these sources was outstanding. Furthermore, being thoroughly ahead of the times, he compared the historical sources with traditional music from all over the world in order to make interpretations of the musical past. The book was reprinted once in Carl Engel's lifetime (1870), and facsimiles of the first edition were published in 1909 and 1929. The present reprint is made from the 1929 facsimile with the additional inclusion of three photographs of recent finds, namely the silver trumpet from the tomb of king Tut-Ankh-Amun and the harp from queen Pū-Abī from Ur. These photographs are now printed on art print paper. The present edition also contains, in the form of supplements, the title page of the first edition and Carl Engel's introduction from the second edition. Special care has been taken in reproducing the original woodcuts and restoring the musical notations, which were partly washed out due to a defective print of the first editions. The reprint is complemented by two commentaries on Engel's life, three commentaries on individual chapters of the book, and a timeline of Engel's world. The commentaries, written by distinguished scholars in ancient music studies, discuss Engel's work in the light of present-day scholarship. The historiographical reflection makes the present edition an indispensable tool for everyone interested in the study of past music cultures.
Nineteenth-Century Chamber Music by
Nineteenth Century Chamber Musicproceeds chronologically by composer, beginning with the majestic works of Beethoven, and continuing through Schubert, Spohr and Weber, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, the French composers, Smetana and Dvorak, and the end-of-the-century pre-modernists. Each chapter is written by a noted authority in the field. The book serves as a general introduction to Romantic chamber music, and would be ideal for a seminar course on the subject or as an adjunct text for Introduction to Romantic Music courses. Plus, musicologists and students of 19th century music will find this to be an invaluable resource.
Performing Antiquity: Ancient Greek Music and Dance from Paris to Delphi, 1890-1930 by
Performing Antiquity investigates collaboration between French and American scholars of Greek antiquity (archaeologists, philologists, classicists, and musicologists) and the performing artists (dancers, composers, choreographers, and musicians) who brought their research to life at the birth of modernism. The book tells the story of performances that took place at academic conferences, the Paris Opéra, ancient amphitheaters in Delphi, and private homes. These musical and dance collaborations were built on reciprocity: the performers gained new insight into their craft while leaning new techniques or repertoire, and the scholars got to see theory become practice; that is, they had a chance to see/hear/feel what they had studied and imagined. The performers received the imprimatur of scholarship, the stamp of authenticity, and validation for their creative activities. Drawing from methods and theory from musicology, dance studies, performance studies, queer studies, archaeology, and classics, Performing Antiquity shows how new scholarly methods and technologies altered the performance and ultimately the reception of music and dance of the past. Acknowledging and critically examining the complex relationship performers and scholars had with the pasts they studied does not undermine their work. Rather, understanding their own limits, dreams, obsessions, desires, loves, and fears enriched the ways they performed the past.
Reclaiming Late-Romantic Music by
Why are some of the most beloved and frequently performed works of the late-romantic period—Mahler, Delius, Debussy, Sibelius, Puccini—regarded by many critics as perhaps not quite of the first rank? Why has modernist discourse continued to brand these works as overly sentimental and emotionally self-indulgent? Peter Franklin takes a close and even-handed look at how and why late-romantic symphonies and operas steered a complex course between modernism and mass culture in the period leading up to the Second World War. The style's continuing popularity and its domination of the film music idiom (via work by composers such as Max Steiner, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and their successors) bring late-romantic music to thousands of listeners who have never set foot in a concert hall. Reclaiming Late-Romantic Music sheds new light on these often unfairly disparaged works and explores the historical dimension of their continuing role in the contemporary sound world.
Reforming Music: Music and the Religious Reformations of the Sixteenth Century by
Five hundred years ago a monk nailed his theses to a church gate in Wittenberg. The sound of Luther's mythical hammer, however, was by no means the only aural manifestation of the religious Reformations.This book describes the birth of Lutheran Chorales and Calvinist Psalmody; of how music was practised by Catholic nuns, Lutheran schoolchildren, battling Huguenots, missionaries and martyrs, cardinals at Trent and heretics in hiding, at a time when Palestrina, Lasso and Tallis were composing their masterpieces, and forbidden songs were concealed, smuggled and sung in taverns and princely courts alike.Music expressed faith in the Evangelicals'emerging worships and in the Catholics'ancient rites; through it new beliefs were spread and heresy countered; analysed by humanist theorists, it comforted and consoled miners, housewives and persecuted preachers; it was both the symbol of new, conflicting identities and the only surviving trace of a lost unity of faith.The music of the Reformations, thus, was music reformed, music reforming and the reform of music: this book shows what the Reformations sounded like, and how music became one of the protagonists in the religious conflicts of the sixteenth century.
The Science and Art of Renaissance Music by
As a distinguished scholar of Renaissance music, James Haar has had an abiding influence on how musicology is undertaken, owing in great measure to a substantial body of articles published over the past three decades. Collected here for the first time are representative pieces from those years, covering diverse themes of continuing interest to him and his readers: music in Renaissance culture, problems of theory as well as the Italian madrigal in the sixteenth century, the figures of Antonfrancesco Doni and Giovanthomaso Cimello, and the nineteenth century's views of early music. In this collection, the same subject is seen from several angles, and thus gives a rich context for further exploration. Haar was one of the first to recognize the value of cultural study. His work also reminds us that the close study of the music itself is equally important. The articles contained in this book show the author's conviction that a good way to address large problems is to begin by focusing on small ones. Originally published in 1998. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Art and Music by
God made us to enjoy beauty wherever we find it, whether it’s music or the visual arts. But sin finds ways to obscure what is right in front of our eyes and ears. Drawing on years of teaching experience, two professors offer tips for understanding, evaluating, and appreciating art in all its forms while highlighting the important ways in which art and music reflect the glory of God. This book will help you better understand and appreciate humanity’s pursuit and imitation of beauty through artistic expression―a vital means by which we bear witness to the beauty of our Creator.
Christian Music by
Tim Dowley's popular history of Christian music is the first to encompass all eras, regions, and varieties of this rich and vast treasure. From its Jewish origins, through medieval chant and hymns, to gospel and rock, Christian music around the world is harmonized beautifully in this colorfully illustrated survey. Dowley travels beneath the plurality of forms and styles to pose questions about the meaning of diverse traditions. His skillful narrative and fascinating insights from specialists combine for a truly global history of Christianity's musical culture.
Classical Music by
Summary: "This book charts four centuries of Western classical music, from the Baroque era through to the end of the 20th century. The Chronology presents information on all aspects of classical music from 1600 to the 2000s, including biographies of composers, patrons, publishers, impresarios, conductors, and performers. Births, deaths, compositions, performances, and many biographical highs and lows are included to give the reader a complete and varied look at what happened, when, with a particular emphasis on the stories surrounding a piece of music's first performance"--Amazon.com.
The Cultural Context of Medieval Music by
An urgently needed guide to understanding medieval music to be used as a text for the university undergraduate, graduate students in music and interdisciplinary medieval studies, and for the professional musicologist and medievalist. This book will also be appreciated by everyone interested in early music. Nancy van Deusen's The Cultural Context of Medieval Music addresses the mental landscape surrounding music that, especially, was sung and experienced in the Middle Ages. Largely anonymous in its composition, and apparently lacking the motivation of fame and commerce, music within a well thought-out system of education served a purpose that goes far beyond casual entertainment or personal professional advancement. Offering experience through performance, music exemplified the basic principles not only of the material and possible measurements of the visible world―such as of objects, relationships, and movement―but also of the invisible materials of sound and time, making it an ideal medium for working with unseen substances such as concepts, imaginations, and ideas. St. Augustine in the late fourth century reinforced the importance of music for the process of learning when he wrote that nothing could be truly understood without music. This book shows how this, in fact, is the case―a message of great relevance today.
Music after the Fall by
This is the first book to survey contemporary Western art music within the transformed political, cultural, and technological environment of the post-Cold War era. In this book, Tim Rutherford-Johnson considers musical composition against this changed backdrop, placing it in the context of globalization, digitization, and new media. Drawing connections with the other arts, in particular visual art and architecture, he expands the definition of Western art music to include forms of composition, experimental music, sound art, and crossover work from across the spectrum, inside and beyond the concert hall. Each chapter is a critical consideration of a wide range of composers, performers, works, and institutions, and develops a broad and rich picture of the new music ecosystem, from North American string quartets to Lebanese improvisers, from electroacoustic music studios in South America to ruined pianos in the Australian outback. Rutherford-Johnson puts forth a new approach to the study of contemporary music that relies less on taxonomies of style and technique than on the comparison of different responses to common themes of permission, fluidity, excess, and loss.
Music in Medieval Europe by
Music in Medieval Europe combines a cultural history of the Middle Ages and in-depth scholarship on the music and leading composers active during the period. It includes an integrated anthology of key works with approachable and enlightening explanations, making it easily accessible for both beginning and advanced students. Its chronological organization, broad scope, and detailed music analyses make Music in Medieval Europe an ideal introductory text.
Music in the Eighteenth Century by
John Rice's Music in the Eighteenth Century takes the reader on an engrossing Grand Tour of Europe's musical centers, from Naples, to London, Berlin, Vienna, Prague, and St. Petersburg ―with a side trip to the colonial New World. Against the backdrop of Europe's largely peaceful division into Catholic and Protestant realms, Rice shows how "learned" and "galant" styles developed and commingled. While considering Mozart, Haydn, and early Beethoven in depth, he broadens his focus to assess the contributions of lesser-known but significant figures like Johann Adam Hiller, Francois-André Philidor, and Anna Bon. Western Music in Context: A Norton History comprises six volumes of moderate length, each written in an engaging style by a recognized expert. Authoritative and current, the series examines music in the broadest sense―as sounds notated, performed, and heard―focusing not only on composers and works, but also on broader social and intellectual currents.
The Music of Central Asia by
Summary: This beautiful and informative book offers a detailed introduction to the musical heritage of Central Asia for readers and listeners worldwide. The Music of Central Asia balances "insider" and "outsider" perspectives with contributions by 27 authors from 14 countries, who explore the diverse msucial traditions of nomads and sedentary dwellers; the transformation of music and culture from the past to the present day; and the important role music has played in the history of Central Asia. From the Pami Mountains of Tajikistan to the Kazakh steppe, the old Silk Road city of Bukhara, and the urbane arts scene of contemporary Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, music and musical life come alive through vivid writing, copious illustrations, and 189 audio and video examples available on a companion website. Profiles of musicians, listening guides, study questions, and an illustrated glossary of musical instruments make The Music of Central Asia an indispensable resource for both general readers and specialists. -- from back cover.
Postmodernism in Music by
Summary: "Postmodernism is a term that has been used extensively to describe general trends and specific works in many different cultural contexts. ... This introduction clarifies the term and explores its relevance for music through discussion of specific musical examples from the 1950s to the present day, providing an engagement between theory and practice. ... It outlines and addresses the problems of defining what we mean by postmodernism, explores when postmodernism begins, engages with a broad range of literature and reference sources, inviting wider reading and thinking, and uses specific musical examples to present ways of interpreting music that can be defined as postmodernist."--From publisher description.
The Symphonic Repertoire, Volume I by
Central to the repertoire of Western art music since the 18th century, the symphony has come to be regarded as one of the ultimate compositional challenges. In his five-volume series The Symphonic Repertoire, the late A. Peter Brown explores the symphony from its 18th-century beginnings to the end of the 20th century. In Volume 1, The Eighteenth-Century Symphony, 22 of Brown's former students and colleagues collaborate to complete the work that he began on this critical period of development in symphonic history. The work follows Brown's outline, is organized by country, and focuses on major composers. It includes a four-chapter overview and concludes with a reframing of the symphonic narrative. Contributors address issues of historiography, the status of research, and questions of attribution and stylistic traits, and provide background material on the musical context of composition and early performances. The volume features a CD of recordings from the Bloomington Early Music Festival Orchestra, highlighting the largely unavailable repertoire discussed in the book.