Introduction
There are many music dictionaries and encyclopedias available to you! Depending on the topic you are researching, you may need to consult a specialized one or a more general one. We've highlighted several resources below to get you started. If you're researching an individual, make sure to check out the box at the bottom on biographical dictionaries!
General Music Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
Browse the list of selected core dictionaries and encyclopedias below to get started! Remember that you can also search the Library catalog for your topic and "dictionary" or "encyclopedia" (e.g. Latin American music encyclopedia) to see if we have one that is more specific and relevant to your research.
- 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, The Oxford Companion to Music, The Oxford Dictionary of Music, and Encyclopedia of Popular Music.
- Garland Encyclopedia of World Music This link opens in a new windowThe Garland encyclopedia of world music online is a comprehensive online resource devoted to music research of all the world's peoples. Each volume contains an overview of a geographic region, a survey of its musical heritage, and a description of specific musical genres, practices, and performances.
- Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the WorldCall Number: Online and MPAL Reference Non-circulating ML102.P66 C66
Comprised of Part 1: Social and Cultural Dimensions, covering social phenomena of relevance to the practice of popular music, and 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; an extensive index is provided. - Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart : allgemeine Enzyklopädie der Musik, 2nd Ed. by Friedrich BlumeCall Number: MPAL Reference Non-circulating ML100 M87
Sachteil for things, Personenteil for people. MGG, like the other large foreign language sets, can be very useful for offering a comparative view or offering more information than Grove.
Biographical Dictionaries
To find background information about composers, musicians, and other important figures in the world of music, try using the biographical dictionaries listed below.
If you are looking for greater detail, there are also book-length biographical tools called bio-bibliographies, which is a bibliography devoted to one composer or concept (like string quartets). They list books, journal articles, and other information about a composer. Sometimes these books are called "guides to research" or "research and information guides". They are typically located in the ML134s in the Reference collection, and you can ask at the Service Desk for help finding them!
- Baker's biographical dictionary of musiciansCall Number: Online and MPAL Ready Reference Non-circulating ML105 B16B52001
- The Harvard biographical dictionary of musicCall Number: Online and MPAL Reference Non-circulating ML105 H27
Check out our video on Baker's and Harvard for a demonstration on how to access and use these tools.