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Articles & Databases for History
- Historical Abstracts (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? Indexing and abstracts of journal articles and other materials on the history of countries other than the United States and Canada. Updated monthly.
- What dates are covered? 1450 - Present
- America: History and Life with Full Text (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? Citations to and the full text of hundreds of full-text history journals about the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Includes features such as the ability to search by time period.
- What dates are covered? 1955 to the present
- Music Index Online (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? Cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts of articles about music, musicians and the music industry. In addition to journal articles, it provides citations for book reviews, obituaries and news articles.
- What dates are covered? 1970 - Present.
- RILM Abstracts of Music Literature with Full Text (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? Comprehensive international database of publications on music from the 19th century to the present. Includes full-text content from more than 200 periodicals.
- What dates are covered? 1800's - Present.
- ITER Gateway to the Middle Ages & Renaissance This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? A bibliography of materials relating to the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Includes citations to books and journal articles as well as to dissertation abstracts and essays in books
- What dates are covered? 700 AD - 1700 AD.
- Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive: Rock, Folk and Hip-hop This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? An archival research resource containing the essential primary sources for studying the history of the film and entertainment industries. URI has access to the Rock, Folk and Hip-hop Magazine Archives.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? Full-text current and archival articles from 500+ scholarly journals from major university presses covering literature and criticism, history, performing arts, cultural studies, education, philosophy, political science, gender studies, and more. Updated continually.
Bibliographies/Biographies
A Dictionary-Catalog of Modern British Composers A-C by Call Number: Ref. ML120 .G7 P68 2000ISBN: 0313316236Publication Date: 2000-09-303 vols.
Provides chronological lists of compositions and arrangements, manuscript locations and bibliographies for over fifty composers. Includes title index.
American Song by Call Number: Ref. ML128 .M78 .B6 1985ISBN: 0871969610Publication Date: 1985-01-01Volumes 1 & 2, subtitled The Complete Musical Theatre Companion, provides information on nearly 3,300 American musicals including a listing of shows and an index to 42,000 songs and 16,000 personnel. Volumes 3 & 4, subtitled The Complete Companion to Tin Pan Alley (1996), provides information on 164 composers and lyricists and over 54,000 song titles.Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians by
Call Number: Ref. ML105 .B16 2001ISBN: 0028655257Publication Date: 1905-06-016 vols.
Biographies of classical and popular musicians with selected, major works included in most entries. Some bibliographical references.
International Dictionary of Black Composers by Call Number: Ref. ML105 I5 1999ISBN: 1884964273Publication Date: 1999-04-012 vols.
Covers composers of African heritage residing around the world and includes biographical sketches, works lists, bibliographies, discographies and critical essays.
The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz by Call Number: Carothers Library Reference - Non Circulating ML102 J3 F4 1999 and Fine Arts Music Resource Center - Non Circulating REF ML102.J3 B56 1999ISBN: 0195074181Publication Date: 1999
Selected Books
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Studying Music History by Call Number: Carothers Library Stacks ML161 .P8 1983ISBN: 0138588600Publication Date: 1983- New Oxford History of MusicCall Number: Carothers Library Reference - Non Circulating ML160 N44Publication Date: 1990
The Cambridge History of World Music by Call Number: Carothers Library Stacks ML3545 .C26 2013ISBN: 9780521868488Publication Date: 2013
Romantic Music by Call Number: Carothers Library Stacks ML196 P6 1984 and Fine Arts Music Resource Center - Non Circulating ML196 .P6 1984ISBN: 0393951960Publication Date: 1985
Women and Music by Call Number: Carothers Library Stacks ML82 W6 1991 and onlineISBN: 0253343216Publication Date: 1991
Rhode Island's Musical Heritage by Call Number: Carothers Library Stacks ML200.7 R47 R46 2008ISBN: 9780899901435Publication Date: 2008
Selected Books: Jazz
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History and Tradition of Jazz by Call Number: Fine Arts Music Resource Center - Scores - Non Circulating ML 3506 L37 2012ISBN: 9780757587276Publication Date: 2011
Essential Jazz by Call Number: Fine Arts Music Resource Center - Non Circulating ML3506 M378 2005ISBN: 9780534638108Publication Date: 2004
The History of Jazz by Call Number: Carothers Library Stacks ML3506 G54 1997 and Fine Arts Music Resource Center - Non Circulating ML3506 .G54 1997ISBN: 0195090810Publication Date: 1997
Jazz: From its original to the present by Call Number: Fine Arts Music Resource Center - Non Circulating ML3506 P678 1993ISBN: 9780135121955Publication Date: 1992
Jazz: A History of America's Music by Call Number: Fine Arts Music Resource Center - Non Circulating ML3506 W37 2000ISBN: 067944551XPublication Date: 2000-11-07
Selected ebooks
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A student's guide to music history by Publication Date: 2007- Oxford history of western music byPublication Date: 2010
Studies in Music History by Call Number: also Carothers Library Stacks ML3797.1 P69 S9ISBN: 1400879183Publication Date: 2015
Cultural Codes: makings of a Black music philosophy : An interpretive history from spirituals to hip hop by ISBN: 0810872870Publication Date: 2010
Five Lives in Music: Women Performers, Composers, and Impresarios from the Baroque to the Present by ISBN: 9780252094132Publication Date: 2012
Web Resources for Music History
- Library of Congress Digital Music CollectionsIncludes books, articles, sheet music, and more.
- The Brook CenterArchives on music iconography, free-reed instruments, 18th century sympony, French opera in the 17th & 18th centuries, and "The universe of music: A history".
- Brown University sheet musicThe African American, World War I, and Yiddish American collections are digitized.
- Yale University Library Digital CollectionsIncludes several music-focused archives.
- Juilliard Special CollectionsSeveral archives containing manuscripts, sketchbooks, scores, etc.
- The Morgan Library & Museum Music Manuscripts OnlineImages and descriptions of musical manuscripts.
- Indiana University Texts on Music in English (TME)Manuscipts and printed material from the Medieval period to to the 17th century.
- AfriClassicalAfrican heritage in classical music
- Project Gutenberg Recorded musicSearch by title, author, or language.