Introduction
Reference sources are a great place to start your research when you need to gather initial information about a topic or get a rough overview of a subject so you can decide what areas to research further. Reference books and online tools are also excellent for looking up a quick fact, definition, or date, and they will often direct you to more sources.
If none of the recommended resources are quite what you're looking for, try a search in the Library catalog for the subject you're researching and "reference", "handbook", "guide", or "companion" to see what reference materials we might have on the subject. Remember that you can always reach out to a librarian for help if your search doesn't turn up promising results!
Major Reference Sources and Histories
Both reference sources (dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc.) and music history texts can be very useful for situating a specific topic within a time period. They can also be great resources for identifying topics that are of interest to you. Check out the list below for recommended reference and background reading related to your course!
- Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new windowOxford Music Online provides online access to a number of music reference sources, including the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. The New Grove Dictionary is a key resource in the study of music and is an excellent place to start your research.
- Oxford History of Western Music This link opens in a new windowHistories are very useful for providing the context of a particular composer, work, or genre of music. They can give you background on the development of a particular type of music or composer in a particular time and/or place. This resource is broken down by time periods, including sections on Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century and Music In The Seventeenth And Eighteenth Centuries.
New Oxford History of Music by Call Number: ML160 N39Location: Music & Performing Arts Library Reference (non-circulating)
10 volumes, broken up by time period. Several are available online to UIUC students through the HathiTrust Digital Library.
A History of Western Music, 10th edition by Call Number: MPAL Reference Non-circulating ML160 .B872 2019Older editions are also available.
A definitive survey that weaves a compelling story of people, their choices, and the western musical tradition that emerged. From chant to hip-hop, Burkholder connects past to present to create a context for tomorrow’s musicians.
Music in the Medieval West by Call Number: ML172 .F37M8 2014In addition to highlighting the ceremonial and dramatic functions of medieval music (both sacred and secular), Fassler pays special attention to the exchange of musical ideas, the development of musical notation and other methods of transmission, and the role of women in musical culture
Music in the Renaissance by Call Number: ML172 .F74M8 2013Freedman shows how music and other forms of expression were adapted to changing tastes and ideals in Renaissance courts and churches. Giving due weight to sacred, secular, and instrumental genres, Freedman invites readers to consider who made music, who sponsored and listened to it, who preserved and owned it, and what social and aesthetic purposes it served.
Music in the Baroque by Call Number: ML193 .H45M8 2014Heller traces the production and consumption of music in the seventeenth and early eighteenth century. Going beyond a history of styles, the text explores patronage, education, religious and civic ritual, theater, and visual culture. Heller focuses not only on the nature of music in the Baroque period, but also on the very different ways in which men and women experienced music in their daily lives.
