What Primary Sources Exist on My Topic?
Depending on the subject you're researching, it may not be immediately obvious what kinds of primary sources are available to you. We've collected resources to help you identify what kinds of primary sources survive for the specific work you are studying.
In particular, this page focuses on tools to find manuscripts and early printed editions, as those source types can be particularly tricky to track down.
Although many early editions and manuscripts exist only in particular libraries and archives that you might not be able to access in person, there are many online versions and facsimiles that you can search for once you know exactly what you're looking for. Once you've used the tools on this page to identify what sources exist, refer to the page on Facsimiles & Digital Copies for help locating reproductions of these primary sources that you can use in your research.
General Tips: Where to Look First
If you are trying to track down what manuscripts and early printed editions exist for a particular work or composer, consulting the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians or the composer's thematic catalog are excellent places to start.
In Grove, the "Works" list included in the article for a particular composer includes a column for "publication; autograph". This information can help you identify early editions.
A composer's thematic catalog includes similar information, listing the surviving manuscripts (including both autographs - manuscripts written in the composer's own hand - and copies) and where they are located.
RISM (Repertoire International des Sources Musicales) is another key resource you should consult. RISM is an ongoing scholarly project to document the existence of printed and manuscript music. Even though the emphasis of manuscript cataloging is on the years 1600-1850, you will find both older and newer sources in the online catalog. Check out the next page, Using RISM, for tips and instructions to guide you.
- Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new windowOxford Music Online includes access to Grove Music Online. Search for the composer you are researching to consult their works list and get more information about what early editions exist for the piece(s) you are researching.
- Collected Works & Thematic CatalogsRefer to our page on Collected Works & Thematic Catalogs in the Finding Music Materials guide for additional information and tips to help you locate thematic catalogs for particular composers.
- Biographisch-bibliographisches Quellen-Lexikon der Musiker und Musikgelehrten christlicher Zeitrechnung bis Mitte des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts. byCall Number: ML105 E471959Location: Music & Performing Arts Library Reference (non-circulating)
Although now badly out of date, Eitner still remains useful for identifying pre-1850s sources lost during the two world wars.
Specialized Tips
In addition to the general tips above, there are several other resources you may want to consult depending on your research area. The sources recommended below include databases and catalogues of manuscript and early printed sources for particular research concentrations. You can use these lists as a reference point to identify what early sources exist for the work you are studying and what library or archive holds them.
Tracking Down Manuscript Sources
Many libraries have begun digitizing their primary source materials. This tab collects general places you might search, portals to catalogs that let you browse the collections of archives around the world, and lists of national libraries and archives to check out. For more specialized recommendations, check out the other tabs in this box.
Once you know which library owns a specific manuscript or edition, check the library's website to see if a digital image is available.
- ArchiveGridArchiveGrid provides access to detailed archival collection descriptions such as documents, personal papers, family histories, and other archival materials held by thousands of libraries, museums, historical societies, and archives. It also provides contact information for the institutions where these collections are kept.
- National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (Library of Congress)The mission of the NUCMC program is to provide and promote bibliographic access to the nation's documentary heritage. This mission is realized by NUCMC production of cataloging describing archival and manuscript collections held by eligible repositories located throughout the United States and its territories.
- Archives Portal EuropeArchives Portal Europe provides you a single access to find, browse and discover information on archives about Europe held by thousands of cultural heritage institutions from more than 30 countries. We continually grow and expand our content, adding more countries, more institutions, and more archival collections.
- Cantus: A Database for Latin Ecclesiastical Chant - Inventories of Chant SourcesCantus is a database of the Latin chants found in manuscripts and early printed books, primarily from medieval Europe. This searchable digital archive holds inventories of antiphoners and breviaries -- the main sources for the music sung in the Latin liturgical Office -- as well as graduals and other sources for music of the Mass.
- Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music (DIAMM)This website is a portal to information about and images of worldwide collections of medieval polyphonic music manuscripts (NOTE: the resource does not include plainchant). The music and the manuscripts date from approximately 800 to 1550, but some prominent later sources are also included. This website includes detailed information for all the known sources of European polyphonic music (which is almost entirely vocal) and high-quality color images of some manuscripts.
- Sources, MSAn article from volume 23 in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians that lists music manuscripts from the 9th through 16th centuries. Accessible online via Oxford Music Online or in print at Reference Non-circulating ; ML100 G76N38 2001
- Census-catalogue of manuscript sources of polyphonic music, 1400-1550Located at: MPAL Reference Non-circulating ; ML169.8 R36 (5 vols)
This catalog provides descriptions and analyses of sources of Renaissance polyphony. Comprehensive; virtually all known sources are included in the catalog. Organized by location of the institution holding the original source. Includes an extended bibliography of secondary sources, and index of persons, places, RISM numbers, and watermarks.
- Répertoire International des Sources Musicales This link opens in a new windowRISM is an ongoing scholarly project to document the existence of printed and manuscript music before 1800. It gives detailed descriptions of music manuscripts, early printed editions of music, and early treatises on music.
There are three thorough articles published in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (accessible via Oxford Music Online, below, or through the individual links listed below) that are excellent guides to manuscripts of early instrumental music. We are also linking a print bibliography of 16th century instrumental music at the bottom of the box.
- Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new windowOxford Music Online (OMO) is the access-point for Oxford music reference subscriptions and products, including Grove Music Online.
- Sources of instrumental ensemble music to 1630An article from volume 24 in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians listing the principal sources to 1630 of music for two or more instruments (excluding two or more keyboards, lutes and other chordal instruments) to play together without the voice. This article is restricted to sources that contain pieces of undoubted instrumental origin and, in addition, some sources that contain a significant quantity of pieces that might have been conceived for instruments, or that seem to be important for the history of instrumental ensemble music in some other way.
Accessible online via Oxford Music Online or in print at Reference Non-circulating ; ML100 G76N38 2001 - Sources of keyboard music to 1660An article from volume 24 in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians listing sources of keyboard music up to about 1660, divided into broad geographical areas, and further divided within those areas into manuscript and printed sources arranged chronologically. Manuscripts are denoted by their present location, followed by the provenance and scribe if known, and a date, approximate or exact.
Accessible online via Oxford Music Online or in print at Reference Non-circulating ; ML100 G76N38 2001 - Sources of lute musicAn article from volume 24 in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians listing sources of lute music. The terminal date adopted here is later than that for other articles in the group because many important repertories of lute music date from after 1600.
Accessible online via Oxford Music Online or in print at Reference Non-circulating ; ML100 G76N38 2001
Instrumental Music Printed Before 1600 by Call Number: MPAL Reference Non-circulating ; ML128.I66 B76Lists all of the volumes of instrumental music published in 16th century. Where possible, vocal models for the instrumental intabulations are included. Modern editions of collections and individual pieces are listed. Five indexes (Libraries and Their Holdings; Volumes Described, Arranged by Types of Notation; Volumes Described, Arranged by Performing Medium; Index of Names; Index of First Lines and Titles) provide a complete guide to the contents of the Bibliography.
Resources of American Music History by
Call Number: MPAL Reference Non-circulating ; ML120.U5 R37Essential for research on music collections in American libraries.
The Grove Dictionary of American Music by Call Number: Online ResourceThe articles of the dictionary range from small definitions of dance styles and musical terms to mid-length biographies of important performers, composers and music patrons, to longer examinations of larger subjects such as the history of jazz, musical instruments, music education in the United States, and the American history of the orchestra. The dictionary's articles are supplemented by over 400 images and 140 musical examples and other materials.