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Introduction
This is a guide to selected sources of information related to Music resources available at URI. Use the side navigation on the left to navigate through this guide.
There are other materials such as vinyl and CD recordings, tapes, study scores, solo and ensemble music, and music dictionaries in the Music Resource Room in the Fine Arts Center. Call (401) 874-5584 for more information. A URI Libraries Search will identify the location of all music-related materials held by URI; you will find books, periodicals, microfilm, CD and video recordings related to music in the library.
Use the AUTHOR search by entering last name first (ex. Kern, Jerome or Verdi, Giuseppe), a SUBJECT search (ex. Music – 20th Century – History and Criticism), a TITLE search (ex. Sonata in C Minor for Viola and Piano), or a WORD search (ex. piano and scores; jazz and discography).
- URI Libraries SearchLocate books, videos, online resources and more available through the URI Libraries.
Articles & Databases
To find articles, you can use the databases below; choose those appropriate to your topic.
- Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
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- What's included? Citations to and full text of over 8,500 journals and magazines, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. Covers a wide range of academic subjects including the arts, humanities, social sciences, sciences, technology, and more.
- What dates are covered? Coverage varies, but generally covers the mid 1990s - present. Updated daily.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Nexis Uni (LexisNexis) This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? News, law, and business information service. Includes news from national and international newspapers; wire services and articles from hundreds of periodicals; and a number of other reference sources. All sources are full-text. Updated daily.
- 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.
- RIPM Jazz Periodicals This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? RIPM Jazz Periodicals is a unique, full-text database of jazz journals and magazines, of great importance to any lover of jazz and its history, and a primary source reference and research tool for all libraries.
- Scopus (Elsevier) This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? Multidisciplinary abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature with tools to track, analyze, and visualize article and literature use. Includes journal articles, books, book series, conference papers, and more. Alternative to Web of Science. Indexes close to 35,000 titles.
Selected Web Resources
- All-Music GuideGuide to musicians and musical styles in all musical genres.
- American MemoryMultimedia collections of digitized documents, photographs, recorded sound, moving pictures and text from the Library of Congress’s Americana collections.
- The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet MusicFrom Special Collections at the Milton S. Eisenhower Library of Johns Hopkins University. Over 29,000 pieces of popular American sheet music from 1780 to 1980 is indexed. Provides music in the public domain published before 1923.
- MusicalOnline – Classical Music DirectoryGateway site to Internet musical resources, both academic and popular.
- RI Music Hall of FameCelebrates the legacy of RI musicians, educators, and industry professionals.
Electronic Reference Resources
- Grove Music Online (Oxford Music Online) This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? A comprehensive, scholarly music reference containing articles, biographies, and musical examples on all types of music. Updated regularly.
- What else should I know? 3 concurrent users only.
- Oxford History of Western Music This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? A survey of the traditions of western music, including themes, styles, and currents that give shape and direction to each musical age. Provides links to related articles in Grove Music Online.
- Credo Reference Academic Core This link opens in a new window
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- What's included? Hundreds of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, quotations, and subject-specific titles, as well as 200,000+ images and audio files, and nearly 200 videos.
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
This list includes a selection of dictionaries and encyclopedias in music. There are many other subject-specific titles which can be found by searching the catalog. For example, type DICTIONARY and OPERA, ENCYCLOPEDIA and JAZZ, etc.
Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World by Call Number: ML102 P66 C66 2003ISBN: 0826463215Publication Date: 2003This is the first volume in a series of encyclopedic works covering popular music of the world. Consisting of some 500 entries by 130 contributors from around the world. Entries range between 250 and 5000 words, and is arranged in two Parts: Part 1: Social and Cultural Dimensions, covering the social phenomena of relevance to the practice of popular music. Part II: The Industry, covers all aspects of the popular music industry, such as copyright, instrumental manufacture, management and marketing, record corporations, studios, companies, and labels. Entries include bibliographies, discographies and filmographies, and an extensive index is provided. (From the book summary).
Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music by Call Number: Ref. ML102 G6 E63 2005ISBN: 0415941792Publication Date: 2005
Encyclopedia of Punk Music and Culture by Call Number: ML102 R6 C64 2006ISBN: 0313333408Publication Date: 2006Ideal for the serious punk scholar as well as a novice to the punk music scene, The Punk Encyclopedia is the first comprehensive reference work to examine punk rock and its evolution through the decades.
The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music by Call Number: Ref. ML100 .G16 1998ISBN: 0824060350Publication Date: 199710 vols.
Arranged geographically. Articles are written by ethnomusicology specialists in each area and include bibliographic references. Each volume includes a glossary and index.
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Rock History by Call Number: ML3534 G754 2006ISBN: 0313329370Publication Date: 2005A six-volume set that brings unprecedented depth to the understanding of rock music and the many ways it has shaped American culture.
Additional Print Resources
- RILM Abstracts of Music LiteratureCall Number: Ref. ML1 .I831967-1999
Abstracts of music literature since 1967. Indexes resources that provide analysis or interpretation as well as those that provide source material such as correspondence, obituaries and biographies. - Music IndexCall Number: Ref. ML118 M84Print Index includes citations to music literature in international music journals. Covers 1949-1999.
- Handbook of music terms byCall Number: ML108 G844 H3Although designed for “persons who make only a modest claim to musical knowledge,” this handbook provides detailed and clear definitions and examples.
Reader's Guide to Music by Call Number: Ref. ML160 .R42 1999ISBN: 1579581439Publication Date: 1999Reference guide to literature on music. Entries include short essays and bibliographies.
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Created and Modified by
Jim Kinnie, 10/09, 8/10
Anthony Loffredio, 5/13
Jessica D'Atri, 4/20